This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. Learning to Learn LEARNING TO LEARN (L2L) Lesson 2: Learning to learn skills, andragogy and learning styles

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. Learning to Learn “One of the basic skills for success in the knowledge society is the ability to learn” (European Commission, 2004) Learning to Learn

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. Learning to Learn Attention control. – Attention is the cognitive process of selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things. This set of skills involves the students' awareness of when they are and are not attending to a task. If learners develop conscious control of this process, learning improves. Examples of attention control, include listening carefully to what someone is saying while ignoring other conversations in a class room (the so called cocktail party effect) or listening to a cell phone conversation while driving a car L2L: Learning to Learn Skills (1)

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. Learning to Learn Goal setting. –Trainees set goals that challenge their capabilities. Students will learn more if they can set both long-term and short-term goals and know the difference between them. Ιf you see a way to gain something from reading a chapter, you are going to learn more from it than if you see no point in this chapter. L2L: Learning to Learn Skills (1)

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. Learning to Learn Cognitive restructuring. –The term cognitive restructuring simply means that the learner uses cognitive (intellectual) processes to restructure (state in a different manner) the information that he or she is trying to process. When we talk to ourselves about a task, our thoughts become more salient and more manageable. L2L: Learning to Learn Skills (2)

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. Learning to Learn Self- evaluation. –This set of skills focuses on monitoring progress toward a goal. At this point we are verifying whether we are on track to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves. Good students are able to use failure as a foundation for a plan to do better. L2L: Learning to Learn Skills (3)

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. Learning to Learn These learning-to-learn skills enable learners to use their learning time effectively. –It is possible to teach learners to improve these L2L skills and students who improve these skills often show dramatic improvements in performance. Teachers should verify the extent to which students possess L2L skills and help them develop and apply these skills when appropriate. L2L skills can be applied across all subject areas and learners ages. L2L: Learning to Learn Skills (4)

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. Learning to Learn “The art and science of helping adults learn” –The term currently refers to a learner-focused education for people of all ages. Five issues should be considered in formal learning: Learner needs to know why something is important to learn Learner needs to know how to direct themselves, The topic taught needs to be relative to the learners' experiences, Learner needs to be motivated to learn. Often this requires the learner to overcome inhibitions, behaviors, and beliefs about learning. Andragogy(1)

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. Learning to Learn Characteristics changing as a person matures and becomes an adult learner: –Self-concept: moves from one of being a dependent personality (learning in primary/secondary school) toward one of being a self- directed human being (adult learner). For example, adults choose on purpose what they will study while for kids this is determined by law. –Experience: accumulates a growing reservoir of experience that becomes an increasing resource for learning (own working/life previously acquired experience is helping an adult in understanding new things). For example a man that had been in the army can easily understand the importance of hierarchy or an organization chart Andragogy (2)

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. Learning to Learn –Readiness to learn: readiness to learn becomes oriented increasingly to the developmental tasks of his/her social roles. If all our friends / colleagues are familiar with ICT technologies then we are more willing to learn ICT as well in order not to feel excluded –Orientation to learning: time perspective changes from one of postponed application of knowledge to immediacy of application, and accordingly his orientation toward learning shifts from one of subject- centered to one of problem-centered. A man would easier decide to get cooking lessons when he is staying alone than if he was staying with his mother. –Motivation to learn: the motivation to learn is internal. (Knowles, 1984) Andragogy (3)

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. Learning to Learn L2L: Learning Styles (1)

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. Learning to Learn Learning styles refer to the ways we prefer to approach new information. Audio: –learn best when interacting in a listening/speaking exchange. Visual: –preference in receiving information through visual presentations. Tactile/ Kinesthetic: – learn best by doing it (an activity). Read/Write: –writing down notes, main points and/or reading information in diagrams, charts etc. L2L: Learning Styles (2)

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. Learning to Learn For example, when someone wants to learn a cooking recipe: –The audio style learner learns best when he/she hears the recipe through phone. –The visual style learner learns best when he/she watches implementing of the recipe on TV. –The tactile/kinesthetic style learner learns best by doing the recipe. –The read/write style learner learns best when he/she writes down notes and read them afterwards. L2L: Learning Styles (3)

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. Learning to Learn You have successfully completed this section. Thank you for participating in this learning session and remember never stop engaging in learning situations Thank YOU