|
Written by Admin
|
Approach
When learning we need both a cognitive and reasoning process. This means we need a method to help students to simultaneously absorb knowledge & develop new skills while decoding the information. This can be a very daunting task for many students.
This programme breaks down the learning process into short, easy to understand instructions. By identifying specific actions to carry out students are able to assimilate, store, decode and retrieve information. It helps them to increase their knowledge base and grasp facts more easily.
These learning strategies can help all students study more efficiently and with less stress in order to pass exams. Even good students can improve their results. Studies have shown that combining a number of Study & Learning techniques enable students to vastly improve skills and performance.
WIIFM ??
(What’s in it for me?)
- Links new content to prior knowledge
- Guides learning effectively and efficiently
- Turns abstract concepts into a visual map
- Teaches analysis, conclusions and problem solving
- Focuses on essential information
- Organizes information meaningfully
- Sets the purpose for learning
- Breaks down complex concepts
- Improves acquisition and storage of large amounts of information
- Engages students in class discussions
- Provides a visual map of previous lessons to present and future lessons
- Makes learning fun.
Educators
We combine a number of study and learning strategies as research has shown that it accelerates the learning process, enhancing skills and performance.
These include:
The Frame Routine which is a flexible graphic organiser that allows students to organise information in a format that is easy to retrieve and stimulates creativity.
- Students learn and talk about key ideas of a text and essential details about these ideas.
- Method of note taking, debate preparation, pre-writing activity or a reading summary activity.
- Students’ level of understanding is monitored & instructions adjusted as needed.
- Frame graphics used by students independently or in small groups to study a pre-selected text.
Five basic steps for using the Frame Routine:
- Select the topic
- Determine the main ideas
- Discuss the details
- Develop the "Big Idea"
- Evaluate the information
SIM Strategic Instruction Model enhances study skills for students with diverse learning styles. It focuses on improving acquisition, storage and expression or demonstration of comprehension. Reading comprehension (e.g., The Word Identification Strategy, The Paraphrasing Strategy), memorization of information (e.g., The FIRST-Letter Mnemonic Strategy, The LINCS Vocabulary Strategy), expression of information (e.g., The Sentence Writing Strategy, The Paragraph Writing Strategy), and demonstration of competence (e.g., The Test-Taking Strategy) which have been shown to be effective in improving student learning and performance.
- Teaches students to understand and remember difficult subject matter
- Developed and tested over the past 25 years in the Centre for Learning Research at University of Kansas USA.
Parents
Supporting our children to achieve their potential is what every parent would like to do. These simple strategies enable parents and tutors to guide their children to develop a solid foundation for learning which will help them throughout their life. Essentially it is about learning how to learn. This builds confidence, self-esteem and self-belief which is fundamental to being successful and happy in life.
Students
Learning is an integrated process of acquiring, accessing and using knowledge. Like a puzzle each piece is critical to the overall framework. Improving one aspect impacts the other areas because they all overlap; whether you use a strategy for improving reading, writing or presenting skills. It is a mental process that encompasses decoding, learning skills, choosing strategies and keeping a positive attitude.
We all have different learning styles and are more at ease with some than others. It may be that you need to see diagrams for something to make sense or hear the pros & cons to assimilate information, or yet again physically get into action to understand the process. These are known as VAK or visual, auditory or kinaesthetic learning styles.
The brain is divided in two sections; the left side deals with numbers, linear, logic, lists, analysis or words whereas the right side deals with colours, imagination, daydreaming, spatial awareness or Gestalt (whole picture). These functions enable us to process information. The more functions you utilise the more you increase your brain’s capacity to learn and retain facts and the amazing thing is that your capacity to improve your performance in this way is unlimited.
Great geniuses like Leonardo da Vinci and Einstein process information using both sides of the brain. If you want to think like Leonardo da Vinci you need to practise using all your different learning styles until you are comfortable with all of them.
This means that everyone has the ability to sharpen learning skills. So it is how you use your brain that determines your intelligence not just your genes. If you are interested I will show you how to stop stressing over exams and start having fun learning.
Strategies
STUDY STRATEGIES
Effective study tips
Organising information
Note taking tool
READING COMPREHENSION
Word Identification
DISSECT strategy (decode & identify difficult words in text)
Summarising & paraphrasing strategy & frame organisers
- Power notes (Pre/During/Post Reading Strategy)
- K-W-L strategy (read text with purpose)
- Selective underlining, summarising, self-questioning & visual imagery
VOCABULARY BUILDING
LINCS vocabulary strategy (list, imagine, note, connect, self-test)
WRITING STRATEGIES
- Planned writing
- Dialogue approach
- Quick drafting
- Cubing
- Self-questioning
MEMORY TECHNIQUES
- Remembering
- Associated
- Linked
- Outstanding
- Mnemonics devices
- Repetition
- Ways to forget
TEST TAKING STRATEGIES
- Prove technique
- Pirates technique
|
