Personal Learning Strategies
Presented is a model by Hattie and Donoghue (2016) which suggests that various learning strategies are powerful at different stages of the learning cycle. In this article you are invited to analyze your own learning strategies and reflect on the improvements.
Why did I choose this tool?
By describing when and how to use relevant learning strategies in the learning process, this tool helps us develop the competence to acknowledge and deal with unexpected learning moments and outcomes.
How does this apply to a trainer?
Knowing how to transfer their own personal learning strategies which proved useful is a priceless skill for a trainer working with any kind of a learner.
Content
In their study, Hattie and Donoghue identified more than 400 learning strategies, i.e. processes which learners use to improve the quality of their own learning. Such strategies help the learner to structure his or her thinking, so as to plan, set goals and monitor progress, make adjustments, and evaluate the process of learning and outcomes.
Learning strategies can most effectively boost performance when they are matched to the requirements of the task in hand. The collected strategies are classified into the following categories: (1) cognitive strategies such as elaboration, i.e. deepening the understanding of the material learned; (2) metacognitive strategies such as planning; and (3) motivational strategies such as self-efficacy and (4) management strategies such as finding, navigating, and evaluating resources.
Another model of learning strategies was presented by Biggs (1993). He relates the motivation of the learner (why am I learning this?) with the choice of the learning strategy. He makes a distinction between three common approaches to learning: deep, surface and achieving. When students are using a deep strategy, they aim to develop understanding, create meaning and make their own ideas. They relate ideas together and make connections with previous experiences, they test their understanding by asking themselves questions about what they are learning, they compare different perspectives etc. When students are taking a surface strategy, they intend to reproduce information and learn facts and ideas with little intention to see the bigger picture or connections between ideas. When students are using an achieving strategy, they use a ‘minimax’ notion—minimum amount of effort for maximum return. This strategy is normally used for passing tests.
Exercise:
1) Go over the following list of strategies and reflect on your understanding.
2) Next, please reflect on one learning process from your life, such as learning to drive a car, to surf, or to learn a new language. Look at the list of learning strategies and try to identify which ones you used in the learning experience you chose.
Learning strategies in particular spheres:
Acquiring surface learning:
Strategy to integrate prior knowledge, Outlining and transforming, Mnemonics, Working memory training, Summarization, Organizing, Record keeping, Underlining and highlighting, Note taking, Imagery
Consolidating surface learning:
Deliberate practice, Effort, Rehearsal and memorization, Giving/receiving feedback, Spaced versus mass practice, Help seeking, Time on task, Reviewing records, Practice testing, Teaching test taking and coaching, Interleaved practice
Acquiring deep learning:
Elaboration and organization, Strategy monitoring, Meta-cognitive strategies, Self-regulation, Elaborative interrogation
Consolidating deep learning:
Seeking help from peers, Classroom discussion, Evaluation and reflection, Self-consequences, Problem-solving teaching, Self-verbalization and self-questioning, Peer tutoring, Self-explanation, Self-monitoring, Self-verbalizing the steps in a problem, Collaborative/cooperative learning, Critical thinking techniques
Transfer:
Similarities and differences, Seeing patterns to new situations
Skill:
Prior achievement, Good use of working memory
Will:
Self-efficiency, Task value, Reducing anxiety, Self-concept, Attitude to content, Mindfulness, Incremental versus entity thinking
Motivation:
Deep motivation, Achieving approach, Deep approach Goals (Mastery, performance, social), Mastery goals (general), Achieving motivation, Surface/performance motivation
Management of the environment:
Environmental structuring, Time management, Social support, Time of day to study, Student control over learning, Background music, Sleep
Strategies related to knowing success:
Planning and prediction, Goal intentions, Concept mapping, Setting standards for self-judgment
Goal difficulty:
Advanced organizers, Goal commitment, Worked examples
(adapted from Hattie and Donoghue, 2016)
Reflection questions:
-Create a list of your own personal learning strategies which you discovered. Describe the demands or the problem of the specific learning situation and the strategy you used to solve it. You may also add the strategy that you would like to develop in the future.
| Learning situation | Corresponding strategy I use | Improved strategy |
For example:
Learning situation: I have too many questions and doubts. – Corresponding strategy: Try to reply to your own questions. Improved strategy – structuring the questions and doubts in categories, simplifying them.
Learning situation: getting too bogged down in details. – Corresponding strategy: time to take a step back and go back to the main idea you started with; try to keep it simple. Improved strategy – learning with clear, visually represented and always visible vision.
Learning situation: feeling stupid. – Corresponding strategy: this feeling is inevitable when learning something new, just continue learning so you get through it as soon as possible. Improved strategy: to understand the source of this feeling and reformulate it in a new context.
Learning situation: I lack consistency. Corresponding strategy: the 20-day rule – practice every day for 20 days, 45 mins each. Improved strategy – advanced organization, using online management tools for structuring learning.
