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Life Tools
Life Tools
Essentials Guidance and support Life Tools

Life Tools

Life Tools is online! Enrol on Life Tools Blackboard to find out details about the upcoming webinars.

Our Life Tools programme is designed by experts to facilitate your transition into university and enhance your student experience. It allows you to be proactive and take control of your learning and development. The programme is designed specially to contribute to your ongoing professional development.

This year we will continue to provide our talks as webinars, and there will also be some delivered on campus where possible. They are about 50 minutes in duration, including time for questions about the topic. The programme is free and open to all students, with no need to book. More information is available in the new Life Tools programme guide 2020/21.

To find out more about the programme, listen to the Introduction to the Life Tools webinar, or watch the video at the bottom of this page.

Life Tools survey 

We want to hear from you as your feedback is very important to us.

We are running a survey to hear your views on your experience of the Life Tools webinars since lockdown. 

You can have a chance to win a £10 Amazon voucher for participating in the survey.

It will take about 5-10 minutes, and data will be anonymised.   

Survey 

We are also conducting interviews and running a couple of focus groups.If you are interested in participating email m.a.penabizama@reading.ac.uk

Important update

As the country and the university are making changes so that we can adjust to the current situation, you may be wondering how to keep well and how best to manage your studies over the coming weeks. As such, weekly emails will be sent via Life Tools on Blackboard, including strategies to manage studies while studying independently.

It is also important to keep active and engage in activities that you find rewarding.If you are concerned about yourself or another student, you can speak to Counselling and Wellbeing service, or the Welfare Service. Fortunately, we have the technology that allows us to maintain contact so we can continue to work together. Keep well and continue learning.

To receive updates, enrol on the Life Tools Blackboard.

New system to attend the webinars

New system to join the webinars: 
  
The details of the webinars will be on the Life Tools page on Essentials. 

There will be a link that will take you to a page where you can book a place on the webinar. 

Then, on the day of the webinar, we will send you an email with the link that will take you directly to the webinar on Blackboard. 
 
 If you have any problems finding the link you can email me: m.a.penabizama@reading.ac.uk. 

Webinars coming up:

January      
Life Tools: Focusing or forgetting?
1 March 13:00 - 14:00

Book a place

The form closes at 09.30 on the day of the webinar. You can still join the webinar by going to the Life Tools module on Blackboard

Life Tools: Living on a student budget and preventing debt
1 March
15:00 - 16:00

Book a place

The form closes at 09.30 on the day of the webinar. You can still join the webinar by going to the Life Tools module on Blackboard

Life Tools: Feedback: Food for thought
3 March  14:00 - 15:00

Book a place

The form closes at 09.30 on the day of the webinar. You can still join the webinar by going to the Life Tools module on Blackboard

Life Tools: Support your mates
3 March  15:00 - 17:30

Book a place

The form closes at 09.30 on the day of the webinar. You can still join the webinar by going to the Life Tools module on Blackboard

Study advice webinars
    The Study Advice team are running several webinars this term, on a range of topics.

Life Tools blog post: Feeling unsure? Build confidence step by step

    How do I enrol on the Life Tools Certificate programme?

    To access online resources and receive updates you can enrol for the Life Tools course on Blackboard (you may need to sign into Blackboard first). Click the ‘Enrol’ button and then follow the instructions to get started.

     

    Life Tools Certificate

    The Life Tools certificate is a new opportunity available from this academic year, and will be recognised in the same way as the RED Award. The aim of the course is to provide some structure so that you can maintain your motivation and feel productive by developing habits that support your progress towards your academic and personal goals. 

    'The ‘Life Tools’ certification is a wonderful opportunity for all students across campus looking to develop self-awareness and learn new ways of thinking and feeling, that will impact their overall well-being. With numerous modules that touch upon a variety of topics, the program enhances confidence, motivation, resilience and teaches one to introspect, all necessary skills for an optimistic and healthy life.' - Student

    To obtain the Life Tools certificate, you must:

    • Attend 6 presentations. Your department may be offering some of the presentations as part of your course. Attending these will count towards the certificate too. To make the most of the programme, begin to apply the knowledge and strategies as soon as you have been to a presentation so that you can identify what works for you.
    • Complete 6 modules on the Blackboard course. Each module has a screencast with a summary of the topics covered in the presentation. There is also a worksheet so that you can reflect on your learning, and practice applying the strategies. 
    • Attend 2 group training sessions. This element of the programme gives you the opportunity to discuss what you have found when applying the knowledge and strategies. There will also be an opportunity for questions and answers. The focus of the discussion will be on identifying what helps or hinders applying what you are learning, as well as having an opportunity to expand on your interest in the topics. 
    • Write a reflective piece (about 2 sides of A4). The purpose of this exercise is to reflect on what you have learned , your experience of applying the knowledge and strategies in a more consistent manner, and how you plan to take your learning experience into the future.

    How to use Life Tools towards the Red Award and Life Tools certificate

    If you want Life Tools to count towards the Red Award or the Life Tools certificate, please ensure you sign into the webinars with your full name and you university email address.

    Feedback

    We would like to hear your feedback on the Life Tools programme. To give feedback please complete this survey  (5 mins).

    Thank you for taking the time to give us feedback.

    Get in contact

    If you have any questions or would like to suggest topics you are interested in, you can email talks@reading.ac.uk.

See what Life Tools talks are coming up

They really helped give practical advice on how to be more organised, motivated, and to do well. They helped me to always feel like I was working on improving myself, not just improving academically." "Undertaking the interesting Life Tools programme has equipped me with an array of transferable skills, useful to me both professionally as well as personally. Be it from uncovering techniques to maintain my motivation, getting better sleep, or be it managing stress, I have been able to develop a full package of qualities, which will help me in University and when I leave.

Follow the Life Tools blog

If you want to learn how to study more effectively or pick up some information and strategies to prepare for exams, visit the Life Tools blog. You will find regular wellbeing tips, resources and information about Life Tools events throughout the term.

Counselling and Wellbeing

- About Counselling and Wellbeing
- Need urgent help?
- Life Tools
- Useful resources

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