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Tristy Gallagher - Persuasion

I am pretty pleased with my I.S. One thing I learnt is that it is better to have too much and have to cut it down than try to make up the words. Not that I had to do this, I had far too many words! Another thing I learnt is not to get too interested in information that is totally irrelevant to my particular focus. I found I was reading quite a bit about other Austen novels and not Persuasion!!!

I also found that I can do a pretty good creative piece in a short amount of time, and when I put myself under pressure. This is not something I would recommend, next time I would start my creative piece rather early, so I have enough time to think about it.

I would really recommend doing a Jane Austen novel for the Independent Study. There are many focuses that can be done, and Austen would have to be one of the best writer of the 19^th Century!!!

Top of Page | Independent Study - Persuasion

Jane Anderson - Much Ado About Nothing

At last! It is finally finished! I am really quite happy with this independent project, and also with the way in which I used my time throughout the study. Because I knew that I had bushwalking and skiing commitments coming up I made the effort to get most of my study done as soon as possible, and I am very glad that I did. I would recommend sensible time management for any student attempting a study in the future.

I agree with Tristy in that it is much easier to start with an excess of words, and then cut down and polish, rather then pad out a smaller amount of information. I was lucky in that I found quite a lot of information about both Shakespeare and Much Ado About Nothing so I had a lot to say about this particular text. I started out with a really long essay and was able to cut out irrelevant points as I reviewed it, and re-reviewed it. I think that this is a good way to approach the analytical essay.

I would like to stress not to forget about the creative part of the study. The essay might be looked at as the most important part, but it is important not to get stuck without enough time to produce a really polished creative piece, this was the major problem I encountered.

I would recommend Shakespearean plays for Independent study, but only if the student has a really good understanding of the language used. I knew Much Ado About Nothing really well; I could almost quote the entire thing. Having such a good knowledge of the text was really helpful. I know that had I tried to attempt a Shakespearean play that I didn't know so well I would have been completely lost.

Just one other small thing. Write down your references as you go along. That way you will not be scouting through the library on the day before the study is due trying to find the books you used!

Top of Page | Independent Study - Much Ado about Nothing

Anna Swift – Dancing Girls

Well, who would believe that I’ve actually finished, or that my independent study didn’t get completed on the night before it was due! Admittedly there were a few hiccups throughout the course of my study, but overall now that I have the luxury of hindsight, I think, if it be possible, I might actually have enjoyed doing my independent study.

I’m quite happy with the final finished product. The analytical component is most definitely the strength of my study and although I thought that it was much more effective in it’s fuller form, it does, I hope, reveal my understanding and perception of the text. Of course I struggled with the creative component, yet perhaps I always will. I was happier doing it knowing that I had a good analytical component behind me, and I think that my creative component really did "grow" out of the understanding I attained of Atwood’s writing through completing my analytical component.

One thing I loved about my independent study was that I was not only able to study a text and writer whose work I just adore, I was able to pull all my interests together and look in some depth at a subject that I am constantly intrigued by. I have been able to look at feminism not only in Literature, but in History and Sociology as well, giving me a whole range of different perspectives on the subject. So in this respect I encourage future Lit students to go for a text that they are really attracted to which deals with a subject that really flicks their switch, so to speak!

I love Atwood’s writing and would recommend all of her work for an independent study, particularly for a student who enjoys studying themes. Atwood has an incredible ability to draw upon subjects that while they most probably have always existed, seem to come alive in her poetic perceptions. She has an amazing ability to reveal what society really looks like as she looks at the differences between men and women. If this has got you thinking, then go for Atwood, she’s brilliant!

I have learnt the importance of time management the hard way throughout the last couple of years and I’m proud to say that this didn’t hinder my independent study, but it easily could hinder yours, so get your head down and just do it! It’ll be worth it in the end.

Top of Page | Independent Study - Dancing Girls

Allan Richards – Fool’s Sanctuary

Although I had chosen my book before we actually started on the independent study in class, it took me a while to get started. This was mostly because I didn’t know how to get started. When we were given some independent studies from other years to look at this really helped as I could see how other people went about doing theirs. I also spent too long doing research that I didn’t end up using. Because of this I think that I should have got down a rough draft of my analytical component before I did any research so that I knew exactly what I needed to find out about. The extra time that I used on researching my study caused me to be quite short of time towards the end, and left me with a few weeks to do the whole thing. It’s not a lot of fun spending all you’re spare time in front of a computer doing your independent study. One other mistake that I made was thinking that it wasn’t a lot of work, with a limit of 3000 words. It doesn’t sound like a lot for five weeks work, but you really do have to put a lot of information into it.

Top of Page | Independent Study - Fool's Sanctuary

Leila Mihal – Heretic

My completed negotiated study focused on the two main characters in David Williamson’s play, Heretic. The mistakes which Margaret Mead and Derek Freeman make during their careers was a logical focus, as much of the script dealt with the characters pointing out each other’s errors. I had trouble with making my focus specific. I originally had the more general focus of examining the ideology of the sixties and the eventual realization of unobtainable ideals. I got caught up in reading about the main characters and their real life biographies and publications. There was a lot of potential information I could have used. I eventually decided to ignore much of it and concentrate on the actual script and use the other information as background knowledge. In my creative piece, Imagined what Derek and Margaret’s opinions would have been before Margaret appeared to Derek in a Dream. I tried to tie it in with the focus of my literary essay and concentrate on Margaret and Derek’s errors of judgment.

Top of Page | Independent Study - Heretic

Sarah Geale - Fly Away Peter

On reflection, it is easy for me to sit here and advise on how you should go about completing an Independent Study. However, realistically I know that no matter how much I stress the need to keep to a timed schedule, it won’t be done that way. I myself wasted two weeks on a book that I didn’t even do, so I can’t really advise on time management! Ideally though, it is important to try and do as much work as you can early on so that there will be time to re-work your study.

I will say however, what helped me most was having a clear focus and a thorough understanding of the task outline. Read and re-read the task description and know exactly what is expected of you.

It is also important to choose a book you have a good understanding of and one that you can, in some way, identify with. This will of course, make your analytical component a lot easier and as a result it should lead also to a better creative response.

I had trouble with choosing a topic for creative writing. My quest was made easier however, by first selecting a focus. The focus needs to stem from the analytical, so I chose an aspect of that which had the most scope for a creative response.

In summary though, the best advise I can give - or the way I would go about doing another Independent Study, would be to start STRAIGHT AWAY. Find some information which has been recorded on your text, read it through once and then decide on a focus for study. Then just try to get words down - doing this early will allow more time for correction later. Another thing; enjoy it!

Top of Page | Independent Study - Fly Away Peter

Emily Whelan - The Crucible

I think the most important thing to consider when selecting a text is how easy it will be to write about. There may be hundreds of texts that appeal to you, but not all of them will necessarily be appropriate for an Independent Study. In fact, I think that for this task, you will find that texts that are easy to write about end up being very appealing indeed. A book that lends itself to a clear, meaty focus is definitely the best way to go.

For projects that are given a long time, the advice is always: 'Don't leave it to the last minute'. Personally, I don't think this is possible. I think the best way to go is to do the easy parts first, so read the text, perhaps read it again, then read about the text. Too much research can be dangerous, but if you are really familiar with your text, writing about it will be so much easier. You will have a lot more matter, and it will come to you in a far less excruciating way.

Top of Page | Independent Study - The Crucible

Kirsty Madden - Twelfth Night

Every person seems to have made some form of comment about time. English teachers seem to underline and stress the point over any piece of work of 'not leaving work until the last minute'. Too often as students this becomes just another thought that automatically gets pushed to the back of your mind. But let me stress … DON'T even think about leaving it to the last minute !!! If you do leave all your work to the last week it is unlikely that you or your teacher will have time to run over your work. It is quite disconcerting in itself to know that you will not receive your external marks until the end of the year, which involves the I.S. If it hasn't even been looked at, let alone corrected in any way, it is rather unnerving to think that your work may not be up to the standard of your Lit. teacher.

When choosing a book make sure that you are evaluating a book that you can write about. That sounds quite straightforward and very obvious but if you end up writing about something that you only feel only half-hearted about then there will be less of a motivation for you to complete the work or put a concerted effort into your pieces. I thoroughly recommend that you choose a book that you have read and it either raises issues which you are interested in, such as Ireland or the Second World War; or you really like the author's style, expression and characterisation; or you really hate it !! (you won't be able to stop finding points in the book to discuss!)

More seriously though: study a book which you really do enjoy, or an author which you are passionately in love with, so to speak! I am a bit of a Shakespeare freak. I love the romantic style of writing, the challenge of determining the meaning, the brilliant characterisation, the intricate plots … well, as you can probably tell I could rain praises on Shakespeare for some time. O.K., I'm a passionate Shakespeare fan and so by choosing Twelfth Night I found myself in my element as it is acclaimed his greatest comedy. Because I chose something I really enjoyed I feel I enjoyed my study more than what I would have done otherwise. I think you get my point though. I do recommend something you really enjoy, rather than something you really despise, even though either way you will be able to construct quite a large and powerful discussion for the formal literary essay. So goodluck!

Top of Page | Independent Study - Twelfth Night

Melinda Tew - Alias Grace

In a way I feel quite cruel (and a touch hypocritical!) giving my advice on how to tackle the independent study task. Personally I suffered multiple stress-attacks and experienced complete sleep deprivation for at least three days running in the final days of the time allocated. In my experience, every set back that can occur, will, so basically exceptional organisational skills are required. (This is something I realised early in the task, but in reality it is not always feasible!)

Ideally, try to have both sections of the study at least the week before to enable you to switch off to it for at least a night (!) and then come back to it in a more enthusiastic frame of mind. One thing I really regret is that as I was still typing frantically on the due date. I didn't 'get into' my study until too late in the time frame and it was disappointing to know what could be achieved if only time allowed.

Anyone who tells you how important it is to enjoy your text and your focus is in my opinion entirely correct. Independent studies can actually be quite fun (in comparison to other homework - personally I really don't think it is an example of 'fun' in the usual sense of the word!!!) as it is a personal task and options are much greater than most assignments.

I would like to warn you not to waste time deciding on a focus and finding relevant research material. I did both and paid the consequences! I admit, I was intent on developing an interesting focus and this resulted in changing my focus three times! This did not work to my advantage and was even more stressful when I couldn't find the relevant research materials. As long as you can find a couple of sources to refer to you'll should feel satisfied - then just start writing. Starting is the hardest part in my opinion - write anything just to make yourself feel better and then fix it up later - hesitation is a sin that I regularly commit - don't bother attempting to reign over me in this area - it will be to your detriment!

Well, surely after reading all our advice you are feeling totally stressed and depressed about the whole idea. Just get stuck into it and dream of the time you can hand it in and relax…

Top of Page | Independent Study - Alias Grace

Kristelle Reeves - An Imaginary Life

Well, my negotiated study is finally finished! I felt quite satisfied with the end result - it’s really excellent to see a final, polished product after putting in so much work! I have few regrets about the way I approached this study - I found I had to really force myself to ‘play by the rules’ ie, not leave it all to the last minute! I was really happy with the focus I chose, as I had a fair amount of flexibility to tailor different details of my focus as I went, while still working with a very narrow, definite topic. It’s definitely best to decide a focus where you know that you will have too much information, so you can handpick the best bits and not have to scramble to find relevant information and quotes. However, I think it’s also necessary to study one or two elements in depth, as opposed to covering a wide area somewhat superficially.

Another word of advice - record your footnotes and resources as you go - it certainly saves a lot of strenuous reading! It’s also really important to stick to your time limits - if you’re a week or two behind you tend to rush everything and not have time to polish and fine tune! Basically, you’ve got to put in the work, not necessarily in using a wide variety of resources, but in really analysing the book, and saying things that the writer probably wasn’t even aware of! I only used one other book aside from the one I was studying, as I thought that what I thought about different elements of my focus was probably more important than what other people thought about the general quality of the book. I also spent quite a bit of time polishing and changing my creative writing - it seems to be important to write something, even if you don’t like it, as you can always change it later.

Well, it’s all over! It’s great to know that two of my external marks are already taken care of, and I can finally wipe it off my ‘things to do’ list!!

Top of Page | Independent Study - An Imaginary Life

Erica Adamczewski - Johnno

On the completion of my work I was able to look back with pleasure.  Though the work had been slow and tedious, the final result was pleasing.

The hardest aspect of the Independent Study was choosing a focus.  I found that I needed a focus that gave me lots of ideas and I found lots of examples from the book to work on.  This was quite difficult.  I found my focus by looking at an aspect of the book that really stood out to me.

My idea for the analytical component was quite straight forward but even better was the fact that I had lots if ideas for my creative.  My creative came together well because it was about my own personal memories. It incorporated my thoughts and feelings.

Through choosing a book and an aspect that I could relate back to myself, it was easier to put myself into the work.  Including yourself as a part of your work creates the feeling of ownership.

I found the hardest part of my I.S. was realising that the deadline was a deadline.  To keep a continuous, controlled approach to the work I’m sure would make it seem less of a huge task. But always keeping in my mind the fact that there was an end to it helped me to work hard in order to achieve and feel successful.

Top of Page | Independent Study - Johnno

Lyn - A teacher's Viewpoint

I should expect it, I suppose, but why does nearly everybody leave too much to the last minute?

You must be very disciplined about the research. Once you have decided on your focus, your research should only be on that specific aspect of the text. Don't get too interested and try to include all the information that you find!

Most importantly - enjoy sharing your study with one another

When you have finally made it before the deadline - party!

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