301 Academic Skills Workshop
Programme:
Performing in Seminars
What is a seminar?
•
A small group where students and tutors discuss a particular topic
•
Seminars will run differently depending on your department
•
Often student-led (i.e. contributing content, structure, ideas, opinions and questions)
Higher-order learning (as identified by Bloom’s taxonomy, below) are often better supported by
seminar-style learning environments. Seminars may allow you to;
Creating
This involves the highest level thinking as
you are using information to create
something new and original. This may
involve coming up with a new idea/theory,
or seeing links that no one has really
Higher
order
learning
explored in much detail before.
Evalulating
Making decisions based upon what you
understand and know. Usually not possible
.
until after analysis has taken place.
Analysis
Looking at strengths and weaknesses/logic
of an argument, seeing something from
multiple points of view, looking at the
.
quality of the research used.
Applying
You need to understand something before
knowledge and
you can put it into practice; transferring
understanding
abstract or theoretical ideas to practical
.
situations.
Understanding
Restating in your own words; paraphrasing,
summarising, translating.
1
.
Knowledge
Memorizing verbatim information. Being
Lower
able to remember but not necessarily fully
order
understanding the material.
learning
•
Achieve a deeper understanding of topics – you may have had a lecture on a topic and have a
basic understanding on the concepts and principles from this, but a seminar will allow you to
explore topics in more depth
•
Clarify understanding – if you’re unsure about a topic or think you might misunderstand a
concept, then the seminar is the place to check your understanding. It might also be that you
thought you understood something perfectly, but the seminar brings to light some things that
you need to do some more work on
•
Learn from your peers –The seminar group will also be a good network of peer support
throughout the module, and you might make some new friends!
•
Evaluate and synthesise information – sharing and discussing multiple perspectives will give
you a rich understanding of other peoples’ viewpoints and interpretations of a topic and allow
you, as a group, to reach your own consensus or conclusion.
•
Develop communication skills – listening skills, dealing with conflicting opinions, defending
your argument in a concise and articulate way, team working and presentation skills will all be
developed as part of contributing well in seminars
Group Climate
The effectiveness of a seminar group depends on the ‘social climate’ within the group.

A defensive climate can be a response to perceived threat, pressure or lack of clarity around
the task.

An accepting climate can be encouraged by openness, empathy and clarity of task within a
group.
A positive group climate can be encouraged by setting out and developing some clear ground rules
for interactions.
Active Listening
There is a world of difference between listening and hearing. While the
former involves an intense and focused awareness of the speaker's words,
the latter is clouded with distractions, disinterest and minimum
receptivity.
Technically, effective listening technique is a one-to-one conversation
model in which one person speaks and the listeners engage themselves
completely in what the person is trying to convey. This opens doors for
2
effective analysis of what the person is saying. The listener, during the course of active listening,
avoids any external comments (except a yes or showing body language signs of nodding head in
agreement or showing interest through eyes). Any negative or difficult emotions are strictly avoided
and the bottom line of active listening remains to focus on what the person is actually saying. Even if
the listener has any question, he/she may ask that either at the end of the conversation or may raise
hands to politely stop the speaker in between the conversation. Most of us only hear 20% - 25% of
what is said to us in a conversation and so this means we do need to improve our active listening
skills.
Buzzle (2013) What is active listening? [online] Available at:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-active-listening.html
Preparation and Consolidation
Making sure that you are prepared for a seminar AND following up a seminar with a plan for
recording the learning outcomes are useful strategies to make the most of the experience.

list things you could do before to help you get more from the seminar

list the things you could do during the seminar to keep you active and focused on the content

list the things you could do after the seminar to help you consolidate what you have learned
When
What
Before
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
During
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
3
After
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Top Tips

Prepare thoroughly by doing any preparatory reading or writing

Think about your formal and informal role(s) within the seminar group. What is your stance
on the material and how will you argue your case?

Set some personal or group ground rules to help to create a positive group climate

Develop your active listening skills

Record the outcomes of the seminar alongside your other course notes
Other relevant 301 Academic Skills Workshops

Note Taking in Lectures

Speed Reading

Reading for Memory
4