Why how students approaches to learning make them better learners and achievers.
Through looking at a variety of approaches to learning, and creating an environment where students develop skills that have relevance to help them “learn how to learn” they can become more effective learners.
Throughout their school tenure, providing them with many opportunities to practice and develop skills aiming for them students to be able to learn independently and with others will develop learner agency – so they they can reflect on and articulate on their own learning.
If schools prioritise planning so that they engage with students outline the importance of skills development in connection with content knowledge this becomes more meaningful to students and parents who have aspirations of passing examinations!
The most effective way to develop approaches to learning is through ongoing, process-focused key and related concepts as vehicles for teaching effective learning strategies.
Likewise, approaches to learning can be powerful tools for exploring significant content in a meaningful and global context. This dual approach (content and process) will promote student engagement, deep understanding, transfer of skills and greater academic success as understanding becomes deeper.
Over time, students will develop a clear and sophisticated understanding of how they learn best and develop as self-regulated learners who begin to understand their own learning needs and how to produce the most effective evidence of their learning. They will also develop the confidence to be innovative and try new strategies for learning becoming self-regulated, intrinsically motivated learners.
They will develop “dynamic, internally controlled . . . processes that positively influence a student’s tendency to approach, engage with, expend effort on, and persist in learning tasks in an ongoing, self directed manner” (McCombs, 1984).
Mindset development
Independent learning skills will provide learners with the armory to reflect regularly as they begin to take responsibility for their own learning.
- What skills can I improve?
- What new skills can learn?
A concept-based inquiry based curriculum enables all students to become stronger, more self-regulated learners providing students with opportunities to give and receive meaningful feedback, incorporating intercultural understanding , using a variety of speaking techniques, also writing for different purposes and audiences and also develop the skills to use a variety of media to communicate and participate in digital social media networks.
Collaboration with peers and experts through reading, writing and using language critically and developing the ability to make inferences, paraphrase and become inquiring learners are key areas of focus.
After all, with the right framework and mindset, anything is possible
Tassos Anastasiades
