You Learn Something New...

First Year Thoughts

2011-09-02T19:25:00.000+01:00

I haven't been here in a while, namely because I've been busy passing my 1st year at uni! I remember this time last year panicking about starting uni. What to take, how would I cope, would I do well? All of these thoughts went racing through my head. So, hopefully, this sum up of my first year will help.

Firstly, always start revision early. I always used to scoff at teachers who told me to 'revise as I went', but it's true. After each unit you study, make up revision posters. That way you have all the posters ready for when you come to revise, and you've got the information down while it's still fresh in your mind. Also, discuss your lectures with friends from your course. If you can explain the lecture to your friends, then you can explain it in an exam.
Take time out. Never work too hard! If all you do is study, and take no time out, who'll end up frying your circuits, and you won't be able to concentrate on your work.
Collect throughout the year. For example, buy a separate notebook for each subject (not expensive notebooks, the £1/$1 notebooks that you can pick up in discounts stores will do). That way all you're notes are together in 1 folder, and if you want to revise a certain subject you can do it easily. Do this throughout the year, when store prices are less expensive, or wait for the sales. If you buy materials just before you start studying the prices would have shot up. Keep buying folders, notebooks, pens, pencils, highlighters etc etc all year round, while their cheap.
Stay organised. This most important thing you can do is have a system. Keep all your subject notes together, have a proper filing system sorted, keep everything you'll need for studying at hand. That way studying is that much easier and quicker.
Print out all relevant notes. If you keep a hard copy of your notes, that way you can revise on the go, because you wont need to rely quite so heavily on your laptop/computor.
Know how you learn. For example, I learn by making notes on everything I can, and constantly going over things. Sounds like a lot of work, but I know that's what works for me. So know your learning style.
Set a budget. And stick to it! There's nothing harder than living it up at the beginning of the year, when you first get your loan, then having no money later on.

Things to take:

For your first year at uni, there are quite a few things that come in handy to have, and you should check certain things with your uni before getting it. For example, a fridge is a pretty cool thing to consider buying if you want more fridge space, but most uni residencies won't allow a fridge in your room. So check that out. Essential things like pens, pencils, rulers, rubbers, stapler, staples, hole punch, plastic wallets, folders, notepads etc can be collected throughout the year. Make sure you buy some kitchen supplies, such as sauceepans, woks, frying pans, lates, bols, knives, forks, spoons, utensials etc, because you may not notice them at home, but you sure notice them when you don't have them. Also, make sure to invest in cleaning supplies, and bulk buy things like bleach, disinfectant spray, washing up liquid, bin liners, cloths, sponges etc because that certainly comes in handy, even if it's for your own piece of mind. Remember bathroom essentials like shampoo, cnditioner, body wash, a flannel or poof, toilet paper etc, because theirs nothing worse than not having one of those! Get bedding (duvets, pillows, covers etc) because again, you don't realise how much you miss having a spare set until you spill something on yours! The best thing to do is look around your room at home and pick out the essential items, then do the same in the bathroom, kitchen, living room etc. That'll help you get a reasonable list of essential items to take with you.

Finally: Have Fun!!!!! Uni is an amazing experience, and honestly one of the best things I've done with my life. You get to meet new people, make your own way in the world, learn about something you're passionate about, and generally broaden your mind.

I'd love to hear from other first years, prospective first years, or university alumini. Comment below with your first year thoughts!

Dos and Don'ts

2010-06-16T16:39:00.002+01:00

Always useful, these are bitesized tips for dealing with Uni issues.

Do

Ensure you know how the student loan system works.
Try to have some savings in case your loan cheque is delayed.
Budget! Use the Spendometer to help you. (www.creditaction.org.uk/downloads/spendometer)
Keep a record of what and where you spend.
Have a list of priority spending - differentiating between needs and wants.
Take advantage of your bank's free banking facilities.
If they require a response then reply quickly to letters from your bank, building society or any creditors and keep a copy of all correspondence.
Be aware that if things go wrong financially, it can affect you emotionally and seriously distract you from your studies.
Seek advice speedily. The longer you leave a problem the harder it will be to sort it out. Talk to family, student welfare officers, bank staff etc.
Allow some money for recreation and pleasure.

Don't

Overspend at the beginning of your first term. Remember your money has to see you through the year.
Spend more than you can afford when going out. Leave your cash card at home!
Buy non-essentials when struggling to pay for essentials.
Ignore signs that spending is getting out of control.
Guess at what you're spending.
Be afraid to talk to someone and seek advice if you are having problems financially.
Cut yourself off from family and friends if things get tough.
Make rash promises to pay when you know you can't.
Exceed your overdraft limit without previous authorisation. Unauthorised overdraft rates are very high when compared with what is offered if you stick within agreed limits.
Get paranoid! Remember even if you are struggling, your bank or building society will see you as a good long-term investment, so approach them with confidence.

Useful Contacts

2010-06-16T16:10:00.002+01:00

No matter how many leaflets you read, or how many sites you surf, you're bound to still feel unprepared. So here are some useful contacts which can help you sort out anything involving University, all of which were taken from the 'creditaction' leaflet.

Citizens Advice
Details of local offices and their telephone numbers are provided on the website.
www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Consumer Credit Counselling Service
Tel: 0800 138 1111
www.cccs.co.uk

Credit Action
Add: 6th Floor, Lynton House, 7-12 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9LT
Tel: 0207 380 3390
www.creditaction.org.uk
www.moneybasics.co.uk

Directgov
Provides easy-to-understand information on where government services and legislation impact on university life including houseing, funding and tax.
www.direct.gov.uk/uni

Education Grants Advisory Service
c/o Family Welfare Association
Add: 501-505 Kingsland Road, London, E8 4AU
Student Advice Line Tel: 020 7241 7459 (available Tues, Wed and Thurs 2-4pm)
www.direct.gov.uk/en/DI1/Directories/DG_10011032

Student Awards Agency for Scotland
Tel: 0845 111 1711
www.saas.gov.uk

Student Finance England
Tel: 0845 300 5090
www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance

Student Finance Northern Ireland
Tel: 0845 600 0662
www.studentfinanceni.co.uk

Student Finance Wales
Tel: 0845 602 8845
www.studentfinancewales.co.uk

Student Loans Company Limited
Add: 100 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7JD
Tel: 0845 026 2019
www.slc.co.uk

National Union of Students
Add: 2nd Floor, Centro 3, Mandela Street, London, NW1 0DU
Tel: 0207 380 6600
www.nus.org.uk

Student Beans
Discounts for students
www.studentbeans.com

UniAid
Tel: 0207 785 3885
www.uniaid.org.uk

Money Saving Ideas

2010-06-16T14:18:00.004+01:00

Now I'm applying for uni, I'm getting all sorts of leaflets and advice through the mail. So, here's some of the money saving tips from one of those leaflets ('Money Manual For Students')

Food Shopping:

Plan your menu a week ahead and buy foods accordingly. (I tend to buy a few days extra, so my weeks are more like 8/9 days long. That way, if you don't fancy what you've planned for one day, you've got another option.)
Where possible, combine your shopping with a housemate, buying to cook for two is usually cheaper than cooking for one.
Remember packed lunches work out much cheaper than buying sandwiches or eating out.
Always use a shopping list with items for your planned menu - and stick to it! Of course, you can treat yourself from time to time, but most of the time you need to stick to a list.
When you get to the supermarket, immediately check out the 'reduced item' shelves (usually at the end of an aisle) to see if there is anything you could use.
Keep a running total as you shop and check against the till receipt - mistakes do occur! (Plus, if you've set yourself a shopping budget, you know you're not going over).
Watch the 'sell by' dates as you shop. You do not want to throw away food which you bought cheaply but cannot use in time. In the UK we throw away a third of all the food we buy. This is both costly and a ridiculous waste.
Take advantage of discounts for buying in bulk - but only when you are sure you will be able to use the items. There is no point buying '3 for the price of 2' if the product will be out of date before you can use it. Tinned goods, cereal, toiletries and frozen goods (as long as you can store them!) are ideal things to buy in bulk.
Prices of many fresh products such as fruit and vegetables vary during the year so include items when they are cheap and avoid them when they are not.
Buying fresh vegetables from the local market or greengrocer usually works out cheaper than buying them from the supermarket.
Fresh fruit and vegetables that need washing and cutting are much cheaper than prepared or frozen items.
Avoid prepared 'instant meals' as you are paying for someone else to prepare them.
Buy 'own brand' products which are often cheaper but just as good.
Take advantage of all the money-off coupons you can. If you usually shop at one regular supermarket take advantage of any 'reward card' they provide which turn 'points' into cash vouchers.
Visit supermarkets at the end of the day, when fresh food is often marked down in price.

Other Ideas:

Only pay with cash. This is easier said than done, but if you can't afford something, save for it. Paying in cash also helps you keep better track of what you're spending.
When you are thinking of buying something, ask yourself whether it is something you need or just want. Try waiting a few days before you buy anything (particularly for expensive items) - that should test how much you need it.
As a general rule, don't buy what you don't need.
Shop around for the best price. If you are thinking of using credit, remember to compare the APR as well as the prices.
Don't be afraid to haggle (negotiating for a discount) - especially if you are paying cash.
Don't feel under pressure to buy something once you're in a shop - it's always your right to walk away!
Buy things that are good quality but don't pay over the odds just for a label.
Remember that restaurants and fast-food places are expensive compared to eating in.
Take bottled tap water or squash with you if you are playing sport or attending lectures. Buying drinks when you are out and about can quickly become costly.
When you use a washing machine, oven and so on, try and fill them to save energy costs. Additionally, turn appliances off when not in use instead of leaving them on standby. A TV on standby uses 90% of the energy needed to run it.
Shop in sales wherever possible.
Can you make gifts for people? By taking a bit of time you might be able to make something nice and save a lot of money. For example, could you knit a funky, chunky scarf rather than buying one?
Keep your budget up to date.
Keep looking for ways of making the most of your income and cutting down on your spending.
Keep a record of what you spend and check this against your bank statement.
Keep receipts and guarantees in case things go wrong.
Talk to your friends and family - often people have quite inventive ways of saving the pennies.
Have your NUS card handy since it gives benefits on many things.
Websites like www.studentbeans.com and www.moneysavingexpert.com have great money saving ideas and offers for students.
The ISIC card (International Students' Card) can often get you money off flights and other travel and can be used to obtain student discounts abroad.
The The Young Person's Railcard is very useful since you can get substantial discounts on tickets and the initial cost of the card can usually be recovered after only one or two trips.
Return library books and rented videos and DVDs on time to avoid fines which can mount up quickly. Your library may be able to loan you videos and DVDs which will usually work out cheaper than borrowing from a video/DVD rental store.
There is usually a thriving market in secondhand course books from other students. Amazon.com has a section for buying and selling used books.

Organisation

2010-01-21T19:56:00.002Z

Had this sent to my inbox the other day, and it has really helpful tips for keeping your work area organised. On of the really simple things you can do to help with studying is to keep your work area organised, and that link has some fantastic, simple, easy to implement ideas. No, you won't be able to implement every idea, but don't just stick to one picture either. Pick and choose your organisation, and sort out the area you work in. Simple and effective.

10 Ways To Beat Exam Stress

2009-05-12T09:52:00.007+01:00

I know that exams are upon us, and if you're anything like me, you'll be freaking out. It's normal to be stressing out about exams. A little bit of stress helps us motivate ourselves, helps us get ourselves in gear, get us moving. But too much stress can make us burn out. So, here are 10 Top Tips to keeping the stress levels down, and helping you be prepared for your pending exams. Good Luck!

1) Devise A Cunning Plan.
I write a detailed revision chart a few weeks before exams to help allocate time to revise, time to do homework, time to do chores, time to go out etc. That way I know how many hours I'm spending on my subjects. Always allocate a little bit of extra time to the subjects that you're having trouble with. It doesn't have to be much - just a little extra to help cement it into your brain. It's better to overestimate how much time you'll need to revise than it is to underestimate. You don't want to get over-booked, because that leads to stress. Be realistic and flexible. Look over the syllabus, go over old exam questions, and get your parents and friends involved. (See 'Extra Tips and Tricks')

2) Find A Quiet Space.
It's impossible to get work done when there are distractions and a noisy environment. Close your door, shut yourself in your room, and find your way of working (See '6) Find Your Own Way Of Working'). Try going to the library to get away from distractions, or find a quiet space at home.

3) Aids To Memory.
The more relevant facts you can mention in your exams the better. Make lists of the key facts you need to know in each subject/topic and memorise them. Make memory study cards, or a key facts revision poster, and get friends and family to help test you on them.

4) Don't Stress Over Chores.
Household chores are a pain. But don't panic that you'll never find time to do them. Try talking to your parents and working out a way of condensing and simplifying your chores down. Don't throw a tantrum, but ask politely and state your case. A simple 'I need to focus on my exams, is it OK to leave my room cleaning until the weekend? I promise I'll give it a really good go-over.' is much more effective than 'I can't do my room I'm revising for my future! Ergh, you're so STUPID!!!' Right?

5) Praise Don't Pressure.
Don't pressure yourself into a state. Praise is much better to hear than put-downs. Don't say to yourself 'God, why don't I know that? I'm so thick, I'm gonna fail!' Instead, try asking 'Why don't I know that? Lets go over my notes, and try spending some more time revising it.' Failure is disappointing, but it's not the end of the world. Sure, if you get a D but you really wanted a B, it's annoying, but don't get hung up on it. You can't change the past. Just learn from it.

6) Find Your Own Way Of Working.
Not every revision way is going to work for you. Your mates may like to work in the morning, and yet you just can't drag yourself out of bed. That's fine. Your other friend might be able to revise all day, but you get bored and end up playing computer games. That's fine too. Because those aren't your way of working. Try revising at different times in the day and find the time that's right for you. It may be morning, afternoon, or evening. And then try revising for a long while and then try shorter chunks. I find I can't work more than an hour on one subject before getting bored. So I tend to work for an hour, go off, have a drink, come back in 20 minutes and start again. My tip? Swap subjects after your 'cut off point' and swap mediums. So, if you've revised English for 20 minutes by reading a book, after your break revise Maths by doing quizzes on the Internet. That way your mind is constantly being challenged, and you might even be able to work for longer.

7) Start Your Exam With A Plan.
At the start of every exam I spend about 5-10 minutes jotting down everything I can remember on the topic I'm being asked questions about. That way my knowledge is down on the paper, and my brain can access more information because you're not stressing out as much. Plus you have a note plan for every answer, so you can spend a little more time on structuring a great answer than on panicking that you 'suck'. Plus, if you run out of time, the exam may see your plan and award you some marks. If I'm running out of time I always try and bullet point my answers down, because then I can prove I know what I'm talking about. Timing is everything, so spend about 5-10 minutes reading the exam paper, choosing your answers and planing. You may find you need a little more time, and that's fine. Try practising your timing at home on old exam papers.

8) Chill-out Time.
Always take time out to chill. Watch TV, hang out with mates, do some exercise. Regular breaks and regular chill-outs are the key. If you don't see your friends, or chill, you are heading for severe brain meltdown. And then there's no point revising anyway, because it's all leaking straight back out your ears. Plus, the science behind this? Regular activity helps combat stress hormones. So you get to see your mates and feel less stressed? Sounds like a winner. Just make sure you're home at a reasonable time so you get enough sleep. So no partying until 3am!

Student Tips - Coming Soon!

2009-04-23T15:38:00.004+01:00

I've been mulling this over for a while, and think that now could be a good time to implement it, if people are willing.

Trawling the Internet for resources and tips is fine, but who knows how to manage a students schedule/responsibilities better than a student? Most of the tips on the Internet are written by adults who have been there, but are giving tips that are tough to implement. But, if we were to share our tips on how to: remember when homework's due in; manage finances; get the perfect revision timetable; etc etc then we could help each other on a wider variety of subjects than just what we learn in the classroom.

Education is important, but it is important in all areas. So, coming soon will be a student tips section, maybe monthly if we get enough tips, and we can share our own experiences and guidelines on anything and everything to do with student life. So, if you'd like to participate, read below!

How To Enter A Tip:

Either comment this post, and I will collect them up;
Email me at this address, and I will collect them up

It's as easy as that. I will collect them up, organise them, and see if we can get this started up. So, start educating!

Exam Questions

2009-04-23T15:17:00.004+01:00

Here are some Psychology of Education exam questions. I love exam questions, because they are a great revision tool, as well as great practice. You can download them here , and there's about 4 pages of Section A and Section B questions for you to choose from.

Essay Writing - Part Four

2009-03-02T16:08:00.003Z

Remember, you can download the entire pack here.

When you have finished the first draft, READ IT THROUGH. If you are in any doubt about the grammar, read it aloud. Have you done a spell check? Have you done a bibliography? Have you numbered and captioned the illustrations? Have you included a word count?

Avoiding Cliché
Here are some common words and phrases that are often misused:

In stark contrast: What is so stark about the contrast? Are you sure it is not just simply a bit different?

Portray: To portray something means to make a portrait of a name individual or thing. By extension, the word can be used metaphorically: thus "James' novel, Washington Square is a portrait of New York society in the 1880's. But this use of 'portray' has become a cliché, and bad writers, unaware of the metaphorical meaning, now use it relentlessly when they really mean 'represent', 'depict', 'show'.

Deeply personal: This is often used as the ultimate term of praise for any sort of artwork. But what does it mean? If you mean that the subject of the work is private life, or intimate experience then say so. It is helpful to remember that everyone experiences love, death, birth etc, but far fewer people can make good art about these experiences. If it is good art it works because it taps into the common realm of such experiences, otherwise we would not be able to understand it.

Capturing the essence: Image-makers do not capture essences of things: they make representations. Image-making is an artificial process; ideas for artworks are not hanging in the air, waiting to be 'captured': the most apparently spontaneous work may involve years of effort. talking about 'capturing essences' mystifies this effort, which should be the real subject of your analysis. Lens-based art is particularly liable to fall victim to this kind of mystification. Instead of saying, for example, that Gillanders' photograph of the poet Ian Hamilton Finlay 'captures the great mans essence', you should consider the portrait as an image which invokes other images; i.e. which deliberately places this image of MacLean in well-known traditions: the Romantic 'Great man' (e.g. Rodin's Thinker), the head of the prophet (e.g. Michaelangelo's Moses).

Essay Writing - Part Three

2009-03-02T15:36:00.003Z

Remember, you can download the whole pack from here.

Your Own Ideas and Other People's
Try to avoid vague remarks: Some say... or Many think... Who exactly says or thinks this? You should be able to cite at least one specific individual, and be able to quote what it is that he or she said or thought. If quoting from a book, it is important to supply a context for the quotation. Briefly introduce the new speaker in your text: "According to the anthropologist, Joseph Campbell...", or "In 1908, Freud argued in a letter to Jung that..." This will enable your reader to orient themselves. Then comes the quote (indented and single spaced). Then, explain to the reader the significance of the quote: state explicitly why you are quoting this. Point out any contradictions or interesting implications. Very often you will be able to use this 'exit' from the quote to form a bridge to the subject or point you will be dealing with next.

Good Style
Focus on the artwork, not the artist. An excellent way to approach any still or time-based work of art is to pretend it is anonymous. This will save you from wasting time and words on irrelevant biographical detail. Imagine that all you know about a work is the year and place in which it was made. How would you start researching its meaning? You would have to look first at the culture and historical events, the movements and ideas around it.

Avoid overstatement, as in the sort of sentence that begins, "Truly, Man Ray had entered a new realm of reality..." Had he bodily left the universe or had he just started making a different kind of photographic image? And what is that "Truly" doing there? If it is not true, why say it?

You may find yourself using "Truly" and other redundant constructions ("Hopefully", "Sadly") to make your writing sound more exciting. This is unnecessary. If the event or idea you are discussing is itself interesting or important, all you have to do is describe it and let it speak for itself.

Other forms of overstatement involve making gigantic claims; e.g. "Throughout history, man has endeavored..." or "Never before in the history of photography had..." Few of us actually know enough to make a claim like this. Chances are such statements are going to be plain wrong or at best redundant. Similarly avoid starting with assertions about human nature e.g.: "Man has always used violence as a spur to progress." Has the writer undertaken a comprehensive study of all known civilisations and cultures, at all periods of human history, or are they talking nonsense? What would you think? If in doubt try putting together an opposite statement: "Throughout history man has never tried to..."; "Many/Several times before in the history of photography..."; "Man has always regarded violence as a block to progress." If any of these strike you as at least as likely to be true as the original claim, then you will know you have to change your text.

The truth is that no culture is uniform; cultures are composed of competing and co-operating groups, who may differ radically in their views of their common situation. History tends to be produced through debate and disagreement (dialectic). Where there is slavery, for example, there will always be groups of people trying to abolish it.

Essay Writing - Part Two

2009-03-02T14:48:00.003Z

Remember you can download the whole pack from here.

Notes on Writing
Explain Things Clearly
It is very important to remember that real people, not abstract nouns, are the actual cause of historical events. For example, the sentence "Industrialisation swept across Europe in the nineteenth century" is misleading on several grounds. Grammaically, Industrialisation is not something like a plague of a hurricane; it cannot literally 'sweep' anywhere. So here the author is speaking metaphorically. Is this then a good metaphor? No. What the author of the sentence really means is that, across Europe, millions of people were engaged in building factories and railways; that more and more people now worked in factories with machines, and that the common experience of urban life was radically different for these people that it had been for their grandparents. This type of metaphor is bad for a number of reasons; first it conceals the experience of these people. Worse, by making Industialisation sound like a force of nature, it conceals the political nature of the phenoenon. Finally, the sentence is bad because of its hidden assumptions about causation. It implies, first, that this particular historical change was inevitable, and, second that this change did indeed have the nuetral qualities of a force of nature, instead of being something actively created by specific groups of people, and in this case for profit.

Grammer and Style
Sentences
Keep your sentences short and to the point. use active rather than passive sentences. e.g. "Leibovitz took the photo" (active). "The photo was taken by Leibovitz" (passive). The subject of the sentence must agree in tense, number (singular or plural) and voice; avoid switching from "It says" to "They say" halfway through a sentence. Just because a phrase has some kind of verb in it does not mean it is a sentence. For example: "Combining the two forms in a new way" is not a sentence. This phrase could probably be linked to the previous sentence with a semi-colon (;) or made to stand on its own, e.g. "He/She combined the two forms in a new way."

This is not a trivial matter; sentences are units of sense and logic. If your essay is not expressed in sentences, your writing will not make sense and your points will be confused and confusing. Everyone talks naturally in short sentences, we do not mix up tenses and number. As a test, try reading your essay aloud. Never write anything you can't say.

Paragraphs
Paragraphs are the next unit of sense; a way of organising your thouts typographically, making your argument easier to follow. Typically made up of about three or four linked sentences, paragraphs are used to develop and idea, or present a logical sequence of data. The following sections of this booklet are examples of paragraphs.

Essay Writing - Part One

2009-03-02T14:26:00.002Z

This is an important part of nearly every subject you study, and can help out with simple note-taking as well. Below are sectiosn from a pack I was given when we were writing out photography personal study, but it applies for all subjects. Just skip over parts that are purely subject-based. I'll have to type it into parts, so bear with me. Or, you can download the entire pack from here.

Essay Writing
Essay writing is an essential skill when articulating your thoughts and ideas. No matter how good an image maker you are, youw ill need to articulate and explain your ideas through words, whether verbally or written.

Listening and Taking Notes
The first port of call for writing an essay is listening in class. Take notes, a lesson is an interactive experience, even when the teacher is giving a long lecture. The more engaged you are, the more you will get out of it, and the easiest way of doing this is to take notes. Writing while you listen is a key skill; it enables you to remember and absorb more of what you are hearing, which generally improves your memory. When taking notes, flag up any interesting points, or things you would like to know more about. Leave spaces and questions for parts that you missed, or didn't understand. Ask the tutor to fill these points in, or expand on them. Talk to your classmates later to see how they write their notes. NEVER be afraid to ask when you don't know.

Why Reading Helps Understanding Images.
It may not be immediately evident how one can 'apply' a particular piece of reading - a theorectical text, a cultural analysis etc - to a set of pictures, or footage, or media layout. But it is always true that the more you know, the more you can see. What, exactly, we see depends on our viewpoint, and this changes the object we think we are seeing. The job of artists, scholars and critics is to interpret historical events and to evaluate what they really mean, what they appear to mean, and what they can be made to mean, from different viewpoints in culture.

How To Read
We all think we know how to read, but reading with an essay in mind requires preparation and concentration. Again, note-taking is essential. After the fifth book or article, few people will remember the first unless they've made notes. Copy out quotations you find striking or illuminating, note the details of images as you find them. Come equipped with post-it notes and index cards. Get used to carrying a book; read it on the bus or over coffee. Read a newspaper, ideally one with arts coverage and in-depth articles. Keep pen and paper with you so you can jot down ideas and references as you go. Get a decent dictionary and look up words that you don't know, and write them down as you go. The complete Oxford English Dictionary will also tell you when a word was first used, and what it meant then. Use the Dictionary of National Biography, or the Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought to find out the correct names of people and the definitions of more complicated terms such as Modernism or Industrialisation. These methods are probably quicker than looking them up on the Internet. only use the references from the Internet from reliable sources such as University websites or Google Scholar

Quotes To Illustarte/Accompany Your Work

2009-03-02T14:15:00.004Z

I've found, through my time at college, that my photography teacher loves it if I use quotes by a photographer, any photographer, to illustarte my point. So, here's a selection of photographer quotes to help aid your study.

"Photography has become one of the principal devices for experiencing something."
Laurence Van der Zee

"Approach the subject on tip-toe, even if it is still life."
Henri Cartier-Bresson

"...the perfect combination of lighting, form, organisation and emotion, all working together to form the perfect image."
Henri Cartier-Bresson on his theory of "the decisive moment"

"I take photographs to report and inform, to raise awareness and promote understanding."
Sebastiao Salgado

"Photography, when in the hands of the ruling classes, can never be trusted to tell the truth."
Bertoldt Brecht

"An image is an accumulation of time, comprehended instantly."
Tapies

"Like so many documents from war, it (the photograph) was chnged with illustartion and then ended up as a symbol."
Susan Meiselas

"The problem is how to select that silver, that thousandth of a second that is meaningful, out of the whole. Which stones will keep their colour once they've been pulled from the water."
Paul Graham

"Art isn't about providing answers is it? It's more about questions - asking thought-provoking, unexpected unarticulated questions."
Paul Graham

"From today, painting is dead!"
Paul Delaroche, on the announcement of the invention of photography in 1839

"It is important to see what is invisible to others."
Robert frank

"If your pictures aren't good enough then you aren't close enough."
Robert Capaa

"No image is just perceived. It is comprehended, interpreted, even inverted, by the individual observer who invests it with a precises siginificance."
Victor Burgin

"The art is what remains when the occasion has faded."
Eve Arnold

For more, visit brainyquotes

Researching A Photographer/Artist Guide

2009-03-02T14:09:00.001Z

First Paragraph:
(About the photographer/artist)

Briefly describe when and where s/he worked; which country/city etc; his/her training; the cultural background e.g. if an artist, which art movement are/were they most involved in?; who or what s/he worked for e.g. self, magazine, news agency; the type of photography/art produced e.g. landscape, portrait fashion ...

Second Paragraph:
(About their work)

The photographer's/artist's general approach to making photographs/art; what kind of subject matter/genre?; equipment used, if known; what format - square frame, horizontal, vertical; colour or black and white; focussing method; composition methods; any links with you own work?

Third Paragraph:
(Your analysis)

Analysis of individual image; bullet points can be used; remember to link back to an image of your own with one by your chosen photographer/artist

Use bold titles or sub-titles
Highlight or underline names
Highlight or underline key points
Be concise
Use good quality scans/photocopies

Exam Questions

2009-03-01T16:27:00.006Z

Here are some Psychology and Crime past exam questions for you to get stuck into. I personally find these really useful, expecially if you work with your teacher by getting them to mark your answers. They make a really good revision tool, rather than learning 20 pages of notes. You can download a pack of exam questions here.

Section A

1.a) Outline one technique used to produce an offender profile [6 marks]
1.b) Evaluate the effectiveness of techniques used to produce and offender profile [10 marks]

2.a) Describe one study of the social psychology of the criminal [6 marks]
2.b) Evaluate methods used to investigate the social psychology of the criminal [10 marks]

3.a) Describe one laboratory study of eyewitness testimony [6 marks]
3.b) Compare and contrast the laboratory method tro study eyewitness testimony with one alternative method [10 marks]

4.a) Describe one study which demonstrates the development of moral and legal judgement in children [6 marks]
4.b) Discuss the use of children in psychological studies of crime [10 marks]

Section B

1.a) Describe what psychologists have found out about crime-victim interaction [10 marks[
1.b) Evaluate what psychologists have found out about crime-victim interaction [16 marks]
1.c) The police are trying to design a leaflet to encourage people to report crime. Using your knowledge of crime-victim interaction to suggest what factors they should consider. Give reasons for your answer [8 marks]

2.a) Describe what psychologists have found out about the psychology of testimony [10 marks]
2.b) Evaluate what psychologists have found out about the psychology of testimony [16 marks]
2.c) Using your psychological knowledge, suggest ways of helping a witness recall the scenen of an armed robbery [8 marks]

3.a) Describe the jury decision-making process [ 10 marks]
3.b) Discuss the jury decision-making process [16 marks]
3.c) If you were a member of a jury, suggest what rules you mae make for yourself to prevent you from making the wrong decision. Give reasons for your answers [8 marks]

4.a) Consider psychological studies of offender profiling [10 marks]
4.b) Evaluate psychological studies of offender profiling [16 marks]
4.c) Suggest what aims of profiling should be. Give reasons for your answer [8 marks]

Websites

2009-03-01T15:44:00.001Z

Discord - Art Exam Theme

2009-03-01T14:06:00.004Z

This is quite a personal post, because I'm unsure whether this is a national theme, a district theme, or a world-wide theme. But it's my exam project for Photography this year, as well as all the art subjects, and I'm completely stuck on it. Not one clue as to what to do. So if this helps just one person, I know the purpose of this blog is working.

Discord - Ideas and Photographers

Friction / Difference / Opposing Sides / Groups / Ethnicity / War / Terrorism / Surveillance / Censorship ...
Erica Baum, Robert Capa, Don McCullum, Thomas Hirschhorn, Banksy, Sea Synder, Peter Kennard, Guy Tillim, Sarah Pickering, Geert van Kesteren, Simon Norfolk

Anger / Family / Relationships / Disharmony / Internal Conflicts / Mind-Body / Exclusion ...
Tracy Emin, Jo Spence, Nan Golding, Richard Billingham, Larry Clarke, Jim Goldberg, Diane Arbus, Robert Frank

Nightmares / Dreams / Memories / Fact-Fiction / A;ternate Personalities / Parallel Universes ...
Gregory Crewdson, Duane Michals, Olafur Eliasson, Cindy Sherman, Jeff Wall, Sphy Rickett, Paul Pfeiffer, Tacita Dean, Daniel Joseph Martinez, Sueng Woo Back, Philip Lorca diCorcia

Opposites / Dark-Light / Good-Evil / Life-Death / Past-Present ...
Douglas Gordon, John Stezaker, Idris Khan, Garry Fabian Miller, Muireann Brady, Willie Doherty, Ralph Gibson

Other Ideas:

Conflict / Yin-Yang / Hostility / Warfare / Destruction / Decay / Resurrection / Restoration / Protection / Defence / Religious Controversy / Corrosion / Dereliction / Worn Paint / Dispute / Erosion / Pollution / Tension / Friction / Graffeti / Rusty Armour / Ruins / Wrecks / Scrapyards / Refue / Disused Farm Equipment / Derelict Factories-Buildings / Quarries / Buliding Sites / Docklands / Roadworks / Divergence / Barriers / Fissures / Splits / Fractures / Wrestling / Fighting / Arguing / Clashing / Noise / Disharmony / Dissonance / Contrasting Colours / Black-White / Rough-Smooth / Transparent-Opaque / Fatique / Degrading / Strength-Weakness / Clutter-Mess-Junk / Abandoned / Empty-Busy / Arguments / Out Of Place / Appearance / Tattoos / Piercings / Fashion / Beauty-Ugly / Fashioable-Unfashonable / Young-Old / Disfigurement / Normal-Unnormal / Before-After / Protests / Politics / Posters / Messages / TV Images / Composition / Unbalanced / Rips / Tears / Contrast / Mistakes

Other Artists/Photographers:

Josef Beuys, Kurt Schwitters , Paul Nash , Peter Howson, Escher, Howard Hodgkin, Piet Mondrian, Bridget Riley, Frank Auerbach, Giovanni Piranesi, Emily Carr, David Prentice, Beverly Pepper, Graham Sutherland, Edward Burtynsky, Ford Madox Brown, Elainede Kooning, Steve Slimm, Julian Beesley, Susan Rothenberg, William de Kooning, Gillian Ayers, Barbara Rae, Gilbert and George, Vanessa Bell, Peter Blake, Marg Cassat, Velásquez, Cecilia Beaux, Augustas John, Helen Turner, Stanley Spencer, J.M.W. Turner, John Constable, Henri Rousseau, George Stubbs, Ana Mendieta, Annetter Messager, Devrouax and Purnell, Enric Miralles, Leonardo Da Vinci, Luigi Colani, Jane Jacobs, Oscar Newman, Paco Rabanne, Alexander McQueen, Dai Rees, Aiveen Daly, Eileen Grey, Bruce Nauman, Immo Klink, Daniele Buetti, Marlene Dumas, Kilian Breier, Aaron Siskind, Mark Wallinger, MArc Augé, Julian Opie, Alan Fletcher, Emily Mary Osborn, Grace Hartigan, Joan Miro, Florine Stettheimer, Marcel Duchamp, Rist Pipilotti

Other:

'Unpleasantness or quarrelling between people'
'A lack of agreement or harmony (as between persons, ideas or things)'
'Active quarrelling or conflict resulting from discord among persons or fractions'
'A combination of musical sounds that strikes the ear harshly'
'A harsh or unpleasant sound'

Reference Material:

www.tate.org.uk
www.nationalgallery.org.uk
www.iniva.org
www.artsmia.org
www.walkerart.org
www.getty.edu
www.moma.org
www.metmuseum.org
www.sfmoma.org
www.cnac-gp.fr
www.guggenheim.org
www.vam.ac.uk
www.craftscouncil.org.uk
www.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk
www.nmpft.org.uk
www.photonet.org.uk
www.bfi.org.uk
www.icograda.org
www.theaoi.com

Another Award!

2009-03-01T13:08:00.003Z

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person that has granted the award and his or her blog link..
2) Pass the award to other 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I got given this by the lovely HavenLayouts so I'd like to thank her for that!

Once I know sites, I will tag them!

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Award again!

2009-02-26T17:18:00.004Z

pspscrapper gave me this wondeful award, so I would like to thank her for that. I'm touched that she thought this site was worth not only this award, but the other one she gave me. I will have to nominate some sites, but I'm gonna have to leave you guys hanging for a little while as I'm still very new to this, so don't know of many sites. But when I do, I'll award both awards. I will award this to one site that I know out there (other than pspscrapper) which is Haven Layouts. She's wonderful, and made my layout, so this is for her.

Check out pspscrapper for some wonderful kits to make beautiful creations - she's so good, she's on a creative team!

1) Haven Layouts
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Examination Tips - Homicide Scenarios & General Tips

2009-02-03T12:47:00.005Z

Here is some helpful Examination tips for Law, primarily dealing with Homicide Scenario questions. There from a second year textbook, but could easily be translated into first year.

Answering Scenario Questions

Both OCR and WJEC examination papers require candidates to answer problem questions. In these a scenario is set out and candidates have to explain whether someone is liable for a ceiminal offence. There are 4 key points to remember when answering such questions. These are:

Identify the offence (and possible defences)
Define the law on the offence (or defences)
Expand that deifnition with relevant sections and/or cases
Apply the law to the facts given in the scenario.

As you will see, the first letters of these 4 points spell out the word IDEA. So, go into the exam remembering your great IDEA!

As well as general points, there are also ways of approaching scenarios on specific areas of law to make sure that you do Identify the relevant points to be discuss.

When considering a murder problem in an examination question, always consider whether the Actus Reas (AR) and/or the Mens Rea (MR) need discussion for the specific scenario that you have been given. For example, if the facts in the question state that V was shot dead, then there is no need to discuss the AR or any aspect of causation. However, if you are told that D was shot and taken to hospital where he was given the wrong blood and died, then causation is very relevant.

Also, remember that the scenario may involve other points. It may be a situation where it is uncertain whether D had the MR for murder or not. It will therefore be necessary to consider involuntary manslaughter as an alternative.

Alternatively, there may be a defence available to the defendant. Different types of defence have different effects on the verdict. For example, the special defences of diminished responsibilty and provocation can reduce the mandatory life sentence for murder reduced to anything up to a life sentence for manslaughter.

If a defendant proves he was insane at the time of the killing he will not be guilty by reason of insanity. If the defendant successfully pleads automatism, mistake or self-defence he is entitled to be acquitted of murder. If he is intoxicated he may not have the necessary intention for murder.

The following flowchart takes you through the different points you may have to consider.

Did the defendant do an act which caused Vs death? ----> No, not guilty of murder
|
|
v

Yes
Did the defendant intend to kill or cause GBH? ----> No, not guilty of murder but consider involuntary manslaughter
|
|
v
Yes
Was the defendant suffering from Diminished Responsibilty? ----> Yes, not guilty of murder, but guilty of voluntary manslaughter.
|
|
v
No
Was the defendant provoked? ----> Yes, not guilty of murder but guilty of voluntary manslaughter.
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v
No
Was the defendant insane? ----> Yes, not guilty of murder by reason of insanity
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v
No
Was the defendant acting in self-defence and used reasonable force in the circumstances as he believed them to be? ----> Yes, not guilty of murder
|
|
v
No
Does the defendant have another defence available to him? (Automatism, Mistake, Intoxication) ----> Yes, not guilty of murder
|
|
v
No
Guilty of murder

Glossary - Part S, T, V, W and Z

2009-01-14T21:30:00.005Z

The final part of our Psychology and Crime glossary, this includes letters S - Z. Remember, you can download the entire file from here.

S

Schema -
A cognitive structure into which knowledge is organised in order to make sense of objects, people and situations in the world.

Self-fulfilling Prophecy -
A prediction that comes true because it has been made. Related to labelling theory.

Self-serving Attribution Bias -
The tendency to attribute our successed to dispositional factors and our failures to situational ones.

Situational Attribution -
Attributing someone's behaviour to factors external to them.

Social Cognition -
The process by which we make sense of other people and their actions.

Social Learning Theory -
The view that behaviour is primarily leaned from observations of models.

Social Skills Training -
An attempt to reduce aggressive behaviour by equippig offenders with the skills to manage interactions more effectively.

Socio-economic Status (SES) -
A way of classifying people in terms of their occupational background and economic circumstances. Low SES generally implies manual or semi/unskilled occupation, lower income and fewer years in education, high SES the converse.

Somatotype -
Bodily build, classified as endomorph (at), ectomorph (thin), and mesomorph (muscular). According to some early theorists, such as Sheldon, different personality types are associated with the different somatotypes.

Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) -
In the US, a branch of the police force involved mainly in special operations, such as hostage-taking incidents.

Standard Interview Procedure -
The usual method by which police interviews are conducted.

Story Order -
An evidence strategy in which witnesses appear in the sequence in which events occurred. Considered more effective than witness order.

T

Television Technique -
A hypnotic techinque in which a witness is encouraged to imagine an event as it seen on television.

Testosterone -
A male sex hormone the main role of which is to promote sexual development and behaviour. However, it may also influence a range of other behaviours including aggression.

Token Economy -
An attempt to reduce offending behaviour by selectively reinforcing desirable behaviours within an institution.

V

VICAP -
The Violent Criminal Apprehension Programmed. An FBI database of violent offences used to generate offender profiles.

Victim Derogation -
The tendency to blame a victim for their own misfortune. Related to belief in a just world.

Victimisation Survey -
A technique for measuring the crime rate which, instead of relying on crime statistics as reported by the police, surveys a sample of the population about their experiences of crime. Victimisation surveys typically reveal a higher incidence of crime than police figures.

Violence Distraction -
The tendency for witnesses of violent events to provide poorer testimony than witnesses of non-violent events, either because of the detrimental effect of arousal on memory or possibly due to weapon focus.

W

Weapon Focus -
The tendency for witnesses of violent crimes to focus on the weapon used, generally resulting in poorer recall of other aspects of the event.

Witness Order -
An evidence strategy in which witnessess appear in the order deemed most likely to persuade a jury. Considered less effective than story order.

Z

Zero Tolerance -
An approach to the prevention of serious crime based on vigorous police response to minor infractions of the law.

Glossary - Part J, L, M, O, P, R

2009-01-14T21:14:00.004Z

This is the third installment of the Psychology for Crime glossary and covers letters J - R. Remember, you can download the entire file from here.

J

Juror Bias Scale -
A technique for measuring the degree of prejudice and bias in potential jurors.

Just World Hypothesis -
The belief, held by some people, that the world is a fair and just place in which people deserve the things that happen to them.

L

Labelling Theory -
The view that the label that is applied to an individual by others (e.g. 'criminal') can influence their behaviour.

Locus of Control -
The extent to which a person feels they are in charge of their own destiny.

M

Marauder -
An offender who operates from a home base.

Maternal Deprivation Theory -
The view, associated with the work of John Bowlby, that deviant behaviour in adulthood is the result of separation from the attachment figure early in life.

Model -
In social learning theory (SLT), a person whose behaviour is observed in order to learn it.

Monozygotic Twins -
Identical twins, who share 100% of their genetic information.

O

Offender Profiling -
The use of crime scene evidence to make educated guesses about the likely characteristics of an offender.

P

Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) -
An act of Parliament passed in 1984 that, amongst other things, limited the ways in which police interrogations can be carried out.

Prevalence of Crime -
The number of people in the population involved in committing crimes. Variations in the crime rate can be the result of variations in prevalence (e.g. more people committing crimes) or incidence (e.g. the same number of people committing more crimes).

Psycho-legal Studies -
A branch of forensic psychology concerned with lagal processses such as jury decision making.

Psychological Autopsy -
The use of crime scenes and psychological evidence to work out possible causes of death.

Psychometric Testing -
The measurement of psychological characteristics, usually through the use of questionnaires or inventories. Such tests may concern intelligence (IQ) or personailty and generally yieldnumerical measurements of the attribute being investigated.

Psychopath -
An individual who appears to lack anxiety and guilt and is typically prone to impulsive and aggressive behaviour. Such individuals are likely to became involed in crimes although it should be stressed that not all psychopaths become criminals.

R

Rational Choice Theory (RCT) -
An approach to understanding criminality that emphasises the role of rational processes in the decision to commit a crime.

Reconstructive Memory -
The view that memories, rather than being accurate accounts of events, are 'imaginative reconstructions' based on schematic knowledge.

Glossary - Part D, E, F, G, H, and I

2009-01-14T20:56:00.004Z

This is the second part of the Psychology and Crime gloassayr, and will contain the letters D - I. Remember you can download the entire glossary from here.

D

Dark Figure -
The proportion of crimes that are committed but which are not detected by official crime statistics.

Defensible Space -
Areas (for example, of a residential development) that appear to belong to someone, having clear boundaries against outsiders and characterised by high levels of natural surveillance.

Demand Characteristics -
The cues that are present in an experimental situation that particpants may use in order to work out the experimental aim. There is a danger that participants may alter their behaviour in response to demand characteristics, invalidating the experiment.

Deterministic -
Describes any theory which suggests that people do not have freedom of choice over their actions.

Deviance Amplification -
The tendency of media sources to 'over-report' certain types of crime (e.g. murder), potentially leading members of the public to have an exaggerated idea of the frequency of such crimes.

Dispositional Attribution -
Attributing someone's behaviour to factors internal to them (e.g. personality).

Dizygotic Twins -
Non-identical twins, sharing the same amount of genetic information as any two siblings.

DNA Profiling -
The use of DNA evidence from crime scenes to identify offenders, link different crimes and eliminate suspects from an enquiry.

DSM-III-R -
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychological Disorders (third edition, revised). A widely used scheme for classifying and diagnosing psychological disorders, now superseded by DSM-IV.

E

Ecological Validity -
The extent to which an experimental situation resembles the real-life situation to which researchers wish to generalise. Research that is low in ecological validity may not generalise well to real-life situations.

Evidential -
Relating to evidence as presented in court.

Expert Evidence -
Legal evidence from an acknowledged expert which is given particular weight because of their expertise.

Extra-evidential -
Relating to factors (e.g. the appearance of the defendant) other than the evidence presented in courts.

F

Forensic Hypnosis -
The use of hypnotic techniques in an attempt to improve witness reliabilty.

Forensic Psychology -
The application of psychological research to the legal system.

Fundamental Attribution Bias -
The tendency to make situational attributions for our own behaviour and dispositional ones for others' behaviour.

H

Hedonic Relevance -
A phenomenon whereby our attributions change depending on the degree of relevance a situation has for us.

I

Incidence of Crime -
The number of crimes that are committed.

Inquisitorial System -
An alternative trial procedure to the adversarial system, in which the presiding judge(s) controls proceedings, examines eyewitnesses and directs the gathering of evidence.

Interrogation -
A police interview carried out for the express purpose of extracting a confession from a suspect.

Investigative Psychology -
The application of psychological principles to analyse crimes and apprehend offenders.

Glossary Part 3

2009-01-14T20:36:00.004Z

Finally, P - T of the glossary. All the terms come from the glossary of this book. Remember, you can download the entire glossary from here.

P

Periodicity -
The regular recurrence of the properties of elements when they are arranged in atomic number order as in the Periodic Table.

Period -
A horizontal row of elements in the Periodic Table. There are trends in the properties of the elements as we cross a period.

Propagation -
One of the steps of a chain reaction in which a free radical converts reactant into product and another free radical is formed which can take part in another propagation step.

Proton -
A positively charged sub-atomic particle found in the nuclei of atoms.

R

Redox -
Short for reduction-oxidation, it describes reactions in which electrons are transferred from one species to another.

Reducing Agent -
A reagent that reduces (adds electron to) another species.

Reduction -
A reaction in which an atom or group of atoms gains electrons.

S

Shielded Nuclear Charge -
(also called effective nuclear charge). The positive charge from the nucleus that is felt by the outer electrons of an atom - it is the total number of positive charges on the nucleus of an atom minus the total number of inner electrons.

Specific Heat Capacity, c -
The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1g of substance by 1K.

Spectator Ions -
Ions that are unchanged during a chemical reaction i.e. they take no part in the reaction.

Standard Molar Enthalpy Change of Combustion -
The amount of heat energy given out when 1 mole of a substance is completely burned in oxygen at standard conditions (298K and 100kPa).

Standard Molar Enthalpy Change of Formation -
The heat change when 1 mole of substance is formed from its elements at standard conditions (298K and 100kPa).

Stoichiometric -
Describes the simple whole number ratios in which chemical species react.

Strong Nuclear Force -
The force that holds protons and neutrons together whithin the nucleus of an atom.

T

Termination -
The stage of a chain reaction in which two free radicals combine together to give a species that is not a free radical.

Thermal Decomposition -
The breakdown of a compound by heat.

Thermochemical Cycle -
A sequence of chemical reactions (with their enthalpy changes) that convert a reactant into a product. The total enthalpy change of the sequence of reactions will be the same as that for the conversion of the reactant to the prduct directly (or by any other route).

Glossary Part 2

2009-01-14T18:26:00.008Z

F - O of the Chemistry Glossary. All the terms come from the gloassary of this book. Remember, you can download the entire glossary from here.

F

Free Radical -
A reagent that has an unpaired electron.

G

General Formula -
The formula of a family of organic compounds expressed by using n to represent the number of carbon atoms.

Giant Molecular Structure -
An arrangment of atoms covalently bonded together in such a way that the structure extends indefinetely in 3 dimensions.

Giant Structure -
An arrangement of atoms or ions bonded together in such a way that the structure extends indefinetely in 3 dimensions.

Group -
A vertical column of elements in the Periodic Table. The elements have similar properties because they have the same outer electron arrangement.

Heterolysis -
Describes the breaking down of a covalent bond such that both the electrons in the bond go to one of the atoms and none to the other. The process results in the formation of a positive ion and a negative ion.

Homologous Series -
A set of organic compounds with the same functional group. The compounds differ in the length of their hydrocarbon chains.

Homolysis -
Describes the breaking of a covalent bond such that one of the electrons in the bond goes to one of the formation of a pair of free radicals.

I

Initiation -
The first step of a chain reactions in which a pair of free radicals is formed by bond homolysis.

Intermolecular Forces -
Forces that act between molecules and atoms that are not covalently bonded together (van der Waals forces, dipole-dipole forces and hydrogen bonding).

Ionic Bonding -
A type of bonding between metals and non-metals that is the result of the attraction between the positive metal ions and negative non-metal ions, formed from the transfer of electrons.

Ionisation Energy -
The energy required to remove a mole of electrons from a mole of isolated gaseous atoms.

Ions -
Atoms or molecules that have an overall electrical charge.

Isotopes -
Atoms of the same element (i.e. having the same number of protons) but having different numbers of neutrons.

K

Ketone -
An organic compound inwhich there is a C=O double bond.

L

Leaving Group -
In an organic substitution reaction, the leaving group is an atom or group of atoms that is ejected from the starting material, normally taking with it an electron pair and forming a negative ion.

Lone Pair -
A pair of electrons that is not involved in bonding, in the outer shell of an atom. Also called an unshared pair.

M

Mass Number (or Nucleon Number) -
The total number of neutrons and protons (nucleons) in the nucleus of an atom.

Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution -
The distribution of energies (and therefore speeds) of the molecules in a gas or liquid.

Metallic Bonding -
A type of bonding found in metals in which positively charged metal ions are held together by their attraction to their pooled sea of outer electrons.

Molecular Formula -
A formula that tells us the numbers of atoms of different elements that make up a molecule of a compound.

Molecular Orbitals -
Volumes of space in which electrons may be found. They spread over two (or more) atoms.

Molecular Structure -
A compound that consists of small molecules.

Molecule -
A small group of atoms held together by covalent bonds.

Monomer -
A small molecule that combines with many other monomers to form a polymer.

N

Neutron -
An uncharged sub-atomic particle found in the nuclei of atoms.

Nucleons -
Protons and neutrons - the sub-atomic particles found in the nuclei of atoms.

Nucleophilic Substitution -
An organic reaction in which a molecule with a partially positively charged carbon atom is attacked by a reagent with a negative charge (a nucleophile). It results in the replacement of one of the groups or atoms on the orginal molecule by the nucleophile.

Nucleus -
The tiny, positively charged centre of an atom composed of protons and neutrons.

O

Orbital -
A volume of space in which an electron or pair of electrons may be found.

Oxidation -
A reaction in which an atom or group of atoms loses electrons.

Oxidation Number -
The number of electrons lost or gained by an atom in a compound compared to the uncombined atom. It forms the basis of a way of keeping track of redox (electron transfer) reactions.

Oxidation State -
An alternative term for oxidation number.

Oxidising Agent -
A reagent that oxidises (removes electron from) another species.

Oxidising Power -
The ability of a reagent to oxidise (remove electron from) another species.