Nick Advice for Chinese Students Chapter

TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR CHINESE STUDENTSNick Canby, CGBPAims: To help Chinese students prepare for different aspects of studying abroadChapter Contents:a)Learning Stylesb)Study Preparationc)Presentations in Englishd)Practicing Englishe)How to Prepare for Life Abroadf)Certified Global Business Professional ExamLearning Objectives and Outcomes:a)To identify what type of learner you areb)Different methods of studyingc)How to prepare a presentation in Englishd)How to practice English dailye)Understanding some basic cultural differencesf)How to succeed when abroadg)Info about the Certified Global Business Professional ExamThere are many ways for a student to learn classroom material, and no one way is the correct way to abide by. Every student learns at their own pace and their own way, and every student comes up withtheir own best system for retaining material. In the course of this chapter, I will give suggestions for students when preparing for exams and when they study abroad. I will begin by describing three different learning styles that students be aware of so they can utilize their own learning style. I will then give with my personal method of studying for a typical exam as well as some examples of other methods that are also efficient. Next, I will offer my suggestions for students when giving presentations in English or Western style format as well as numerous ways for students to practice their English, both written and orally. Following that I will state some basic cultural differences between America and China as well as some ways on how to succeed and make the most of the study abroad experience. I will conclude the chapter on describing a very beneficial test for International Business majors called the Certified Global Business Professional exam.LEARNING STYLESAs I previously mentioned in the introduction, every student learns at their own pace and in their own way. According to the VAK Theory of Learning Styles, there are three basic types of learning1.These three learning styles are Visual Learning, Auditory Learning, and Kinesthetic (Experience) Learning. The trick is to figure out which type of learner you are and then coordinate your study routines based on what type of learner you presume yourself to be.Visual LearnerVisual learning is the most common type of learning. A visual learner best learns by visually seeing the material they are learning. Visual learners like to utilize graphs, maps, and diagrams as much as possible. For example, a visual learner is able to excel at understanding the tough subject of Economics with greater ease than auditory learners because they are able to visualize the graphs. To further understand this, let’s use a basic Economics question as an example. The question is: If the supply of oil increases and the demand for oil stays the same, does the equilibrium price for oil increase or decrease?A visual learner will visualize the graph to this problem in their mind or write it down on a piece of paper. The graph shown below is what a visual learner will visualize or draw:Source: The Collegiate Investor. Available at:/posts/marketplace/supplyanddemand. December 25, 2009.(Accessed on October 23, 2010)A visual learner can see from the graph that when the total supply increases, the quantity increases from Q1 to Q2. They can also see that the equilibrium price decreases from P1 to P2. A visual learner therefore will then be able to correctly answer that the equilibrium price of oil will decrease if the supply of oil increases while the demand for oil stays the same.Auditory LearningAuditory Learners perfect learning through listening. Auditory learners excel extremely well at oral exams as well as being able to take notes in a lecture format. They excel at being able to write down what is being said as the lecturer is speaking and when they are studying or reviewing their notes, they will be able to replay thelecture in their minds. Lecture format classes are very hard and being an auditory learner can be very advantageousThere are a couple of methods that auditory learners will use when studying. They will sometimes record their notes into a recorder so that they can playback the notes when they are studying. This allows the auditory learner to learn through listening rather than reading or visualizing. Auditory learners also will read their notes out loud rather than in their head so that they can attain the notes, again utilizing listening techniques.Kinesthetic (Experience) LearningKinesthetic Learning or Experience Learning is the third and least popular method of learning. In this style of learning, students are known to learn through actually doing a task or through experience. Students who study art or chemistry are great kinesthetic learners because they are physically learning asthey are painting a picture or performing experiments. An excellent example I can give of kinesthetic learning is learning how to use chopsticks. When I first came to China I did not know how to use them, I have never had to before. In China, chopsticks are the silverware so I had to physically learn my using them, or else it would be difficult for me to eat. The more I used them the better I got atpicking things up. After a few weeks I was a pro. I was learning by doing.The question now becomes what kind of learner are you? You might come to find that you are a little of each type or you might find yourself to be dominantly one style. When you figure this out you can now plan your study routines to best suit your way of learning. Now I will explain my method of studying and preparing for exams.STUDY PREPARATIONMy method of studyOver the course of my college career I have used many different methods of studying. I have used note cards, study guides, read the textbooks, studied in groups, reread chapters, etc. I have come to realize that I am mostly a visual learner. I try to visualize my notes and the textbook in my mind when taking tests. Here is the method of study I use for a typical exam:∙Read the chapter BEFORE class∙Highlight key terms and definitions∙Pay attention in class and take notes∙Create a study guide of the chapter∙Review study guide and notes from class∙Look over chapter again∙Study days before test and do not cram∙Get a good night’s sleep before examMy first step is to read the chapter BEFORE the teacher covers the chapter in class. By reading the chapter BEFORE class it allows me to be well prepared for class discussions. It creates what the teacher discusses in class to be review and explains things to me that I might not have understood when I first read the chapter. This also allows me to be able to ask questions of topics that I did not understand completely. Reading the chapter BEFORE class enables me to keep up on the material rather than “cramming” to read the chapters before the test. Cramming is an American term for doing all the studyingand/or reading all the chapters the night before the test. Cramming is something I want to avoid because if I cram, I am more likely to not remember some information, which can potentially lead to a bad grade. When I read the chapters from the textbooks, I have a highlighter handy. Whenever I come across a definition or key term, I highlight it. If I stumble across names of organizations such as WTO or IMF, I will highlight them. Whenever I come across something that I might think is important, I will highlight it. Highlighting allows me to come back to the chapter at a later date to review topics of the chapter that arebeneficial for me to remember. Highlighting is a very important study tool.In class I will pay close attention and take excellent notes. I try to avoid all distractions, such as looking out the window or playing with my cell phone. I want to be 100% focused on the teacher and what he or she has to say. I take notes of things the teacher is saying as well. Sometimes a teacher will mention things that are not in the chapter, often times this information comes from previously used textbooks or certain things they have experienced in their professional careers or own research. Another thing that is very important is to attend class.I do not skip classes, no matter how tired I am or how much I just do not want to go. I do not want to take the risk of missing anything. If there is a reason I absolutely have to miss class, I will let my professor know why I will not be in attendance and make sure I am able to get the notes from one of my classmates.After the teacher has covered the chapter in class, I take the notes I have assembled and the terms I have highlighted from the chapter and will create a study guide by typing the information in an outline format in Microsoft Word. A study guide is a great way of consolidating all of the information from the chapter and notes. I now have a one stop place to review all of the information that will be covered on the test. Another great benefit of creating your own studyguide is the fact that you are reviewing the information as you are typing it int o your computer. You might think it’s a waste of time but it is another way of reviewing the material, trust me it works. Constantly repeating and reciting the information in your mind will increase the likelihood of remembering the information come test day!When it comes time to studying thoroughly for the exam, I will review the study guide I have created. I will also review the notes and the chapter again, looking over my highlighted material as well as other topics I might not have highlighted but could still be tested on. If I have time to do so I will reread the chapters. When studying for the exam, I make sure to study days before the exam, preferably about a week before so I avoid cramming. When I study days before the exam it decreases the amount of pressure and stress from excessive over-studying the night before. You can only retain so much information when cramming but when you allow yourself days in advance to study, you will be able to retain more information as well as have an increased amount of time to go over material that you do not thoroughly understand. This is very beneficial because it allows me one final time to ask my professor for clarification on this material.What happens when you have two exams on the same day and you are in for a long night of studying? These nights are not any fun. The way I attack these troublesome evenings is to allow myself a few breaks. Iusually give myself a thirty minute break every two or three hours. These breaks allow me to de-stress and re-focus. During these breaks I will grab a snack, watch a quick television show, or go for a walk. The biggest thing about these breaks is to allow yourself some time for your mind to re-focus itself so when you return to studying; your mind will be fresh and ready to go.The night before the exam I make sure I get a good night sleep. Research has shown that a good night sleep is classified as between eight and nine hours. If you only get two or three hours of sleep and allow yourself to be tired during the exam, you have an increased chance you will not be able to remember crucial items for the test. This is why I study ahead of time so I make sure I am able to preserve a sufficient amount of time for sleep. I also like to make sure I eat the most important meal of the day; breakfast. With a good night sleep, adequate preparation time, and a delicious breakfast, I am relaxed, ready and confident when taking the exam!Additional Methods of StudyingI have just stated my method of study for preparing for a typical exam. I have found this to be the best way for me to remember information. As I said before, however, is that what might be good for me might not be efficient for you. You need to create your own method of studying, utilizing what type of learner you are, and use thatmethod for every exam. Some exams also call for different ways of studying, depending on what type of information is on them and what type of exam it is. Here are some additional ways for you to prepare: ∙Flashcards∙Study groups∙Quiz yourself∙Quiz friends or be quizzedIf you have a lot of key terms to remember, flashcards can be the key to success. When I was studying for my Certified Global Business Professional exam I had to learn 13 INCOTERMS. INCOTERMS can be very complicated to understand completely, as there is a lot of information to remember for each term. The method I used to understand them was flashcards. On one side of the note card I would put the INCOTERM such as EXW (Ex-Works). On the other side of the note card I would write down all of the information that was related to EXW. I would constantly review these flashcards and had friends quiz me on them. I was therefore able to remember these terms when it came test day.There is, however, two ways of studying with flashcards. As I stated earlier, on one side of the note card put the definition or related information and on the other side place the term or word you are trying to remember. The first way to study a flashcard is to readthe definition and then recite to yourself what the term is. This might be the easiest way. Now challenge yourself and study the card the opposite way. Read the term on the other side of the card and recite to yourself the definition or related information. This can prove to be very difficult but if you can successfully recite the flashcards this way it means that you assuredly know the information inside and out.Study groups are the next way of studying. Find a couple of your classmates and arrange a time to get together, such as at the library or school union. This is where everyone can ask each other questions about the material that they might not understand. Some students in the group might know the material that you do not quite well understand and you might know the material that the other members do not understand. It is a win-win situation for everyone in the group.Quizzing yourself can be a crucial element to preparing for an exam and you can do this in two ways as well. The first way is to type up questions of the material you are studying and then answer the questions you have written. This is called making your own practice exam. Often times the textbook you are using might provide questions at the end of each chapter that you can use as a practice exam as well. These questions are written by the author of the textbook and can be very beneficial for you if you take the time to answer them. The second way of quizzing yourself is when you have to remember lists anddefinitions. Let’s say you have to remem ber a certain list of items that relate to a certain topic. Read the topic out loud and then proceed to name off the list of items that are related to that topic without looking at the list. The more you do this the better the chance you will remember them come test day!Quizzing others or having someone quiz you can prove to be a very good way of preparation. Utilizing your study groups you have made, everyone in the group can come up with a practice exam that all members of the group can take. Once everyone has completed everyone else’s exam, compare the results. This can provide a way of showing what material that members do not understand and will allow for further review of that material. Another way of quizzing is by having someone quiz you outside of a study group. Ask your roommate, friend, or colleague to quiz you by taking questions off of your well prepared study guide, your notes or your flashcards. This is also how I prepared for the CGBP exam. Another colleague of mine was taking the exam with me and we constantly quizzed each other over topics such as different types of Documentation, Foreign Direct Investment, and INCOTERMS. We also took many practice exams that my professor had prepared, as well as a practice exam off the official exam website. Needless to say, the preparation paid off and we both passed!PRESENTATIONS IN ENGLISHHow to format and present a presentationI have had the opportunity of listening to some presentations that were given by Chinese students in English during my stay here in Dalian. It was their first time giving a presentation in English and they were quite nervous and afraid of mispronouncing words. Overall, the presentations were very well executed and the English was very understandable. I noticed some things though and would like to give some advice on how to present a presentation in an English or Western style format. Who knows, maybe one day you will be working for a Western company and these pointers can be very beneficial!The biggest thing I noticed when I was watching these presentations was that the students were extremely nervous. It is ok to feel nervous, especially as you are new to giving presentations in your non-native language. The more practice you get the more those nerves will go away. A way you can calm these nerves is to practice your speech in the mirror at home. By constantly going over what youare going to say in the presentation, you will not feel as nervous as you would if you had not gone over the presentation at all.Another thing is be WELL prepared. This is crucial if you want to impress the audience. Being well prepared means you really need to know the material. For example, I had the opportunity to give a presentation with a team of my colleagues in Denver, Colorado in front of judges from numerous companies. We competed against top schools from across America as well as two schools from Canada. We had to be well prepared if we wanted to win, or to at least move on to the second day of competition. We had to do lots of hours of research, as well as many practice attempts of our presentation. What we did was after we finished our research and put the presentation together, everyone would start to write their part of the presentation. We practiced individually as well as in a group. We practiced our thirty minute presentation just like we were actually going to give it in front of the judges. We practiced numerous times until we got the “bugs” worked out. While we did not win the competition, we were told that our presentation was very well presented and organized and we took great pride in that.Here is another kicker. Attempt to give your presentations without any material in front of you such as note cards. In some situations it is perfectly fine to use them such as in an informalpresentation. However, in a formal presentation if you really want to impress your audience you should attempt to memorize what you are going to say. When you give your presentation without any notes in front of you, it shows that you are extremely well prepared and know the material well. Remember, the better you know the material you are presenting the easier it is to give your presentation without any notes. We gave our presentation in the Denver competition without any notes, as most of the other schools did as well. While it may seem tricky to memorize what you are going to say, it ultimately benefits you if you are able to successfully give your presentations without the assistance of notes.Using a limited amount of words is also a must for a presentation. What I noticed when I was watching the Chinese students presentations was that every PowerPoint slide had words filling the entire page. While it was ok to do as they were giving their first presentations in English, in a Western style presentation this is a definite “do not do”. This is frowned upon because when numerous words or even entire paragraphs are put on the PowerPoint, it distracts the audience. The audience will then attempt to read the whole slide and not pay attention to you, the presenter. It also means that you are most likely to read the PowerPoint to the audience, which they can do themselves and makes your presentation rather meaningless. This iswhy it is customary to use bullet points and simple sentences and then elaborate to the audience what you are trying to explain. This allows the audience to be fully engaged to what you are presenting as well as showing that your are able to present your information without having everything you need to say right on the PowerPoint. Here is an example of how an introduction slide could look:World Trade Organization▪Founded in 1995▪World headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland▪Successor of GATTAs you can see here, I used very simple sentences and bullet points. You can then elaborate on the bullet points by going into more detail on how the World Trade Organization was founded, talking about the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade), and some of the founding countries. This is an example of how an introduction slide should NOT be:The World Trade Organization was founded on January 1, 1995. Its World Headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland. Before the World Trade Organization was founded, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade governed international trade. Currently there are 153 members of the WTO.Do you see how much more clean the PowerPoint slide is on the first example and how the paragraph form in the second example distracts the audience? Using the first format allows a clean look that the audience can quickly read and then focus on you presenting the information.One more thing I noticed during the presentations was that the styles of the slides were very fancy. Almost every slide had some twisting or spinning graphic in a spot that is covered by words. It was very distracting and it was hard to read the words on the slide. A style of a slide should be very basic and professional. If you opt to use some the fancy graphics, place them out of the way of words, such as in the corner of the slides. I also noticed that the students used many pictures but did not show them. Students would read the slide to the audience then click to advance to the next slide. In between the slides they had pictures linked to animations but would not explain the pictures or even allow the audience to see what they were. Pictures are great visuals to use in certain presentations but if you using them, you should shrink them down and place them in the corner of the slide while not covering any words. If the picture is worth explaining, then place it on its own slide and explain to the audience what the picture is representing.At the end of the presentation you should ask if there are any questions from the audience. There almost always will be which is why it is crucial for you to understand thoroughly what you are presenting. If you do not understand something and an audience member asks you a question about it, how are you supposed to answer the question? Saying I do not know shows that you do not know the information very well. Sometimes you will get questions that might test your knowledge on a certain aspect of your presentation. These questions are often referred to as “out of the box”. During preparation for the presentation, start asking yourself what will the audience ask me that I need to know more about? Another way to prepare is to have a friend review your presentation and have him or her come up with some questions for you to answer. This will help you to deal wi th those “out of the box” questions.How to prepare a presentationThe best way to prepare for a presentation is to be prepared. Make sure that the research is accurate and well researched. Once all of the research is gathered, start running through your head how you want the flow of your presentation to go. This means you are formulating in your mind which topic will go first and which topic second and so on. A great way to prepare for presentations is to use note cards. Each note card should represent one slide on thePowerPoint. Let’s say you have four different topics to talk about in the presentation. Take four note cards and write the name of each topic on each note card. Once you complete this, label the topic you are going to talk about firs t “1”, label the second topic “2”, third “3”, and fourth “4”. Now take another note card and write down the information for the first slide of topic 1 on the card. Label this note card as “1a”. Repeat this again for the next slide for topic one and writ e the information down for slide 2 and label it “1b”. Repeat this for as many slides as you need for topic “1” and then do the same thing for topics “2”, “3”, and “4” or however many topics you need to talk about in your presentation.Once you have your ideas formulated and the information on the note cards, you can now start to prepare your PowerPoint. Remember; do not use too many words on your slides and to use a very basic and professional layout. Bullet points are a strong suggestion as well as any relevant graphs or pictures as they make great visuals. Audiences love to see graphs because they can visually see what you are trying to explain. Also, start thinking about what questions the audience might ask and how you will respond to them. Now it is time to practice.If you know the information in the presentation inside and out but do not practice, you have a tendency to leave out crucial information that the audience needs to hear due to being nervous orgetting flustered during the presentation. It’s ok to be nervous, especially because these presentations are in English and English is not your native language. With practice you will rid yourself of these nerves. What I do is sit in front of my completed PowerPoint and start going through the slides like I am actually giving the presentation to an audience. When I first start practicing my presentation I will allow myself to have my note cards in front of me. I will go through my PowerPoint slide by slide, often times finding corrections that need to be made. I will continue to go through my PowerPoint until I can stop using my note cards for reference. I will keep practicing until I have everything I want to say memorized and can say it without hesitation.It is easy to practice in front of yourself though, so ask a friend or two to listen to your presentation. This allows you to practice in front of a small audience and they will be able to give you some pointers or ask questions about certain things that can help you prepare for the question portion of the presentation. When it comes time to actually present the information to the real audience, do not get overwhelmed. Take a deep breath and focus. If I have to guess, you will do great!PRACTICING ENGLISHI know how difficult it can be for Chinese students to speak and write in English. It is ok; you are not expected to have perfect English. There are ways for you to practice your English that you might not think about. I will now explain to you some simple ways for you to practice.The first way to practice English is to actually speak English with your friends. Since you are reading this book, it means you are required to take some International Business classes in English, which I think is a tremendous opportunity for Chinese students. This means you have enough knowledge of the English language and you should be able to speak English daily with your friends. This not only helps your listening skills but will also help you to improve your fluency. I know this might seem like a difficult or absurd concept, as your major is not English. Trust me though; you will see the benefits of speaking in English on a more regular basis. I have a friend who took these same classes as you and virtually goes everywhere with me here. I have noticed a tremendous improvement with his English skills because he speaks English with me as I do not know near enough Chinese to speak Chinese fluently with him. Just by him speaking English on a day-to-day basis has improved his English, from his vocabulary to his fluency. Practice makes perfect.。