"Learning to learn is the ability to pursue and persist in learning, to organise one’s own learning, including through effective management of time and information, both individually and in groups. This competence includes awareness of one’s learning process and needs, identifying available opportunities, and the ability to overcome obstacles in order to learn successfully. This competence means gaining, processing and assimilating new knowledge and skills as well as seeking and making use of guidance. Learning to learn engages learners to build on prior learning and life experiences in order to use and apply knowledge and skills in a variety of contexts: at home, at work, in education and training. Motivation and confidence are crucial to an individual’s competence.
Where learning is directed towards particular work or career goals, an individual should have knowledge of the competences, knowledge, skills and qualifications required. In all cases, learning to learn requires an individual to know and understand his/her preferred learning strategies, the strengths and weaknesses of his/her skills and qualifications, and to be able to search for the education and training opportunities and guidance and/or support available.
Learning to learn skills require firstly the acquisition of the fundamental basic skills such as literacy, numeracy and ICT skills that are necessary for further learning. Building on these skills, an individual should be able to access, gain, process and assimilate new knowledge and skills. This requires effective management of one’s learning, career and work patterns, and, in particular, the ability to persevere with learning, to concentrate for extended periods and to reflect critically on the purposes and aims of learning. Individuals should be able to dedicate time to learning autonomously and with self-discipline, but also to work collaboratively as part of the learning process, draw the benefits from a heterogeneous group, and to share what they have learnt. Individuals should be able to organise their own learning, evaluate their own work, and to seek advice, information and support when appropriate.
A positive attitude includes the motivation and confidence to pursue and succeed at learning throughout one’s life. A problem-solving attitude supports both the learning process itself and an individual’s ability to handle obstacles and change. The desire to apply prior learning and life experiences and the curiosity to look for opportunities to learn and apply learning in a variety of life contexts are essential elements of a positive attitude.
Learning to learn is essential in a knowledge society where lifelong learning is needed for career development. It is a competence all school teachers must do their best to develop. When students reflect on what they learn, that helps them make significant changes and build up further their capacity to learn. Learning to learn involves metacognition, time management, volition, social strategies and language
Formative assessment helps learners in two ways:
To identify gaps in understanding
To support retention.
However, to be effective for either, assessment activities need to ask learners to recall learning. If they do that, then we are helping them learn, because when learners are required to reconstruct what they know, two things happen:
they can build an inventory of stored data,
they build a new neural path between stored information and working memory.
The challenge for total recall is to find the stored information. It is always there, but if we can't find it, we can't use it. We should ask ourselves if our assessment strategies support our students' needs!
Soft skills do also play a very important role in learning to learn more effectively. Soft skills relate to the students' ability to interact effectively with classmates and are broadly applicable both in and outside the class.
In order to be able to recall learning, students need a model of behavior: something to emulate.
How can we create the conditions to help our students learn to learn? What do you do in your classes?
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/publ/pdf/ll-learning/keycomp_en.pdf
"Learning to learn is the ability to pursue and persist in learning, to organise one’s own learning, including through effective management of time and information, both individually and in groups. This competence includes awareness of one’s learning process and needs, identifying available opportunities, and the ability to overcome obstacles in order to learn successfully. This competence means gaining, processing and assimilating new knowledge and skills as well as seeking and making use of guidance. Learning to learn engages learners to build on prior learning and life experiences in order to use and apply knowledge and skills in a variety of contexts: at home, at work, in education and training. Motivation and confidence are crucial to an individual’s competence.
Where learning is directed towards particular work or career goals, an individual should have knowledge of the competences, knowledge, skills and qualifications required. In all cases, learning to learn requires an individual to know and understand his/her preferred learning strategies, the strengths and weaknesses of his/her skills and qualifications, and to be able to search for the education and training opportunities and guidance and/or support available.
Learning to learn skills require firstly the acquisition of the fundamental basic skills such as literacy, numeracy and ICT skills that are necessary for further learning. Building on these skills, an individual should be able to access, gain, process and assimilate new knowledge and skills. This requires effective management of one’s learning, career and work patterns, and, in particular, the ability to persevere with learning, to concentrate for extended periods and to reflect critically on the purposes and aims of learning. Individuals should be able to dedicate time to learning autonomously and with self-discipline, but also to work collaboratively as part of the learning process, draw the benefits from a heterogeneous group, and to share what they have learnt. Individuals should be able to organise their own learning, evaluate their own work, and to seek advice, information and support when appropriate.
A positive attitude includes the motivation and confidence to pursue and succeed at learning throughout one’s life. A problem-solving attitude supports both the learning process itself and an individual’s ability to handle obstacles and change. The desire to apply prior learning and life experiences and the curiosity to look for opportunities to learn and apply learning in a variety of life contexts are essential elements of a positive attitude.
Learning to learn is essential in a knowledge society where lifelong learning is needed for career development. It is a competence all school teachers must do their best to develop. When students reflect on what they learn, that helps them make significant changes and build up further their capacity to learn. Learning to learn involves metacognition, time management, volition, social strategies and language
Formative assessment helps learners in two ways:
- To identify gaps in understanding
- To support retention.
However, to be effective for either, assessment activities need to ask learners to recall learning. If they do that, then we are helping them learn, because when learners are required to reconstruct what they know, two things happen:The challenge for total recall is to find the stored information. It is always there, but if we can't find it, we can't use it. We should ask ourselves if our assessment strategies support our students' needs!
Soft skills do also play a very important role in learning to learn more effectively. Soft skills relate to the students' ability to interact effectively with classmates and are broadly applicable both in and outside the class.
In order to be able to recall learning, students need a model of behavior: something to emulate.
How can we create the conditions to help our students learn to learn? What do you do in your classes?
Sections you need to consider:
How do I assess it
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