| Learning Outcomes |
| · Learning strategies are formulated by a selection of specific tried techniques.
· Information is summarized and used in the learning process. · Answers to relevant questions are synthesized and contextualized. · Texts are read/viewed for detail, interpreted, analyzed, and synthesized for a given context. · Verbal interaction is interpreted, analyzed, and synthesized for a given context. · Learning takes place through communicating with others in groups or as individuals. |
- Introduction
Now that you have the correct learning resources that contain the necessary information to help you achieve your goal, it is necessary to use the correct learning strategies to make this possible. Different situations require different strategies to help you extract the appropriate information. In this learning unit, we will look at various strategies that will enable this.
- Summaries
A summary is a short version of a longer piece of writing. The summary should contain all the important parts of the original but express in a shorter space.
- Summarising is a very useful skill when gathering information.
The summary should be written in your own words. It’s more useful to re-write the contents, rather than copying out parts of the original.
- Read the original quickly, and try to understand its main subject.
- Then you will need to read it again to understand it in more detail.
- Underline or make a note of the main points. Use a highlighter if this helps. Look up any words or ideas you don’t know. You need to understand the sentences and how they relate to each other.
- Work through the writing to spot the main sections or arguments. These might be shown as paragraphs.
Remember that the purpose of a paragraph is that deals with just one issue or topic. Draw up a list of the topics – or make a diagram. A simple picture of boxes or a spider diagram can often be helpful.
Write a one or two-sentence version of each section. Just express the main point.
Leave out any examples.
- Write a sentence that states the main idea of the original writing.
- Use this as the starting point. Then write a paragraph that combines all the points
- you have made.
- The final summary should capture the main point of the original.
Remember that it should be in your own words. You re-create the meaning of the original in a way that makes sense for you.
| Original
At a typical football match, we are likely to see players committing deliberate fouls, often behind the referee’s back. They might try to take a throw-in or a free kick from an incorrect but more advantageous position in defiance of the clearly stated rules of the game. They sometimes challenge the rulings of the referee or linesmen in an offensive way, which often deserves punishment or even sending off. No wonder this leads spectators to fight amongst themselves, damage stadiums, or take the law into their own hands by invading the pitch in the hope of affecting the outcome of the match. [100 words] Summary Unsporting behavior by footballers may cause hooliganism among spectators. [9 words] |
As can be seen, this strategy makes it possible to refer back to the information, without the cumbersome task of going through all the information that was gathered.
- Group activities
Group activities are often very useful because it looks at something from a much broader perspective than when it is the thoughts/ ideas/ bias/ short-sightedness/ etc. of just one person.
Here we will be looking at
♦ brainstorming
♦ group analysis
♦ peer and self-assessment mind maps
♦ note-taking
♦ Memorising
♦ keywords and
♦ underlining.
3.1 Brainstorming
Brainstorming is when different people who have a vested interest in the matter, get together and share thoughts and ideas on a specific topic. These thoughts and ideas should not be pre-meditated.
The following guidelines apply to ensure a successful session:
- write the objective – what you want to accomplish. Distribute it to the attendees, and
- post it for all to see during the session.
- invite a mix of contributors/participants. Split large groups into teams to compete.
- set a time limit:- 30 mins – 4 hrs
- announce the objective and explain the rules:-
⇒ weird, wild, wacky, and off-the-wall ideas are welcome -> negativity is not
⇒ build on ideas -> don’t shoot them down
⇒ any interruptions from outside allowed (that includes cell phones!)
⇒ take a short break every hour
♦ capture all ideas as they flow from the group.
♦ evaluate the ideas, selecting the best.
♦ assign next steps.
3.2 Group analysis
Group analysis combines psychoanalytic insights with an understanding of social and interpersonal functioning. There is an interest, in group analysis, in the relationship between the individual group member and the rest of the group, resulting in a strengthening of both, and better integration of the individual with his or her group. Group members are supported, through shared experience and joint exploration within the group, in coming to a healthier understanding of their situation. Problems are seen at the level of the group, organization, or institutional system; not solely in the individual.
Problems within are recast as obstacles without. How the group functions are central to this. Democracy and cooperation are the pillars through which group-mediated solutions to problems can flow in enduring ways. It is based on the principles developed by S.H. Foulkes in the 1940s and is rooted in psychoanalysis and the social sciences.
3.3 Peer and self-assessment mind maps
Mind Mapping is a way of creating pictures that show ideas in the same way that they are represented in your brain. Your brain uses words, pictures, numbers, logic, rhythm, color, and special awareness to build up unique pictures of information. The ideas are linked together in a way that makes them easy to understand and remember.
Mind Maps use the same types of things to show ideas and link them together. This is what makes Mind Mapping so powerful. You start with a central topic that you are going to be examining, add branches radiating from the center, and then sub-branches as required to represent your ideas.
You naturally create your Mind Maps by using your own words and connections that make sense to you. It is best to stick to one or two keywords on the branches and use the branches to show the connections between the ideas. You can use Mind Maps for every part of your life where you need to:
♦ think more clearly; plan or organise things; solve problems; make
♦ decisions; remember things; do assignments; come up with new
♦ ideas or give presentations.
- Peer assessment
This is where learners are involved in the assessment of the work of other learners. Learners must have a clear understanding of what they are to look for in their peers’ work.
- Self-assessment
is a process where learners are involved in and are responsible for assessing their piece of work. It encourages learners to become independent and can increase their motivation.
The assessment gains more value if the learner can see (in picture form or basic keywords), how they have done.
3.4 Note taking
Note-taking is the practice of writing pieces of information, often in an informal or unstructured manner Notes are frequently written in notebooks, though any available piece of paper can suffice in many circumstances.
Unfortunately, it is often the case that while students are busy taking notes, they do not pay sufficient attention to what the facilitator is saying or explaining. This fact justifies using handouts printed in advance and given out to each student. The flip side of this is that notetaking makes learning “active learning” as opposed to “passive learning.” When students have nothing to do but listen to the lecture, it is difficult for them to stay alert and attentive all of the time.
An easy solution to the problem is to figure out if you are an auditory learner. If you are, then it’s probably better to listen and review with your textbook. If you are a visual learner, then the best would probably be a combination of listening and notetaking. If you learn by writing then you should focus more on notetaking.
Note-taking from reading:
There are three main ways to take notes from written material.
♦ The first is a direct quotation, in which the notetaker copies a passage verbatim (using the same words) from the original text. Normally the copied passage should be enclosed in quotation marks.
♦ The second method is paraphrasing. This involves a rephrasing of the information in the reader’s own words, indicating that he or she has read and comprehended the information enough to restate it.
♦ The third method is summarizing. Summarizing involves not just rephrasing the information but condensing it to the essential meaning.
3.5 Memorising
There are many situations where we need to memorize facts and information. These include learning a foreign language, revising for an examination, giving a speech, as well as remembering simpler things like people’s names and bank card PINs. Fortunately, there are many so-called mnemonic (memory aid) techniques available that can help us with these. You will probably be familiar with some of these techniques from your school days. For example, most of us can remember the colors of the rainbow by using a mnemonic such as…………….
‘Richard of York gave battle in vain’. Here the initial letters of the seven words give us the colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. This example demonstrates two elements of memorization: imagination and association.
Thus you create a sentence (imagination) using words starting with the initial letters of the colors (association). Harry Lorayne says there are only three fundamental learning skills:
- Locating the information you need.
- Remembering the information you locate.
- Understanding and organizing the information you’ve located and remembered, so you can apply it.
Memory works by association. For you to remember any new thing, it must be associated with something you already know or remember. As you learn and remember more, you give your memory more “hooks” to add further associations. By doing this, you will rapidly become a genius!
3.6 Keywords
A keyword is a word or concept with special significance, in particular, any word used as the key to a code or used in a reference work, to link to other words or other information.
3.7 Underlining
An underline also called an underscore, is one or more horizontal lines immediately below a portion of writing. Single, and occasionally double (“double-underscore”) underlining was originally used in hand-written or typewritten documents to emphasize text.
When underlining text, it often helps you to understand/remember better, if you underline things that belong together in the same color. If there are different things in the same text, use different colors.
- Ask relevant questions
A form of words addressed to a person to elicit information or evoke a response. This means to direct words to a person in such a way, that they (hopefully!) respond with the information that you require.
4.1 Reasons for asking questions
- The most common use is to get information. If you need to find out something, the best way to do so is to ask a question. The most important factor here is, however, to ask the correct person the correct question.
- If someone has given you information, you might want to check with them that you understood them correctly, or if the information was not conveyed clearly, clarify the meaning of what has been said. In both cases, it is obvious that the result will not be the desired one if the wrong ‘message’ is acted upon.
- In conjunction with the above paragraph, it is necessary to confirm the accuracy of the information. Inaccurate information will lead to the same result.
- Often people are too afraid to ask a question, in case they ‘look stupid’! It must be remembered, however, that more often than not, other people in the group would also like to ask the same question, but are too afraid/ embarrassed to do so.
Remember: Rather ask a question and be a fool for five minutes, than not ask a question and be a fool for the rest of your life.
- Texts are read/viewed for detail, interpreted, and analyzed for a given context
When you read it is also for a purpose, even if the purpose is to pass time paging through a magazine. The difference between reading and listening to someone speaking to you is: when you read, you listen to the words someone is speaking to you on paper (written down), instead of listening to what they are saying to you in person. It is sometimes more difficult to interpret the written word because you have to read for keywords and key concepts. Purposeful preparation is very important if you want to give meaningful feedback.
First, you plan: You extract keywords and key concepts by underlining them. (Don’t underline full sentences. Keywords refer to the nouns and the verbs in the sentence). Read chapter or module titles, section headings, sub-headings, and paragraphs for keywords. Make use of reading skills and techniques. It may be necessary to read more than one reference to find all the information you may be looking for.
♦ Then you prepare: Take time to rearrange and restructure the key ideas (keywords and key concepts) into sentences. Extend these sentences into paragraphs that you organize into a logical sequence to make your feedback meaningful. You have to rearrange the information you have gathered to make it your own or to understand it.
Now only you can present feedback, or respond either verbally or in writing, in the correct format. Meaningful feedback is prepared:
♦ It is planned – key information has been collected
♦ All the key issues are sequenced logically
♦ They are organized and well structured
♦ The final task is presented accurately and in the correct format.
- Reading techniques
When you extract key issues from a written text, you are planning your response. But you must know your purpose for reading. You are brainstorming or gathering information with a specific purpose in mind:
- to find specific information
- to gain an overview of a topic
- to express an opinion
- to give accurate feedback
- an interest in the topic
- to use the information in a different context
- to link and integrate information
6.1 Reading for pleasure: when you read something for fun or out of interest and curiosity. Without realizing it you learn a great deal when you read for pleasure.
6.2 Scanning: when you are looking for specific information (a name; a date; etc.), or an answer to a particular question. Let your eyes “run down” the page with only one thought or question in mind, the other facts are of less importance. Read headings and subheadings. Focus on the key concept or the specific information you are looking for.
6.3 Skimming: form an overview or a rough idea of the material you have to read. Skim through pages asking yourself questions, encouraging yourself to read with a purpose in mind. Focus on creating visual images of what you are reading. Ignore all unnecessary details and examples and concentrate on the required facts.
Take note of chapter headings, subheadings, and the layout of pages, and decide whether it is necessary to read the whole chapter or only the relevant components. ♦ See if there is a summary at the end of the chapter. Read it first to create an initial mind picture of the contents of the chapter.
♦ Refer to the diagrams – if you can interpret them, you will have a better understanding of the text, and they will add detail to your initial mind picture.
♦ Read the first paragraph of each section or chapter, as it provides clues or introduces the topics to be discussed. The first sentence of each paragraph usually introduces a topic or main idea. The conclusion is usually outlined in the last sentence of a paragraph, the last paragraph of a section, and/or either the final chapter or the last two chapters of a book.
6.4 Reading in detail: when information cannot be found during scanning or skimming, you have to read sentences and paragraphs more thoroughly. You make use of this technique when you are looking or reading for additional or supplementary information.
6.5 Reading critically: People are easily influenced by the opinions expressed by other people. It is important to remember that you are allowed to differ from the opinions of others. Perhaps your opinion is more acceptable and to the point. Thus it is important to be subjective when regarding the opinions of others.
Critical reading is also applicable when researching a specific topic. You will be required to read the findings and opinions of several people; you will not only learn from them, but you can add to their findings by expressing your own opinion. A typical example of critical reading is the newspaper or even a magazine, where a point of view is explicitly (directly and clearly) expressed, e.g. by one newspaper editorial only, or implicitly (indirectly) expressed, e.g. various newspapers that give different interpretations of the same topics/issues/principles. Newspapers give people’s opinions. More than one paper per day means more than one opinion! Distinguish between fact ( cannot be argued or changed) and opinion (can be changed or influenced), and then express your point of view on the topic. You cannot express your own opinion if you do not have a clear understanding of the topic being critically examined!
- Spoken input is listened to for detail, interpreted, and analyzed for a given context
Good listening
Nature gave man two ears but only one tongue, which is a gentle hint that he should listen more than he talks. Throughout every day, you are continuously part of different situations where you have to respond to thoughts, opinions, ideas, statements, etc. It is important that in every situation you listen, and put yourself in the other person’s shoes before you respond. If you react impulsively, you could set up communication barriers, and interrupt the successful flow of communication.
7.1 The benefits of good listening are…
- Good listeners can make better decisions because they have more information.
- Good listeners save time because they learn more within a given period.
- Listening helps communicators determine how well their messages are being received. Good listeners encourage and stimulate others into speaking.
- Good listening decreases misunderstanding.
Once again, it is of great importance to be aware of the speaker’s possible bias, beliefs, or incorrect/different perceptions, that could hurt the listener. Biased information can lead the listener in the wrong direction, causing incorrect perceptions or understanding to be formed.
A biased speaker will lead the listener to extract a subjective implicit message, which is not necessarily the “truth”, or “reality”. Beliefs indicate a person’s subjective attitude toward something. As a result of beliefs, a speaker has great control over the message that is conveyed. If he/she has a positive attitude about something and believes that it is the correct thing to do, the listener will receive a positive message, and will subsequently be affected positively.
When difficult or controversial matters are addressed, it would be wise to look into the possible bias and/or beliefs of the speaker, before a conclusion or decision is formulated.
- Learning takes place through communicating with others in groups or as individuals
To learn means to gain knowledge of something, or to acquire a skill in some art or practice. It also means to commit to memory (memorize). Learning is something we do our whole life – we continuously come across things we need to do/know that was previously unknown to us, thus forcing us to learn. Learning can also be a conscious decision, taken to improve your academic/technical qualification.
All learning does, however, take place in the same way. Let us look at a basic model:
Let us look at the above model in detail:
You experience the ‘doing’ or ‘observing’ of what you want to learn. The observation could be of real (actual) action or a simulation.
You enter into dialogue with:
By communicating with others, be it individually or in groups, you are exposed to the opinions and perceptions of others, which often differ from your own, allowing you to change your mind. You are also able to confirm what you have learned. Should you have misunderstood something, you can now correct it. It is a well-known fact that if your thoughts are verbalized (as they will be in a discussion with others), they tend to be remembered more easily.
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