facebook noscript

Trending

Welcome to Trending!  This page has been designed to provide you with further reading materials and links about the topics being promoted and covered in your LRC areas.  Want to know more about Shakespeare after the College Welcome ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ event or wondering why we have a fairy tale inspired castle in the computer suite?  Wonder no more!  You’ll also find useful guides and templates to help you should you wish to get involved with the Library events and competitions being held throughout the year.

This page will be constantly updated, so please keep checking back for the latest.

Use the tiles below to jump to a specific topic:

A library guide to revision Creative Writing competition Save our oceans
Halloween Remembrance Black History Month
Myths, Legends and Folklore LGBT+ History Month Once Upon a Time
Christmas

Are you the next Neil Gaiman or J.K. Rowling?

Creative Writing competition

We have some winners!

Thank you to everyone who submitted entries to our creative writing competition, we were incredibly impressed with the standard and creativity. Unfortunately, College was only able to submit 5 entries to the creative writing project being held by the AoC, and after much deliberation we selected the five below. Each winner received a £10 Amazon voucher and has been submitted to represent the College with a chance to appear in an online anthology for all to see. We will keep you posted if we hear anything regarding this.

Congratulations to our five winners!  You can read their pieces below:

 

We need you!

We want your help to create some dynamic and engaging displays that will inform your fellow students about the numerous topics that are highlighted through international days/weeks in the up-coming months. 

Do you have a flair for design?  A way with words?  An eye for detail?  Are you good at organising others, researching facts, sifting through lots of information for the most relevant parts?  Do you need evidence to contribute to any Connect badges you’re working towards?

If the answer is ‘yes’ to ANY of the above, please get in touch with us at curve@barnsley.ac.uk, speak to a member of the LRC team or fill out this quick signup sheet: https://forms.office.com/r/M4gCXMU1cJ  


A Library Guide to Revision

Drawing of pile of books with an apple on top

For many of you, exams are just around the corner and you are hopefully starting to think about revising.  The Library has collected a few top tips to get you started!

Don’t Panic!

  • It’s not too late to start
  • Stop procrastinating, just do it
  • Put the exam into perspective
  • There is no right or wrong way to revise

Plan

Fail to plan, plan to fail!

  • What topics do you need to know for this exam?
  • When is your best time of day for revision?  When do you find it easiest to concentrate?
  • Short sessions daily help you to retain more information and avoid revision burn out!
  • It is important to take regular breaks during the session, ideally once every hour.
  • What time is the exam?  Do you need any special equipment?

Self ReflectionNo matter what learning style suits you, make sure you engage in 'Active' Learning

What kind of learner are you?

Different learning styles will require different techniques!

Learner Quiz: arden.ac.uk/what-type-of-learner-are-you

Techniques to try:

  • Diagrams, charts, images
  • Mind Maps
  • Flashcards, key points
  • Discussions/teach someone else
  • Word association games
  • PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

All of the above are ‘active learning’ techniques i.e. you take the information and process it into a different format.  Active learning helps to build long term memory.

The Revision

drawing of sofa, headphones, cup and apple

  • Relax – Find somewhere comfortable to sit, where you can spread your notes/books out. Avoid your bed as you may fall asleep.

 

  • No distractions – Use a quiet area (such as your library). If noise is unavoidable, try listening to instrumental music (no lyrics).

 

  • Snacks – Make sure you have food and drink on hand to avoid extra distractions.

 

 

Don’t Cram!Drawing of book with moon on it

The worst thing you can do is stay up all night before your exam trying to get more revision done. Use the night before the exam to relax and reward yourself. Do something you like and try and get plenty of sleep.

Exam Tips

  1. Glance through the paper, plan your attack
  2. READ the questions carefully
  3. Stuck? Move on and go back at the end
  4. Leave time to check your answers, spelling and grammar

Further Help

Appointments can be made with Cherie and Helen, the Study Skills team.
Email: Studyskills@barnsley.ac.uk

You can also find lots of revision hints and tips on their website:
https://www.barnsley.ac.uk/shops-services/higher-education-library/study-skills/


Save our Oceans

Our Blue Planet

There are so many reasons why we need to keep our oceans healthy.  As well as being home to amazing wildlife, our oceans provide food for billions of people and income for millions.

Our ocean is the beating blue heart of our planet and the largest habitat on earth.  In the race to tackle climate change, the ocean is one of our best solutions and our greatest hope.

There’s more.  The sea also produces around half of all the oxygen we breathe (thanks to phytoplankton, tiny single-celled ocean plants). Not to mention absorbing half of all man-made climate-warming carbon dioxide.

But things are not going swimmingly at sea.  Latest figures show a dramatic decline in ocean health.  The total amount of vertebrate sea life (including fish) has reduced by more than a third since 1970!

Plastic Pollution

Even if you live hundreds of miles from the coast, the plastic you throw away could make it into the sea.

Once the plastic is in the ocean, It decomposes very slowly, breaking into tiny pieces known as microplastics.  This can enter the marine food chain and become incredibly damaging to sea life.

1 in 2 marine turtles have eaten plastic and around 7 million coffee cups have been thrown away in the UK everyday.

What can students do to help?

Green recycle icon

  • Check the packaging on items to see if it can be recycled.
  • Use biodegradable cleaning materials.
  • Remember to turn the lights out when you leave a room.
  • Take public transport where possible to reduce carbon emissions.
  • Buy second hand clothes.
  • Start a conversation: encouraging awareness and education is the best thing you can do.

Education has a highly important role to play in driving the transition to a more sustainable future.

By increasing the quality and accessibility of education and developing people’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards climate change, the world can see more affective and quicker change.

Further Reading

SAVE OUR OCEANS. – Wakelet

Last updated: 31st May 2023

Skip to content