Active learning is key as it makes learning an interactive and productive process instead of being passive and an endeavor that students like to avoid. By practicing being active learners, and making connections to prior knowledge, you will have a better chance of understanding what you are learning, and why you are learning it (Soiferman 2014). When active, students are just not taking information but reflecting on it and critically analyzing it. Practice active learning by thinking critically about the course Content (Soiferman 2014). Learning how to become an active learner can be a difference between a successful and not so successful experience at university because active students can practice metacognition, benefit from learning theories like Bloom’s Taxonomy, and know their preferred learning style. Metacognition can be loosely defined as “thinking about one’s own thinking.” More specifically, metacognition is “an appreciation of what one already knows, together with a correct apprehension of the learning task and what knowledge and skills it requires, combined with the ability to make correct inferences about how to apply one’s strategic knowledge to a particular situation, and to do so efficiently and reliably” (Peirce, 2003). Metacognition involves thinking about one’s own cognitive processes (thinking about thinking) (Soiferman 2014) .If students practice metacognition, it makes learning efficient and productive. Metacognition affects a student’s motivation to learn because it directly affects attribution and self-efficacy (Peirce, 2003). When students engage in metacognition, they (1) come to an understanding of what they understand and; (2) make adjustments in their learning strategies to improve their learning in s... ... middle of paper ... ...alysis of a particular learning situation (Soiferman 2014). The understanding of learning and teaching styles allows students to practice metacognition, recognize when a particular method of learning is creating difficulty, and adjust their learning practices with intentionality (Soiferman 2014). If students have an understanding of their learning style, they can adjust it to their instructors teaching style and learn more efficiently and improve their performance at university. Although it is important to know one’s preferred learning style but it is not necessary. Students can perform well without knowing their preferred learning style, if they are active learners and use metacognition. Though most students have a preferred learning style, it is also true that most can adjust their learning practices to accommodate different teaching styles (Soiferman 2014).
A big component of my learning style is hands-on experience; learning while doing. This usually involved someone with more experience instructing me as I performed the task. Through the hands-on approach, I picked-up the knowledge and gained proficiency as I went along. My learning style also involved standard classroom instruction, which usually meant listening to lectures and taking notes. My note taking was not the best so in order to make up for what I lacked in note taking, I would read the textbooks repeatedly until I understood what I was reading. I learned that in order for me to get a complete understanding from my readings and notes, there had to be a lot great deal of repetition ...
Metacognition can be complex; however, it is essential to teach at an elementary level because it’s an intellectual habit that can be obtain by the teacher’s method of teaching and the student’s consciousness of learning. Thinking about thinking is necessary in elementary level because of the awareness of the student’s thinking process. The teacher must be conscious of the different aspects of learning of each student and be able to work with them with different strategies that are the best to make their learning process more effective and interesting.
The capability of a person varies from each and every one. Some people can grasp easily but for some it may take time to get information to the mind. the learning styles are divided on the abilities of a person, how he grasps, how he understands the subject, is he capable of listening style, doing style or writing or reading style. In an environment were technology and studies have great importance, the way how a person understands things are widely important. The complex manner in which, and conditions under which, learners most efficiently and most effectively perceive, process, store, and recall what they are attempting to learn (James & Gardner, 1995). There are poor learners, quick learners, and theoretical learners. There is no person who can’t learn anything, some might learn theories, some might learn through practices and some learn by seeing what the work is. Through the reflective analysis my passion for learning comes in through reflective style of learning. reflector style of learning is way of learning through reflecting others work in to our practice i.e., we carefully look on to what a professional learner does and get an idea of what he
metacognitive and self-regulated strategies for effective learning. Pintrich and DeGroot (1990) point out there are three important
Learning is defined as a permanent change in attitude or behaviour that occurs as a result of repeated experience (Sims & Sims, 1995). Understanding one’s learning style has many advantages as it can help one to identify the learning method or activities that can help to optimise the learning experience. It has been suggested that the importance of one’s learning style has been identified through studies and research on how one can maximise the potential for success and further learning development (Honey & Mumford, 2006). Learning styles are unique to each individual and are developed in childhood (Chase, 2001). We all have different personalities; therefore we all have preferred learning styles that suit us best. The way one learns depends on preference. Some learn by observing, listening and imitating others and draw conclusions from their experience. There are several factors that affect our learning style; for example, background, culture, religion and environment can have a major influence on one’s learning.
Becoming a Learner by Matthew L. Sanders is a book written with the intention of teaching college students how to make the most out of the opportunity for an education. Sanders states that the primary purpose of college “isn’t learning a specific set of professional skills; the primary purpose of college is to become a learner” (2). In preparing for college, I found the book a helpful guide in realizing that the way that you approach your work is just as important as the work you do. In the book, Sanders emphasizes that attaining a college degree does not necessarily make someone valuable to society.
She feels that metacognitive practices help students become aware of their strengths and weaknesses as learners, writers, readers, test-takers, group members, etc. (Chick,2016;para4) The student should understand the limit of their knowledge and finds ways to enhance their knowledge. When the student understands their knowledge or ability then they will be able to monitor learning strategies. Students should not only know these strategies but also practice them. This can be beneficial to students and others on the workforce.
Similarly, Dr. Chew discusses in “What Students Should Understand About How People Learn” the most important thing that helps with learning is developing accurate meta-cognition. The reason metacognition is important because it allows the process of thinking to go beyond the intermediate context. Applying it to daily life can result in students being more prepared. 5. In video 3, “Cognitive Principles for Optimizing Learning” it is convenient to overlearn a subject to recall and not forget easily.
While reading Kolb 's Learning Styles Model and Experiential Learning Theory, I have identified myself as an accommodating learner. At first I was somewhat surprised, but the more I read about the learning styles, particularly after I completed Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory it made more sense. I have a very hands-on style, which matches perfectly with my enjoyment of performing tests to find the root cause of behavior that I’m investigating. However, sometimes I rush to make decisions on the impulse of having the task at hand finished, failing to analyze all the options that are available. Another element of the accommodate learning style that identifies me is the fact that I enjoy a good challenge. I found very interesting to solve difficult
Honey and Mumford say (Gallagher K., 2013, p. 23-24) that idyllically someone has a composed learning style, though some individuals have a robust preference for a particular style.
“A learning style is a way of learning and refers to the way that you learn new information” (2). Most people have one preferred learning style and perform to a lesser standard when learning in a different style than what they’re used to. Nowadays, children are told to take a quiz in school to determine what their preferred learning style is, but after a few years, not many of these children remember what their preferred learning style is, or even if they do, they don’t apply it to their learning.
Unfortunately there are no quick fixes for the problems that plague the modern classrooms; there are only stopgaps and remedies which may be helpful in mitigating the problem until a more permanent solution is attained. These remedies constitute my personal teaching philosophy. One of these remedies involves instructing the students in the act of metacognition, st...
The foundation of a classroom setting is based on theories that enhance student learning, have a positive impact on the classroom environment and may “provide valuable guidance for teachers” (Cooper, 2006, cited in Eggen and Kauchak, 2010). Even though teaching is about what a student is taught, there are certain practises that are used to get the most out of students without the student realising. Experts in the field have developed different theories that aim to provide an answer as to how and why children learn. These theories aim to help teachers understand why children think the way they do and why different children respond better to different teaching techniques. There are many differing theories but this paper will focus on three – motivational, social-cognitive and metacognition. This paper will provide information on each theory, backed up by the theorist and will explain how each has an impact in the classroom.
Thought out our lives, we are faced with many different learning experiences. Some of these experiences have made a better impact than others. This can be attributed to everyone’s different multiple intelligences or learning styles. A persons learning style is the method though which they gain information about their environment. As a teacher, it is our responsibility to know these styles, so we can reach each of our students and use all of the necessary methods.
Students are more attentive when actively involved in the learning process. By the lesson being centered on the student, they feel their role in the activity is important. Active learning is especially important in educating young children because it not only keeps student interested in the lesson, but also helps students to retain more information. “Research shows that when people are engaged in doing something rather than just listening and watching they actually learn better.” (Peterson, 1996) Being that students are learning fundamental lessons in their early childhood, it is important that they retain the information that they learn. Active learning also has the benefit of promoting attributes that employers will val...