support

carrie · Post by **carrie** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 3:42 pm

what levels of support do you get from tutors / lecturers/ colleagues
I get a real mix as one teacher is ultrahelpful and supportive will give me extra help and assess me verbally where possible
but another hasnt a clue and dictates notes all lesson which i cant cope with even though she knows im dyspraxic.
I dont want to whinge but my wrist/hand is so achey all the time and im not learning as much because of it

eoakley · Post by **eoakley** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:05 pm

hi Carrie
I am at university my lecturers are aware that I am severly dyspraxic and dyslexic.
my teachers try to help me on an individual basis, as i have more tutorials than normol i also have weekly learning support with a dyslexia specialist this can also benefit dyspraxic people as both coundition have simmilar characteristics.

if your hand aches because you are writing too much why don't you record your lessons and type some notes latter. this is what i do I am also alloward to use my laptop if I wish but I don't because i feel that this would be to distracting to the other people in the lecture but i use my lap top in the seminar sessions.

The thing that I am strugling most with at the moment is with reading I am doing a geography degree there is such a lot of thing that I am required to read during the first semester I would just write 3 references which were quite simple books my lectures told me i should read more of a varuety of things which are more academic. this is one of the main things i recieve help with at uni

emma

carrie · Post by **carrie** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 7:21 pm

i hae know way ofrecording and storing it or i would plus we always chat aswell so i'd find it hard to convert into notes later and its not like she (the teacher) has notes i can copy so its hard and im putting up with it at the moment

eoakley · Post by **eoakley** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 8:20 am

could your maybe borrow a person in your classes notes and photocopy them. and then make your own from them
also i their a study skills tutor at your college if so maybe you could go and see them and they would be able to help you write effective notes.

Post by **Daniel** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 10:15 am

There are some good suggestions there. I never did get myself a dictaphone to record lecturers; I think in part I questioned whether I would be organised enough to listen to it again and write it up afterwards; but I think it would have helped as my handwriting on notes is attrocious. If there are friends you can call upon to help copy notes from that would certainly be useful. For exams, and as my course was topic based, we would photocopy each others essays and could therefore easily learn clear arguments with which to answer a number of possible exam questions.

Not being aware of my dyspraxia at the time, I never had any help at Uni. Organisationally speaking everything I had was a mess, but somehow I muddled through and came out with a 2:1. I was satisfied with this, as in my year only 2 particular bright people got a first, and I'm sure even if I had received help, had worked twice as hard and never went out I would I reckon still have got a 2:1.

Danni · Post by **Danni** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:07 am

One tutor is aware of my dyspraxia- he's also the one who insists on hand drawn pictures and plans, and won't let me take notes on the computer (it's a computer course- there's a computer in front of me all the time).

The others are only aware that I have mental health problems, but they're very helpful anyway. Luckily, as it's a computer course, I can normally take notes on the computer, and all essays and stuff are typed

carrie · Post by **carrie** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 2:25 pm

am tempted to speak to the SENCO at school but dont know cos it would feel like i was telling on the teacher

eoakley · Post by **eoakley** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 6:06 pm

Hi Carrie
if you feel like you should tell the SENCO then go ahead becasue it wont get back to your teacher that you told on them if you don't want it to because they are not allowrd due to confidentiality

Ruth · Post by **Ruth** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 1:39 pm

Hi Carrie

You're Senco might have some ideas about note taking. I have a philosophy module and the only way I could take notes was to draw spider diagrams with the main words and arrows showing how they link together. Not looking forward to that exam!

monkey · Post by **monkey** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 7:00 am

im starting university this year. i have reader writers for exams and extra time. i am doing it extramuraly but when i go for contact corses it is being aranged for me to have a note taker, so that i just have to focus on listning. its to late for this sumesta but for next sumester its going to be aranged for my studys to come to me on cds for the compuort and there thinking of finding funding to get a program for me that can read the stuff on the compurot out loud for me so i can listne ruther than have to read it alll. they have also told me that i can cut down on the number of papers i do at a time and becuase i have diffiucltys it would still count as full time study and i could still get a student loan. so im now deciding wether to spend more years studying and cut down on my work load or to keep the amount im doing and finnish it in the nromal 3 years. what do people here think?

Post by **Daniel** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 11:45 am

Monkey, it's tricky to know what sort of work-load you can cope with effectively before you've started. I would suggest asking your tutor to see if it would be possible cutting back on courses during the year if you're finding it too much.

monkey · Post by **monkey** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 8:55 pm

that is a good idea

Tortoise · Post by **Tortoise** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 11:30 pm

Hi monkey, I think it is a wonderful idea to do a lighter load at uni

I would definitely recomend to at least start with fewer subjects (e.g., 3 instead of 4). That way it will be a lot less stressful and you can focus on your work better. If you find it too easy, then you can take the full load of subject the next session. But i would definitely recoment starting with fewer subjects.

I took a lighter load at uni and did it over a longer period of time. I found it a great thing to do because i have to put in so much more effort and time into things than my peers (and its soo tiring). Its best to focus on quality rather than quantity. that way you might even get into a fourth year program in psychology!! $\:D/$

There is nothing wrong at all in doing less subjects over a longer period of time.

Good luck.. i hope you really enjoy the degree.

keiraknightleyfan27 · Post by **keiraknightleyfan27** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 7:08 pm

Tortoise wrote:
There is nothing wrong at all in doing less subjects over a longer period of time.

Good luck.. i hope you really enjoy the degree.

I agree. Good Luck, Monkey!

fuzzy · Post by **fuzzy** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 3:06 pm

Hey Monkey! Im so sorry for not replying to this thread sooner!! I would say cut down if you need to- you dont want to work yourself to death, so enjoy your studies and take it a little slower for your own sake- as Tortiose says, if its too easy you can always take more on!

Hope your well!

Fuzz

:D:D