Developing Good Learners in Your Subject The Learning-to-Learn NETWORK presents a 4-session certificate course Developing Good Learners in Your Subject

Learning to Learn UGC funded teaching development project Learning to Learn Developing students’ Cognitive, Motivational & Interpersonal strategies for learning

Participating departments 1. BSE 2. BUSS 3. COMP 4. EDC 5. ENGL 6. GEC 7. ITC 8. LSGI 9. ME 10. ISE 11. OR

Developing Good Learners in Your Subject 4-session Certificate Course Learning-to-Learn InstrumentsUse & Research Session 1: 21 Jan (Tue) Learning-to-Learn Instruments for Use & Research Review Session 2: 28 Jan (Tue) Learn to Review: Learning Review Table Reflect Session 3: 11 Feb (Tue) Learn to Reflect: Reflective Learning Journal (Wed) Relate Session 4: 19 Feb (Wed) Learn to Relate: O-diagram

What will you get from this 4-session Certificate Course? worksheetsideas a) Ready-to-use worksheets and interesting ideas for developing students’ learning abilities teachers and students experience b) Reports from teachers and students on their experience of using these worksheets research c) Assistance in planning your own research on helping students learn to learn certificate d) A certificate

Session 1: ‘Learning-to-Learn’ Instruments for Use and Research  Learning to Learn and L2L instruments learning abilities  Learning to Learn and L2L instruments The learning abilities that our L2L materials attempt to develop  Use Students’ opinions  Use Students’ opinions about how learning to learn should be addressed in university  Research scholarship  Research Introduction to scholarship of researching into learning to learn

Students’ opinions about how learning to learn should be addressed in university

L2L in-context of academic subject ‘… in such general terms we don’t know how to apply them … do it for every subject…’ prefer Students lack abilities to transfer generic knowledge about learning to academic learning, hence, they prefer L2L to be Associated with the learning of academic subjects to allow easy application  Associated with the learning of academic subjects to allow easy application  Done for every subject

L2L in-task (academic learning task) ‘[L2L] should go along with the process of learning … understand more of [L2L], …. Could see its usefulness.’ ‘… force us to do those things, then we would learn them’ Merits of integrating L2L in academic learning tasks Allows effective understanding and application of L2L concepts  Allows effective understanding and application of L2L concepts  Motivates students towards L2L as they can see the relevance directly  Effectively engages (‘forces’) them in L2L

L2L in-assessment ‘No assignment [on L2L] will not spare time for it.’ ‘In exam no time to think about quality … write down everything’ ‘Use this [SOLO] as marking scheme...’ Students explicitly point out the need to Include learning abilities as part of the assessment  Include learning abilities as part of the assessment  Use assessment methods and assessment criteria which encourage use of good learning approaches

L2L Incessant throughout course of study ‘We have been spoon-fed for so long, … hard to change the habit. … Need to follow up, perhaps every week.’ felt needcontinuous support and development in L2L Students expressed a felt need for continuous support and development in L2L, because New L2L concepts / methods require time and effort to develop  New L2L concepts / methods require time and effort to develop  Old L2L habits take time and effort to change

How should L2L be addressed in PolyU?  In-context  In-context with reference to academic subject matter  In-task integrated into academic learning tasks  In-assessment Including L2L as part of the assessment  Incessant continues throughout course of study

Session 1: ‘Learning-to-Learn’ Instruments for Use and Research  Learning-to-Learn and L2L instruments learning abilities  Learning-to-Learn and L2L instruments The learning abilities that our materials attempt to develop  Use  Use Students’ opinions about how learning to learn should be addressed in university  Research  Research Introduction to simple methods for researching into learning to learn

What is Learning to Learn? Developing in students the following what learning means  Understanding of what learning means carrying out learning  Abilities for carrying out learning self-regulated learner  Attributes as a self-regulated learner

Understanding of what learning means – Understanding of what learning means – underpinning theories  Conceptions of learning QuantitativeQualitative  Conceptions of learning Quantitative conception VS Qualitative conception  Levels of learning outcomes  Levels of learning outcomes SOLO taxonomy –Extended abstract –Extended abstract (think beyond given) –Relational understanding –Relational understanding (able to relate ideas) –Multi-structural –Multi-structural (memorization of unrelated facts)  Qualities of a preferred graduate

Abilities for carrying out learning  Motivation  Cognitive abilities  Interpersonal abilities

Attributes as a self-regulated learner (Meta-cognition)  Knowledge of oneself as a learner  Self-regulation of one’s learning –Planning –Planning one ’ s learning –Monitoring –Monitoring of one ’ s learning –Evaluating –Evaluating one ’ s learning

Session 1: ‘Learning-to-Learn’ Instruments for Use and Research  Learning to Learn and L2L instruments learning abilities  Learning to Learn and L2L instruments The learning abilities that our L2L materials attempt to develop  Use Students’ opinions  Use Students’ opinions about how learning to learn should be addressed in university  Research scholarship  Research Introduction to scholarship of researching into learning to learn

Scholarship of helping student L2L – Scholarship of helping student L2L – practice, research and publication contributing to the literature L2L work in the PolyU is contributing to the literature in the following ways :  New realms of L2L are explored  New realms of L2L are explored, e.g. –learning goals –Conceptions of learning –4-INs of L2L (in-context, in-task, in-assessment, incessant)  New materials are developed and tested  New materials are developed and tested, e.g. –O-Diagram –Knowledge Building Worksheet  Renowned theories are used to underpin L2L  Renowned theories are used to underpin L2L, e.g. –SOLO taxonomy –Conceptions of learning –Meta-cognition

Researching into L2L: Publications and Presentations  UGC 2001 Conference on ‘The Scholarship of Teaching –2 papers on the project –1 paper on implementation of 3-Column Table (selected for publication in printed proceedings) –1 paper on survey of students’ L2L needs (selected for publication in printed proceedings)  Forum of Higher Education Reform, Society of HK Scholars – invited speech  2002 International Conference of HK Educational Research Association – 1 paper on evaluation results (qualitative interviews)  2003 International Conference of European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction – 1 paper on evaluation results (findings on SPQ)

Sustaining and extending development in Learning to Learn by Integrating L2L into Teaching and Piloting Approaches to Assessing Learning and Meta-cognitive Abilities