Learning Skills FAQs
What are Learning Skills?
Learning Skills are about “learning how to learn” and improving your effectiveness and efficiency at studying and completing assignments. Areas of focus include: organizing your time and workload to better accomplish your academic goals, improving reading and note-taking skills, developing better study strategies to help you study “smarter” for test/exams, and increasing your high-level, critical thinking skills. Learning Skills Services include workshops on these and related topics, as well as one-on-one meetings with a Learning Skills Counsellor to help you build an individualized toolkit of study strategies and learning skills that work for you.
Do I have to be in academic difficulty or have special needs to use Learning Skills Services (LSS)?
No, the service exists for all York students, undergraduate and graduate, across all programs and all levels of academic success.
How do I access Learning Skills Services?
To view the calendar of Learning Skills Workshops and register to attend any or all of them, visit our Web site www.yorku.ca/cds/lss and click on “Workshops”. For information about individual Learning Skills Counselling, click on “One to One Learning Skills”.
Do I have to pay a fee for Learning Skills Services?
There are no additional fees for current York students to access any of the Learning Skills Services.
What’s the difference between Learning Skills Counselling and tutoring?
Learning Skills focus on strategies and tips that can be applied across the board, in all your courses. They are broad (sometimes referred to as “meta-level”) skills that apply to learning in general. Tutoring focuses more on helping you master the specific content of an individual course. The Learning Skills Services do not provide tutoring.
Will the Learning Skills Services help me with specific assignments?
Not usually. However, occasionally, a Learning Skills Counsellor might help you “decode” the requirements for an assignment, as a first step in helping you plan and organize your workload.
Will a Learning Skills Counsellor read my work and help me with my writing?
No. We do not provide tutoring (see above) or writing services. There are several writing centres on campus – for example, The Writing Department, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies - which specialize in helping students with written assignments.
How often can I see a Learning Skills Counsellor?
There is no set course of appointments, but the service is not intended to provide intensive, regular (e.g. weekly) coaching sessions. Before seeing a Learning Skills Counsellor individually, we recommend that you attend as many of our Workshops as you can. You can register for these online through our Web site www.yorku.ca/cds/lss.
Does Learning Skills Counselling include Personal Counselling, if needed?
No, the two types of counselling are quite different, although all counselling is confidential within Counselling & Disability Services (CDS). Learning Skills Counselling focuses only on improving your effectiveness and efficiency at studying and learning. If you are also coping with difficult personal/emotional issues which may be interfering with your academic progress, the Learning Skills Counsellor may recommend that you also seek Personal Counselling. But the choice is entirely up to you. The two streams are quite separate, though different types of CDS Counsellors may occasionally consult with one another about a shared client if they feel this is the best way to serve the client.
I'm a student with a disability. How can Learning Skills Services help me?
Generally, the same Learning Skills Services are provided for students with disabilities as for other students. Wherever possible, Learning Skills Counselling is targeted to the specific needs of the individual student seeking LS support, so, depending on the nature of your disability, we may be able to help address some of the academic challenges that you have to manage. However, we recommend that students with disabilities register with one of our disability services to ensure that you receive the full range of support that is available to you (see our Web site www.yorku.ca/cds for more information). At times, consultation between the Disability Counsellor and the Learning Skills Counsellor may be helpful to plan the best course of action for you.
I’m a graduate student. Do you offer anything for me?
Yes, definitely. All Learning Skills workshops are open to graduate students as well as undergraduates. You may also sign up for one-on-one sessions with a Learning Skills Counsellor who specializes in working with graduate students, to help you plan your time and organize your work, prepare for comprehensive exams and/or stay on top of your thesis/ dissertation writing. We also occasionally offer Workshops specifically targeted to grad students and would be happy to work with any graduate student groups to develop further programming specific to your needs.
If you have further questions about Learning Skills Services or any of the other Counselling & Disabilities Services, please visit our website at www.yorku.ca/cds.
Counselling & Disability Services (CDS)
Tel: 416-736-5297
Location: N110 Bennett Centre for Student Services
