Learning Skills (Curriculum)

Session          : Learning Skills across the Curriculum

Group            : 1

Time              : 14.00-15.30

Date               : 13 October 2014

Tutor             : Carole

Daily Session:

This lesson focused on the learning skills needed by the teacher for effective teaching. We were asked to identify as many learning skills as possible. Some of the examples are note taking, planning, skimming, scanning, creative thinking, critical thinking etc.

Our tutor stressed out that the learners also need to learn this learning skills for long terms benefit. To strengthen our understanding on the various learning skills, we were asked to complete the table that required us to write the example according to the learning skill being asked.

The first activity is “match the descriptions with learning skills”. The teacher gives two sets of cue cards to the students and asks them to match the description with learning skills. From this activity, students were able to differentiate various kinds of learning skills or strategies in English Language Classroom. Teacher needs to be creative to develop new strategies and improve a plan for an active learning activity.

There are few learning skills and strategies that our students need to develop. Some of the ideas of effective learning that can be adopted in the English Language Classroom are:

a.       Active Learning                     – learners is total responsible for all the decisions

   (e.g: Autonomous Learning and enquiry approach

b.      Applying Learning                – using what has been taught

c.       Retrieval practice                  – testing what you have learnt by explaining

   something to someone

d.      Desirable difficulties             –having to remember or having to explain to

  somebody else or having to explain “why” in your

  own words.

e.       Enquiry based-learning        – learning that involves students in problem solving                                                       

                                                         (task-based learning)

REFLECTION

During the lesson we discussed some of the learning skills that could be used in the classroom for example transferring information, note taking, skimming and scanning, reviewing and ect. This lesson exposed us to different kinds of learning skills that are useful for learners in English learning situations. The discussions could be stimulated in the course that we teach and why it is important to develop active learning in the classroom.

Teacher should come out with an activity that is more challenging that requires students to transfer information from one source to another, for example reading an explanation from a text and completing a diagram with key words from the explanation. 

The lesson has enlighten us on the various learning skills and its importance. It’s crucial to teach the students to be more independent and be an active learner. They need to develop learning autonomy. 

There was also a discussion on what is active and passive learning. As teachers, we should promote active learning where the students are actively involved with the materials given to them such as solving problems, carrying out investigation, or cooperating with others. Group discussion, problem solving, role play and case study are teaching strategies that can be applied in order to promote active learning and to ensure students are engaged in the learning process.

Some of the major characteristics associated with active learning strategies:

·                     Students are engaged in activities 

·                     Students are more motivated

·                     Students can receive immediate feedback from their teachers

·                     Students are involved in higher order thinking.

To teach the students on these various learning skills, teachers need time and patient. If they are able to implement it, the lesson in class would be much easier. Yes indeed the learning skills still applicable to them if they are thought the right way.

Our students might be weak in terms of proficiency but if they can master one of the learning skills being thought here we are sure they could improve themselves through time.