being an independent learner
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Being an Independent LearnerBeing an Independent LearnerDescription of this GuideIn this guide we shall discuss what it means to be an independent learner and the valuethis has in later life as a lifelong learner. You will see the role motivation plays, howgood you are at setting goals, managing your time and reflecting. These activities thatwill reveal to you how you currently stand with regard to independent learning.Understanding the importance of these issues and implementing them will determineyour attitude to work now and later.
Learning Outcomes
1. Distinguish the characteristics of an independent learner2. Recognise the value of reflective practice in self improvement
3. Evaluate how independent you are as a learner
Contents1.0 How motivated are you to study?
1.1 Being responsible for your own learning
1.2 Setting goals1.3 Leaving things to the last minute
1.4 Reflecting….
2.0 How are you managing your time?2.1 Managing the big picture2.2 Managing lots of things
2 3 Using your time effectively understand how you learn
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2 3 Using your time effectively understand how you learn
Being an Independent Learner
The material in this guide is copyright © 2003 the University of Southampton. Permission is given for it to be
copied for use within the University of Southampton. All other rights are reserved.
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Being an Independent LearnerBeing an Independent Learner
Your attitude to your studies will colour your experience of university life and affect thegrades you get. In order to get the most out of your time at university, it is worththinking about how you can become an independent and assertive learner – qualities thatwill be invaluable to you now, to your employer later and throughout your career.
Independent learnersIf you are an independent learner you will (a) be motivated to learn; (b) manage your
own learning; and (c) reflect on your learning. These attributes will enable you tobecome a successful learner and/or provide you with some insight into your learningachievements that will enhance your motivation to continue learning. The responsibilityfor this is yours.
1.Motivatedto learn
This is influenced
by strategies of
achievement:
Being responsiblefor your own
learning
2.Manageyour time
You actively
identify what is
important to you
in your studies.
You balance
3.Reflect onyourlearning
You develop your
ability to reflect
on your progress
You record how
you are
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Being an Independent Learner
1.0How Motivated are you to Study?
As you are probably aware from previous experience, success and the feeling of achievement is very motivating. It is important therefore to identify what achievementstrategies for success you already have in place as well as find some new ones.
1.1 Being responsible for your own learningThe first strategy of achievement is to recognise that you are responsible for your own
learning. The table below indicates some of the features that characterise dependent
and independent learning and as you can see the ‘independent learner’ shows a greaterresponsibility for their own learning.
Your learning Dependent Learner Independent Learner
Motivation to
learn
You predominantly respond to the
pressures of the system through
deadlines, penalties & marks.
You respond to the external pressures, but
you are also seeking personal satisfaction
and what to learn as much as you can.
What you learn The content and resources aredetermined by your tutors Although your tutors have given guidanceon resources you need, you happily seek
out your own resources.
Managing your
learning
You follow your tutors instructions to
letter and don’t go much beyond it.
You find it sufficient.
You are keen to develop personal
strategies for learning.
Reflection onyour learning
You find little opportunity in yourstudies to do this and you may not be
encouraged to do it either.
You are keen to reflect on what and howyou learn.
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your studies as possible and keep abreast of how these resources
develop. This shows how proactive you are.
If you ticked 4 you are aware that you need to develop self confidence in
order to become an independent learner; this is really important.
If you ticked 5 &6 you are managing your own learning by being organised
which makes it easier for you to keep an overview of your studies and
identify parts you are having problems with. Working with others let’s
you see how they think about particular topics. You can get support and
learn how to discuss your subject in a non-threatening way.
Remember to always reflect on how things are going and what you need to do to improve.
1.2 Setting goalsThe second strategy of achievement refers to you setting challenging, but attainablegoals, and breaking down tasks into manageable, bite size chunks. In your studies, your
assignment goals are set by the tutor, but you have the control on HOW to break the
task down into manageable sub goals. Are you doing this?
tick
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Being an Independent Learner
If you ticked ‘4’ you are capable of doing the work but your confidence
and ‘nerves’ are getting the better of you. Analyse the task (with a
friend or your tutor) and break it down into attainable sub goals. Tackleeach small segment and feel confident with yourself as you check them
off. Finally, read through your work in its entirety (aloud or get a friend
to do this if appropriate) and ensure it really answers the question asked
and that it is coherent.
1.3 Leaving things to the last minute
When you are having difficulty with assignments you will probably find yourself procrastinating regularly, if this happens, then you need to think why you are doing thishow you can overcome it. It might be, as indicated above, because you don’t chunkassignments or exercises into smaller bits and create sub goals. Having a largeassignment as the only goal would be a very daunting task indeed. There may of coursebe other reasons for procrastination. Have a look at the statements below and tick the
one(s) that refer to you.
Do you put your assignments off until the last minute?
Frequently Sometimes Never
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they interpret the instructions. You might check with your tutor by
sending a quick email for clarification.
You ticked ‘3’. Is this connected with writing? If so, check out the
guide: Writing Effectively. You may just need some writing techniques so
you can overcome this initial ‘getting started’ barrier. Maybe it’s not
about writing, but about motivating yourself to get going. Some people
find it helps to ‘strike a deal’ with yourself: for example, you can promise
yourself that once you’ve bullet-pointed a brief plan, or written the first
two sentences of the assignment, you’ll let yourself go and do something
else you really want to do. Once you have the beginnings of a plan, or thestart of the written assignment, it’s much easier to carry on. Anything
that gets you over that ‘blank page’ feeling will help.
You ticked ‘4’. It is generally difficult to feel completely ready before
starting an assignment, but you have a time limit and at some stage you
have to get started. Break the task down and answer parts you feel
confident about first. Think positively about your ability.
You ticked ‘5’. Some people do work better under this condition andactually enjoy it. Do you really enjoy this approach, or does your
procrastination leave you no choice? Remember, the ‘last minuter’ has
little time to reflect on the work they’ve done or edit it.
If you answered ‘Never’ I suggest you share your secret with your
friends!
If j st f l ’t t is d th l k t S ti 2 0 b l
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Being an Independent Learner
2.0How are you Managing your Time?
This section is essentially a health warning for section 1 – bear in mind that you need tosee your study commitment as a manageable part of your life as a whole.
2.1 Managing the big pictureTime management entails an analysis of the jobs we have to do within a given time
period. To do this effectively we need to plan our activities and in order not to forget wemay create prioritised ‘to do’ lists. However, time management is more than justidentifying tasks and planning how to carry them out. We also need to make room for ourwider goals in life, relationships, friends and family – we need a balance. Just planningand prioritising the tasks we have been given can be rather reactive and in order toaccount for all aspects of our life that are important to us, we also need to be proactiveand ensure we work at them too. We need to make sure we can plan, create and fit in
all things that are important to us. Our use of time has been characterised across fourquadrants by (Covey, Merrill et al. 1994).
I
• Crises
• Pressing problems
• Assignment deadlines
• Preparations
II
• Preparation
• Prevention
• Clarifying values
• Planning
IMPORTANT
URGENT NOT URGENT
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Quadrant III is where we operate on an urgency basis, with things that are notimportant for us. You may find you are reacting to other people’s priorities at theexpense of your – try and keep a balance.
Quadrant IV is where we generally waste our time. We might slump in front of thetelevision, read trashy novels etc. We are all in this quadrant from time to time, but try
to limit how much time you spend here. Very often when you procrastinate you will findyourself in this quadrant.
Stop now and think of all the things you are doing in your life at present and try
putting them into a 4-quadrant box.
1. How balanced are your activities?2. Is there a long list of things to do in quadrant I ? Are you happyabout managing this? If not, see section 2.2.3. How developed is quadrant II for you ? This is where your life’sgoals are, where you create and reflect on activities. You re-generateyourself here.
4 Wh t b t d t III d IV? If ti iti
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Being an Independent Learner
Approxtimes
Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun
6.00-
8.00am
Sleep Sleep Sleep Sleep Sleep Sleep Sleep
8.00-
10.00am 9.00-10.00Lecture
9.00-10.00Lecture
Paid work Catching
up withsleep
10.00-12.0011-12.00
Lecture
10-11.00Seminar 11 - 12.00
Lecture
Paid work Catchingup with
sleep
12.00-
2.00pm
12-1.00
Seminar
Paid work Seeing
friends
2.00-
4.00pm SPORT 2-3.00
Seminar
4.00-
6.00pm 5-6.00Seminar
SPORT
6.00-
8.00pm
Paid work
8.00-
10.00pm
Regular
eveningout
Paid work Regular
eveningout
Regular
eveningout
10.00-
12.00pm Sleep
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Type of learnerMotivation Strategies
SurfaceYou are mainly studying to get the
degree
You do what is required of you in
order to complete the task.
You rely on memorising
information for assessments. You
limit your reading to core texts.
Strategic
You want to get good grades as
you know you will need them forlater.
You want to get good grades. You
find out what the lecturer wants
and follow up all required reading.
You organise your time efficiently
and to greatest effect. You use
previous exam papers to predict
questions. You have kept a good
set of notes which guide yourstudies. You pick on cues about
marking schemes and you areaware of where you can get the
help you need.
You are excited by the topic and
strive to understand it well You
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Being an Independent Learner
Catherine Jester A Learning Style Survey for College, Diablo Valley CollegeThis is an online questionnaire to see what learning style you have. It looks at:
the Visual/ Verbal Learning Style, the Visual/ Nonverbal Learning Style, theTactile/ Kinesthetic Learning Style, the Auditory/ Verbal Learning Style withlearning strategies for each of these styles.http://www.metamath.com//multiple/multiple_choice_questions.cgi
2.4 Taking stock…In this guide we have looked at the factors that help you become an independent learner
– a skill that will serve you for life. Some of the factors you need to develop this are:
• Be motivated to study – take responsibility, set reasonable goals, be active andreflect on your learning
• Manage your time effectively and understand how you learn best.After having worked through some of this material and your experience of being alearner what do you think you need to do at this moment to take things forward?
Actions: I intend to: (If you have a personal development planner, you may want to use it.)
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3.1 Helping you to reflect
Select scenario and reflect on it…. tick
I got an essay back with lower marks than I was expecting, and with comments from my
tutor about my lack of background reading and muddled argument.
As a group we missed a deadline for our project plan.
On my first day at the work placement I felt unclear about what was expected of me.
A seminar presentation I led went much better than I had expected and I was surprised
to find that I felt very confident and enthusiastic about my topic.
Add your own here.
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Being an Independent Learner
Some of the common faults with reflective assignments such as logs and self-evaluationreports are:
• Being too descriptive and not evaluative enough (not commenting on the good orbad things and the ‘whys’ of the situation)
• Not following up the implications of your own thoughts and comments
• Not reflecting on why you made certain decisions or encountered particular
problems• Not referring to what you have learned about yourself, your own views and
values, as well as about approaches to the subject.
• Not commenting on what you might do differently next time, and why.
3.2 Ways to record your reflections In Higher Education, there are many types of assignments and activities designed to
promote your ability to reflect on your own learning. This allows you to benefitknowingly from your own experience. These may include:
• Reading and responding to your lecturers’ feedback on your assignments
• Keeping a learning log
• Writing reflectively as part of an activity such as a project, group workassignment, oral presentation, work experience or work placement
• Making notes in preparation for a meeting, for example with your personal tutor,a careers adviser, a mentor or supervisor
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through friends at university who you have asked for feedback and from your tutors. Agreat deal of the feedback we receive we process subconsciously. However, if you are to
become a responsible, reflective and independent learner, you need to use consciouslythe feedback given to you by your tutors so you can create opportunities forimprovement.
Most students are interested in feedback as well as the grade, but very often don’t quiteknow how to use the feedback they get.
Feedback from your tutors can come in a many guises:
• In written comments on your work. Since the number of students inHigher Education is increasingly beyond the number of tutors that areemployed, giving and receiving written comments from your tutor tends to bethe main source of feedback you will receive, so it is important to make themost of it. These can be free comments in the margin as the work is beingread with or without some summary feedback at the end.
• Written feedback on a proforma sheet. Where pre-defined categories arelisted with comments under those headings. This feedback allows you to see
over various assignments if you are having a consistent problem and makeyou aware of it.
• Face to face feedback. With the pressures of current Higher Education thisis becoming a rare commodity and if you get the chance of this, then do take
it. You can obtain feedback from your personal tutor (if this is available toyou) or during your lecturers’ office hours. Find out when a tutor’s office
hours are and book yourself in. A tutor may also say they are available forface to face feedback after an assignment. You may also find you can havesome feedback from research students who may be attached to your unit. Do
t k th t iti if
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Being an Independent Learner
Statement And you ?1,2 or 3
How do you generally react tofeedback ?
A.
I get marked down a lot, even
though I think I am doing a goodjob.
.
B.
I get marked down a lot and I
know I have problems, but I don’tknow how to improve.
C.
I tend to get good marks, but I
don’t know why.
D.
I tend to get good marks and Iknow how I manage to do it.
Feedback for the area(s) that applies to you generally (1)….
If you selected A you may find you have problems receiving feedback as you
f l th t h t d i fi Wh i f db k t t t b
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Now look at some tutor feedback comments. Are you able to use these comments –what could you get out of them? If you find them useless, can you identify why and
what you need to make them effective – your tutor may be interested to know how youperceived his/her feedback.
How do you use tutors comments
Example comments from tutorfeedback
What points could you takefrom this comment?(you may enter ‘none’)
If you needed moreinformation, what would it be?
POSITIVE STATEMENTS
It is easy to read
I like the theoretical discussion
Excellent use of sources and good
referencing
Plenty of evidence for and against
with critique
A good essay
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Being an Independent Learner
Now identify the type of feedback that best suits your learning – this will help you
articulate what you want from feedback. Once you know this you should be able toidentify feedback comments that allow you to think of ways of changing your current
work. From each feedback you get, make a notes of things you need to work on. Also,once you become proficient at knowing what feedback suits you and how you can use it,you become an excellent ‘feedback giver’ – see the Guide: Working in Groups, section3.2.1 ‘Helping a friend – coaching’.
I learn from feedback that is….. I don’t learn from feedback that is..
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You will then experience that buzz of learning something new – it will be worth it. All thismakes you a responsible and independent learner – a set of skills that will remain with
you for life.
From the activities in this guide, what does your ‘independent learner’ profile look like?Go back and collect your answers. Now draw a mind map, or make notes on the keyissues that are pertinent to you and that you will address this semester. Would youregard yourself as an independent learner? If not, how can you achieve this?
An independentlearner is….
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Being an Independent Learner
Feedback
Utilise feedback from all sources:
non-assessed & assessed work, and
peers - enables reflection of own
abilities and how to progress.
Learning Outcomes
Be aware what this means for
your study; *how is your learning
progressing towards these
outcomes; *where can you get
help; * what do you need to
improve on? *Reflect on gaining
competence at key skills and
intellectual skills.
Study Skills
Skills to empower your own quality of
learning. Avoid plagiarism. Check out:http://www.academic-skills.soton.ac.uk
Research Skills
You’ll need basic research skills for
essays and more complex ones for 3rd
year projects. Ensure you have
information management skills,
understand research methodology and
information handling skills.
Check out:http://www.library.soton.ac.uk/infoskills/index.shtml
Self & Peer Assessment
Assess your own and a friend’s work to
develop your ability to reflect on the
quality of own/peer work and application
of criteria. Avoid collusion.
Teaching Methods
Understand the importance of: *engaging
in class activities (develops your critical
thinking), *preparing for class activities
(makes the session worthwhile for all),
*group work, *individual projects,
*leading discussions, *on line seminars.
Ground Rules
If you are working in a group make
sure you set ground rules that
encourage responsibility within
the group to contribute fairly to
the work.
Managing your own Learning
This is a vital key skill so get
organised. Make a record sheet for
class work, assignments and group
meetings for projects and devise a
working plan.
Learning Resources
Check out all resources available to you:
* support materials (Web?)
* library (key texts, ref material etc)
* quiet work spaces
* PCs (ISS, your School?)
* computer based training
* staff and friends.
Taking responsibility for managing your ownlearning.
Computer Skills
Essential skills for all work: Check
out the induction zone at:
http://www.iss.soton.ac.uk/i-zone/first_steps.html
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