Becoming Self-directed : Secrets of Successful Learners

CHAPTER 1

“Your most valuable asset [in learning] is a positive attitude.”

Learning Goals:

1. assess yourself to find out if you are self-directed.

2. identify your learning style3. set SMART goals4. develop a study plan5. use strategies to solve problems;6. evaluate your critical thinking.

Survival for first year college students

1. Get motivated - Find out what motivates you. This will help you get through tough times.

2. Make a commitment - A committed person follows through on a promise.

3. Take the initiative - successful college students take initiative to address learning problems.

Survival for first year college students

4. Think positively - Always remember that attitude plays a very important role in achieving success.

a. Minimize negative talk. b. Remember your successes. c. Replace words that make you feel

powerless with expressions that make you feel in control.

Survival for first year college students

5. Face your fears - "Sometimes, thinking about something is harder than actuallydoing it.6. Find support7. Enjoy what you are doing8. Record your progress

Developing Personal Leadership

SMART GOALS

Balance your GOALS

ACADEMIC / INTELLECTUAL

SPIRITUALPHYSICALSOCIALEMOTIONAL

Make a calendar of activities

Inform someone about your Goal

Think bite-size

Reward yourself

Monitor your progress

Take heart!

L E A R N I N G S T Y L E 1.

•Likes to discuss with others

2.

•Loves to learn facts

L E A R N I N G S T Y L E 3.

•Pays more attention to pictures

4.

•Likes to solve problems step-by-step

L E A R N I N G S T Y L E 5.

•Takes time to process the lesson

6.•Pref

ers abstractions

L E A R N I N G S T Y L E 7.

•Focuses on words

8.

•Prefers materials presented as a whole story with details

ACTIVE vs REFLECTIVEFACTUAL vs THEORITICALVISUAL vs VERBALLINEAR vs HOLISTIC

ACTIVE vs

REFLECTIVE

• Likes to apply the lesson to real-life situations. They like to discuss with others what they have learnedActive

Learner

• Study in groups• Teach the material to someoneTIPS

• need time to process the lessons discussed. They need to see the “forest as well as the trees.”They appreciate it when the teachers pause and allow students to make the lesson “sink in.’

Reflective Learner

• Study in a quiet setting• Stop periodically to summarize

details• Recognize what is important and

how it is relevant to the overall topic.

TIPS

FACTUALvs

THEORITICAL

• Love to learn facts, and they easily remember names and faces.

• Prefer concrete details.Factual Learner

• Ask teacher to give specific examples.

• Think about how the theories discussed relate to real life

TIPS

• Good at seeing the forest. They do not like repetition and fact-based learning. They are comfortable with abstractionsTheoretical

Learner

• Make sure you take time to read questions and directions in exams.

• Look for ways to organize details into patterns.

TIPS

VISUAL vs

VERBAL

• Recalls details in terms of pictures and images. They pay more attention to pictures than to words.Visual

Learner

• Make diagrams to synthesize the lesson

• Map details so you can group the main points and examples

TIPS

• Recall details in terms of words. When they read texts, they focus more on the words.Verbal

Learner

• Talk about what you have learned.

• Outline chapters• Recite information while

you are reviewingTIPS

Linear vs

Holistic

• Like to solve problems step-by-step. Learn better if the details are presented in a list. They learn from professors who sequence materials from the easiest to the hardest.Linear

Learner

• Organize random notes in a way that makes sense to you.TIPS

• Initially experience confusion but later, are able to put pieces together. They learn better if materials are presented as a whole story with embedded details.

Holistic Learner

• Be patient with yourself. Don’t lose faith in yourself, you will get it.

• Preview chapters and articles• Focus on one subject at a time to help

you “see” the total picture.TIPS

READING ROADBLOCKS

READING ROADBLOCKS

READING ROADBLOCKS

READING ROADBLOCKS

READING ROADBLOCKS

READING ROADBLOCKS

READING ROADBLOCKS

READING ROADBLOCKS

1. Lack of clear purpose in reading

2. Limited vocabulary3. Lack of concentration4. Lack of confidence in your

reading ability5. Limited awareness and use of

strategies

CHARACTERISTICS OF FLEXIBLE READERS

1. THEY HAVE CLEAR GOALS.2. THEY ADJUST THEIR READING PACE DEPENDING ON THEIR GOALS AND THE DIFFICULTY OF THE TEXT.3. THEY ARE NOT BOTHERED BY DIFFICULT WORDS BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE THAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND THE PASSAGE EVEN IF THERE ARE SOME UNFAMILIAR WORDS.

CHARACTERISTICS OF FLEXIBLE READERS

4. THEY MATCH THEIR READING STRATEGIES AND READING GOALS.5. THEY KNOW THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE TO READ ALL THE READING PASSAGES INTENSIVELY.6. THEY KNOW WHEN TO SKIM, SCAN, OR PREVIEW CERTAIN TEXT7. THEY READ A LOT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO LEARN NEW THINGS.

 .Vocabulary Attack Techniques . Context Clues . Affixes and Root words . Synonyms and Antonyms . Vocabulary Assimilation

Vocabulary played an important part in language teaching and should be at the centre of language teaching, because very little can be conveyed without grammar; nothing can be conveyed without vocabulary.

Discovery Strategies -- strategies that are useful for the initial discovery of a word’s meaning (Determination Strategies)                                         

Consolidation Strategies --strategies useful for remembering that word once it has been introduced.

Word Learning Strategies

Word Learning Strategies

Strategies for the Discovery of an Unfamiliar Word’s Meaning   

(1) how to use dictionaries and other reference aids to learn word meanings and to deepen knowledge of word meaning.

(2) how to use context clues to determine word meanings.

(3) how to use information about word parts to figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words.

SynonymA synonym, or word with the same meaning, is

used in the sentence.ex: My opponent's argument

is fallacious, misleading – plain wrong. AntonymA word or group of words that has the opposite

meaning reveals the meaning of an unknown term.

ex: Although some men are loquacious, others hardly talk at all.

 

Explanation / General SenseThe unknown word is explained within the

sentence or in a sentence immediately preceding.

ex: The patient is so somnolent that she requires medication to help her stay awake for more than a short time.

 ExampleSpecific examples are used to define the term.ex: Celestial bodies, such as the sun, moon,

and stars, are governed by predictable laws.

Affixes and Root words

Word parts include affixes (prefixes and suffixes) and roots. Knowing some common affixes and roots can help students learn the meaning of many new words.

FOUR MOST COMMON PREFIXESun / re / in / dis - they will have important

clues about two thirds of all English words that have prefixes.

Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word, the "dictionary definition."¨ For example, if you look up the word snake in a dictionary, you will discover that one of its denotative meanings is "any of numerous scaly, legless, sometimes venomous reptiles having a long, tapering, cylindrical body and found in most tropical and temperate regions."

Denotation

Connotation, on the other hand, refers to the associations that are connected to a certain word or the emotional suggestions related to that word. The connotative meanings of a word exist together with the denotative meanings. The connotations for the word snake could include evil or danger.

Connotation