The ASETs are key skills that all students should use in all subjects as often as possible. The ASETs are an academic toolbox - they are practically useful, but also embed important ways of thinking. This series of articles explores some of these key skills and suggests simple ways to implement them.

One of the most important academic skills is to make the transition from seeing text as a string of words to understanding text as a structure of ideas. Mindmapping and Outlining are tools that can help to operationalise and teach this fundamental principle.

Students need to do research. But they need to do it properly, which means not merely cutting and pasting the first article they find. They need to use multiple sources, and then they need to acknowledge those sources. By using a plagiarism checker they also develop strong academic skills.

There is no point in doing a project if there is no audience for the final products. So it is important that students learn the skills of presenting, of communicating their ideas effectively.

The 57 Bus is an incredible book that has much to teach us. It has powerful and challenging themes. But it is also very well written. It can teach us how to write non-fiction. This video analyses the introduction and draws out some useful principles for writing introductions that will grab the readers as soon as they start reading.