Helping Students Learn to Learn: Simple Things that Teachers Can Do Angela Ho, EDC Chan Chi Hung,...
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Helping Students Learn to Learn:Helping Students Learn to Learn:Simple Things that Teachers Can DoSimple Things that Teachers Can Do
Angela Ho, EDCChan Chi Hung, Learning to Learn Project
Learning to Learn: What do students say they need? To know the aims of learning To set learning goals Improve our thinking process Skills to answer questions Learn to apply in daily life To know more about real world situations How to learn efficiently & effectively, i.e. less time to learn
more, less effort to get more returns Learn the different ways for learning different subjects e.g.
ICT, IT
Learning to Learn: What do students say they need? (I) My relatives ask me “What do you do with the subject you’re
studying?”, I don’t know what to say, …… In fact, I am quite lost. (Lacking understanding of learning goals)(Lacking understanding of learning goals)
We are completely lacking thinking skills and don’t know how to transfer our learning.…I have no idea what has to be interpreted. … We learned a lot of things, but we don’t know how to apply these in work (Badly lacking thinking/cognitive skills)(Badly lacking thinking/cognitive skills)
Learning to Learn: What do students say they need? (II) The most difficult is the project. We have to take care of
everything from the beginning…. We have to form groups with someone we are not familiar with
The teaching of writing reports, we only know the heading, we do not know what should go under it. (Lacking skills for specific learning tasks)(Lacking skills for specific learning tasks)
Helping students learn to learn
What are the more efficient What are the more efficient methods?methods?
Learning to Learn
Stand alone course on learning skills
Learning to learn in the context of teaching, learning & assessment
Preference for learning to learn in-contextin-context of teaching, learning & assessment
The following all suggest that in-context L2L is preferredin-context L2L is preferred
Empirical evidence in the literature PolyU experience
Students’ opinions
Empirical evidenceEmpirical evidence in support of in-context learning-to-learnA meta-analysis of the effectiveness of 51 learning skills interventions
… the typical study skills training package is indeed not so effective as metacognitive and contextualised intervention, but is significantly better than nothing -- clearly so in the case of younger students, and only marginally so in the case of college students.
(Hattie, Biggs and Purdie, 1996: 129)
PolyU experiencePolyU experience Stand-alone L2L effortsStand-alone L2L efforts
Workshops One-off study of
L2L handbooks
Students found materials very useful, BUT seldom refer to them afterwards
In-context L2L supportIn-context L2L support Detailed feedback on
assignments
Students reported to have more impact on their learning
Students’ wordsStudents’ words suggest that in-context L2L is more appropriate Difficulties in learning perceived by students are
mostly related to the programme or to the teaching / learning process
Students prefer L2L help To be given in relation to a task To be given when they need to work on the
task
Learning to Learn in-context of teaching, learning & assessment How can the learning of learning skills be integrated with
the learning of content knowledge?
What teaching & assessment methods foster the development of learning skills?
How to appropriately provide students with guidance on learning skills?
What knowledge and abilities do teachers require for the teaching of learning skills?
Learning to Learn
Developing students’ Cognitive, Motivational & InterpersonalCognitive, Motivational & Interpersonal
strategies for learning
3 handbooks for helping students learn to learn Help in the cognitivecognitive domain
For the Success of Your StudyFor the Success of Your Study
Help in the motivationalmotivational domainGetting the Most out of Your University: Becoming a Getting the Most out of Your University: Becoming a Successful Learner and a Preferred GraduateSuccessful Learner and a Preferred Graduate
Help in the interpersonalinterpersonal domainWorking Your Way through a Group ProjectWorking Your Way through a Group Project
What do students say about “For the success of your study”? This is the first booklet I’ve come across which is so
systematically written to tell me what to do in my learning.
In the past, I tried my best to put in everything which I thought the teacher wanted. Now I realise that I need to select and organise.
Teachers asked me to elaborate but I didn’t know how to. Now the thinking tasks have inspired me what to do.
I started to realise why those classmates who explained their steps in calculation got better results than me. I used to focus on calculating the answer only.
What do students say about “Becoming a successful learner and a preferred graduate”? I know what I should do and learn in these coming 3 years. And
the most important is that I have to learn in a correct way in different learning activities.
I helps me understand deeply what I can do after my graduation and to realise what employers want employees to have.
University is a new life to me … This workshop can help us to cope with the new ways of learning.
It helps me to set a goal and to understand the things I should learn besides textbook knowledge.
What do students say about “Working your way through a group project”? This clarifies what it means by a project
It is useful because I need the skills to handle our project. It really can help us solve the problems.
It can help me to increase my responsibility in a group.
I find the the part on communication and leadership skills useful.
I will try to have an evaluation for each section and make sure that each members can learn from each other and the process.
What do students say about a 2-day L2L programme? the workshop raise my awareness of my thinking method and help me to
think about how I should work with my group members in the coming projects.
I also enjoyed the Learning to learn workshop. Things I got in the workshop:
knew more friends from other groups. e.g. xxx
had deeper thinking in some aspects. e.g.learning approach, communication with other, work and organise project--improvement!!
And I still keep thinking them after the workshop.
Helping Students Learn to Learn –Simple Things that Teachers Can Do1.1. Helping students learn to learn: What do your Helping students learn to learn: What do your
students need? What do you need?students need? What do you need?
2. Motivating students to learn by helping them see their learning goals
3. Helping students to achieve higher level learning outcomes
4. Helping students to get the most out of group project work
Approaches to Helping Students Learn Study skills training approach Learning strategies teaching approach Student development approach Contextual approach
Study skills training approach mostly skills for “managing study to pass exam”
-- peripheral to “understanding” out-of-context of the subject prescriptive skills
Learning Strategies Teaching
Teaching students about cognitive processes which underlie effective learning
Learning strategies from Cognitive psychology
Rehearsal Elaboration Organisation Comprehension monitoring …...
Methods for teaching learning strategies
courses/workshops integrating the teaching of learning strategies
into regular teaching (Metacurriculum)
Rationales for Student-development approaches
Different techniques suit different people
Research has shown that “peripheral” skills are NOT related to learning outcomes
Many “study skills” advice are based on experiments absurdly unlike student learning
Developing self-awareness stimulates thinking about own
learning (the processes, decisions, purposes … that make up studying)
encourages sharing of experiences facilitates development of an
armoury of suitable approaches to be used in appropriate conditions
Students commentsstudy skillscourse
studentdevelopmentprogramme
at thebeginning
keen Did not getwhat I wanted
at the end lost enthusiasm,cannot apply toreal learning
Gained insightabout learning
Learning outcomescomparing participants with non-participants
study skillscourse
studentdevelopmentprogramme
exam no difference no difference
essay no difference participantssignificantlybetter thannon-participants
Learning Outcomes Comparing participants in study skills programme with non-participants
Final exam -- No difference
Essay assignment -- No difference
Learning OutcomesComparing participants in student development programme with non-participants
Final exam -- No difference
Essay assignment -- Participants performed significantly better than non-participants
Common topics in study skills training courses
Time organisation Study management Using text-books or reference materials efficiently Revision techniques Note taking etc.
Looking at Approaches to Helping Students Learn
characteristics of the approach examples research findings on effectiveness