Helping Students Learn to Learn Cultivating Lifelong Learners by: Engaging Students in Reflecting in & on their Learning Process

Focus of this session Objective: Cultivating lifelong learners Helping students learn to learn (a) from academic subjects, and (b) in lifelong learning (a) & (b) are closely related – two in one Strategy proposed: Engaging students in Reflecting in & on their learning process Most of the assignments, exercise we gave to students involve them in solving problems of some sort, e.g. - numerical problems in mathematics, science, engineering subject - technical problems in engineering, computing practical work - conceptual problems in social sciences (ask Wincy for example)

PolyU Strategic Objective 1 To enhance the all-round development of students, particularly in the areas of global outlook, critical and creative thinking, social and national responsibility, cultural appreciation, life-long learning, biliterarcy and trilingualism, entrepreneurship and leadership.

Strategic Action (see p.11) Goal S1.1 Academic departments and relevant centres to review and strengthen curricula, teaching and assessment methods, and to ensure the inclusion of components that could help students to attain the qualities listed in the objectives. To ensure that each programme must contain, where appropriate, elements that would enhance students' all-round development, particularly in those areas listed in the objectives, so as to develop a basic 'core-competence' in our graduates.

What is lifelong learning? Is it different from learning in university? Name some scenarios of lifelong learning How does learning take place in these scenarios?

Learning in professional practice Schön (1983) The Reflective Practitioner Professionals face messy problems which require Reflection-in-Action (or learning by doing) Reflection-on-Action Effectiveness in such reflections affects performance & continual professional development of a professional

Reflection-in-Action Professionals think about what they are doing, e.g.: What features do I notice when I recognise this thing? What are the criteria by which I make this judgement? What procedures am I enacting when I perform this skill? How am I framing the problem that I am trying to solve?

Reflection-on-Action Professionals sometimes reflect on their practice, e.g. think back on a project they have undertaken, think back on a situation they have lived through explore the understandings they have brought to their handling of the case

Developing abilities for lifelong learning throughout the professional career by enhancing the abilities for reflection in the process of learning reflection on the process of learning

Learning in professional courses Schön (1987) Educating the Reflective Practitioner Professional education should be centred on enhancing the practitioner's ability for 'reflection-in-action'

Developing abilities for learning in professional courses by enhancing the abilities for reflection in the process of learning reflection on the process of learning

Metacognition as a highly reflective process What is metacognition? Awareness / knowledge of what cognition (learning) is Abilities to control cognition (learning), i.e., the attitude & habits that support and drives learning Key operations in metacognition (control of learning) Planning your learning Monitoring your learning Assessing your learning A self-reflection process

Developing Lifelong Learning Abilities at 2 Levels Cognitive strategies for lifelong learning Metacognitive strategies for lifelong learning What are they? How to develop them? Making meaningful reflection in the learning process Making meaningful reflection on the learning process

Easy methods for engaging students in reflecting in / on their learning process 3-column table for reflective questioning Question asking guide Building of knowledge worksheet 3-step thinking worksheet Pattern detector Think of your thinking worksheet Two person instruction O diagram for experiments Vee diagram

Reflecting on the process of learning-Reflective Learning Journal Functions A tool for engaging students in metacognitive reflection on their process of learning A record of the metacognitive development of students (for both student's and teacher's reference)

Reflective Learning Journal – How should it look like ?? Format and structure Can be unstructured, just a blank note book Can be structured with guiding questions (see examples of guiding questions in the 'bank')

Questions Prompt Bank A pool of guiding questions to help your students to adopt the right approach of reflection Banks for tapping different component of Metacognition: Awareness Monitoring, Controlling, Planning Evaluating and Assessing Sub-categories within the component Cognitive vs Affective type of questions

Reflective thinking questions bank (a) Awareness in learning Awareness of the meaning of the knowledge learnt Awareness of oneself as a learner Awareness o the standards & requirements of the learning task

Reflective thinking questions bank (b) Monitoring and Controlling in the process of learning Monitoring learning progress Difficulties encountered during the learning process Execution of plans & strategies

Reflective thinking questions bank (c) Evaluating learning Evaluation of the overall learning experience Cognitive abilities acquired through the process of learning Evaluating the effectiveness of cognitive strategies employed Subjective evaluation of one's performance Self-evaluated strengths and weaknesses

Student Guide What’s in it? Why need it? Nature, objectives, tips, specific tips Why need it? Reflective journal writing is novel to many students, i.e. they’ll need support and guidelines as well as reasons to do it.

Writing reflective journal – students' opinions Yes, journal writing will make a difference … It stimulates me to think about what I have learnt. I found that journal writing helped me to think after the visits… to think about and organise the feelings and ideas.

The Learning to Learn website http://megaweb.polyu.edu.hk/kenneth/L2L/teachersite03a/frontpage/frontpage.htm

Future efforts on Helping students Learn to Learn Proposal for a second learning to learn project (funding to be approved) Developing a Curriculum Integration Approach to Enhancing Learning Abilities and Cultivating a Life-long Learning Culture for a Knowledge based Economy

I would like to use these prompt questions for my subject