We Learn Together

A tool kit for learning by experience

inside and outside of school,
individually, with the peers or with the
teacher
Proposing an easy step by step way to
enhance your learning potential
• Step 1 • The Intrinsic Motivation: Growth
Mindset and the Illusions of
Learning
• Step 2 • From Theory to Practice: Surveys
into the Learning and Civic Selves
• Step 3 • Spaced Learning: How to Build a
Timetable for Learning and When
do others Come In for Help
• Step 4 • The Practice of Learning:
“Chunking”, Visualization,
Analogies, Deliberate Practice,
Problem Solving, Cooperation,
Knowing the Multiple Perspectives
• Step 5 • Testing Yourself: Multiple Choice
Questioning
• Step 6 • Life-Long Learning: The
Importance of Stepping Beyond
Your Passions
 Argumentation
• We know from scientific studies that all knowledge comes from discovery, direct
observation and experimentation. Discovery might seem unexpected, but
psychology and neuroscience have proven it to be the product of a mindset of
expectation, the result of want, of need and search.
• This (re)search might be focused, deliberate, or it might be diffuse, with
discoveries happening into a relaxed mode of the brain. Both ways of thinking are
useful and (should be trained to) work together in shifts.
• We live in an informational society today, based on hasty exchanges of ideas and
materials. All knowledge seems plentiful and much available… But is it? Or, even if
information seems more attainable than in history, do we know how to grasp it?
Do we know how to discover it, even when we have it at a palm’s length?
• Learning must be fun and keep its sense from discovery, through direct
observation, experimentation which result in understanding. Learning on the other
hand is equivalent of true understanding and powerful knowledge if it is applied to
real life problem solving and if it is integrated mentally into a wider picture,
composed of multiple perspectives and uses of the same material. The outcome of
the true learning is the ability of the learners and their partners to reach beyond
the direct uses and meaning of the material they first tried to learn and
discovering new uses, through connectivity to further fields of
knowledge/practice.
 Six Easy Steps to Enhance Learning
Abilities and Outcomes
• Step 1: The Intrinsic Motivation: Growth
Mindset and the Illusions of Learning
• Explanation
• References: Many educators and
Carol Dweck and the growth mindset, and Angela
Duckworth and Grit, in Teaching Character neurologists have proven
and Creating Positive Classrooms, Coursera that what you think of
MOOC by Relay Graduate School of
Education; also watch on youtube yourself as a person and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGvR_0
mNpWM
especially as a learner can
Richard Felder and the learning styles, according greatly impact the way you
to Learning How To Learn, Coursera MOOC
by University of California, San Diego, to be
are learning and the quality
checked at of your results. (Carol
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f Dweck, Angela Duckworth,
/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm
Santiago Ramon y Cajal,
Richard Felder).
 The Intrinsic Motivation: Growth
Mindset and the Illusions of Learning
Easy steps to become a better learner:
1-Believe in your abilities to succeed and accept you will make many mistakes on the way
2-Set long-term big goals as well as short-term attainable goals and objectives, followed in an
organized manner
3-Replace “I can’t “ with “I can/I can try”
4-Adapt your principles and creed about YOUR learning by developing character strengths useful
for a growth mindset:
GRIT (PERSEVERENCE),
RESILIENCE,
OPTIMISM,
CURIOSITY,
FLEXIBILITY,
RESPONSIBILITY,
SOCIAL INTERACTIONS
5-Be interested in proper research about best ways to learn and follow the examples of good
practice
6-Accept learning is an interdisciplinary activity: always look for connections between disciplines,
between methods of problem solving, find clues where you don’t expect them
7-Be realistic! Address your setbacks, your worries and your best results with equal preoccupation,
looking for the proper way to correct what’s missing or worrying you, working in an organized
manner to reach your objectives
8-Do your homework and check it all the time! Work individually first and in teams after!
 The Intrinsic Motivation: Growth
Mindset and the Illusions of Learning
• Sometimes you think that you have learned, when in fact you are using
only your short term memory, having no general idea about what and why
you are learning. The illusions of learning happen when you use one, some
or all of these methods of (inefficient) learning:
- re-reading for as long as you can
- working incessantly all day and all night long until you memorize the
material
- postponing the hard stuff until the last moment and cramming it up
before the deadline
- memorizing material or parts of it separately, without seeing the big
picture, without making sense of it or without finding a use to it
- Never checking for flows of understanding, never discussing what you
have learned with peers
- Fearing to face the other learners, the teacher and tests
- Learning just for the sake of extrinsic motivation like getting good grades,
trying to always look smart, never willing to make mistakes
 Six Easy Steps to Enhance Learning
Abilities and Outcomes
• Step 2: From Theory to Practice: Surveys
into the Learning and Civic Selves
• Explanation
As motivation for learning and
• References:
Barbara Soloman and Richard Felder Index of understanding of where you
learning Styles, checked at
http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ils are as a learner come hand
web.html
Another interesting quiz on learning styles at in hand, you need to do
http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-
intelligences-learning-styles-quiz some research into your
On writing the suitable surveys see Questionnaire
Design for Social Surveys, Coursera MOOC of
mind and heart and be
University of Michigan at
https://www.coursera.org/course/questionn
honest about your needs
airedesign and about the skills and
•
methods you usually use for
learning
 From Theory to Practice: Surveys into
the Learning and Civic Selves
• You can create by yourself a short questionnaire to find out more about you. The inquiry into
yourself is a very good practice on the path to becoming a better learner.
• Example: Questionnaire about How Students Are Dealing with History: "MyStory"
The survey I created is an example that can be used by the students as a tool of self-
discovery, in order to give them a more structured or clear/new perspective over their
involvement with learning from three different positions: first as selves, and the relations
they themselves are able to establish with their status as learners, as members of a
family, as members of a culture and as actors in a certain time and space. Because of
this, this survey is intended as a learning tool for the students as for their teachers too.
• The students can be administered the survey or administer it by themselves, after a prior preparation. I
teach history to K 12 students. I am interested in studying my students’ vision and expectations about life
in general and the way those correlate with their learning needs/styles, drawing on the influences those
aspects have on the subject matter I teach in particular (history). The aim is to establish where my
students are in dealing with history (like placing them on a map of performing through history matters),
and what their needs are regarding a set of skills and attitudes which they should use in order to manage
their way through both learning history and being an intelligent member of the society.
• Another aim of the survey is to help kids identify ways of approaching history as part of a student-based
learning system, which emphasizes the need that the students get personally involved in the process of
learning history through discovery and self-effort.
• The three dimensions which make the survey focus attention on responsible and creative learning:
A. Curriculum- Metacognition - What it means to learn and how to be aware of your thinking preferences.
B. Family history - What it means to be part of a family and to take part in traditions.
C. Personal profile and civic/historical awareness - What it means to be a hero or a citizen, what is the
distance between "self" and "community".
 Example: Questionnaire about How Students
Are Dealing with History: "MyStory"
A 1: What methods do you use for learning? Check all that applies.
• This could be a sensitive question for those students who aren't used to any
method, or who don't usually spend time learning. So I think that the best way to
check this point is by providing a running prompt with as many as possible
alternatives about learning on the vertical scale and with frequency indicators on
the horizontal scale. I have brainstormed about the possible methods students
could be using for learning and the result piled up to three pages. The best ones
would imply: recall or writing, watching movies, playing, visiting historical places,
teaching the peers in many forms. I think that in this manner even the most un-
interested of students will realize that sometimes in the past they have actually
gotten involved in activities that the running prompt of the survey defined as
methods for learning. So this question will hopefully increase the confidence in all
of the students regarding their abilities in learning history.
• Here I am very pleased to link you to a survey on learning styles, by prof. Barbara
Soloman and Richard Felder from the North Carolina State University, called Index
of learning Styles, one survey that is by far the most useful and comprehensive
that I’ve seen: http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html
 Example: Questionnaire about How Students
Are Dealing with History: "MyStory”
• A follow up of question A1 would be an attitudinal question:
A 2: Which of the methods of learning enlisted above do you like the
most? In this case the answer will be registered in a blank space.
• After having read all the alternatives and reminded themselves about the methods they are using
the most or even realizing that they have abandoned too early in their learning life a certain
method that they liked once, the students will be able to identify their most favorite learning
method.
• A follow up of this question could be another more strict recall question:
A 3: Please indicate with precision the number of times you've used the
following learning methods while studying at history during the last []
week [] semester [] school year [] vacation
- rewriting a short version of the lesson
- looking up for further explanations in the textbook or in other written source
- looking up for help in finding a deeper understanding of a topic you're learning by means of
discussing with family and/ or friends
- teaching the lesson to a peer/peers after learning it
- using role plays to learn
- watching movies and interpreting the aid of cinema language to enhance historical message
- traveling with family or friends to the historical place you're learning about
- sense of orientation
 Example: Questionnaire about How Students
Are Dealing with History: "MyStory”
• Section B deals with the social connectedness of the learners:
B 1: Please indicate how do you feel about the frequency with which these
happen to you: [] I don't remember it to have happened [] it's a pity it
happens so rarely [] less than I would like [] every now and then [] every
time it is possible [] a fair portion of time [] more than I need it [] we
don't skip any occasion [] decline to answer
- take dinner along with the whole family (parents, siblings, grandparents)
- go to family meetings like birthday parties of the grown ups
- attend weddings of close ones
- travel out of the city with members of the family
- make sports with one or more members of the family
- make plans with the parents
- make plans with the siblings
- take care of family members (younger or older)
- visit museums, read or study with family members
- do the homework with mom or dad
- do the homework with my younger siblings [if it's the case]
- attend religious ceremonies such as baptisms, church/temple/mosque/praying house/synagogue
celebrations, bar and bat Mitzvahs/remembrance days
 Example: Questionnaire about How Students
Are Dealing with History: "MyStory”
• The following questions will deal in more detail with the connection between family and self,
expanding to local culture and self, with the purpose of allowing the students to better understand
that they are part of a social world that relies on traditions and on rules that evolved from these
traditions. We won't get into these details here, but we'll get to the last section of the
questionnaire instead.
C 1: Which character strength would have been most necessary to an
explorer like Christopher Columbus for sailing safely to the new world?
Classify the following characteristics according to their importance: []not
at all important []somewhat important [] important [] very important
[]of utmost importance
- sense of time
- courage
- ambition
- reliability
- effort
- study
- resilience
- intelligence
- imagination
- faith
- pragmatism
 Six Easy Steps to Enhance Learning
Abilities and Outcomes
• Step 3: Spaced Learning: How to Build a
Timetable for Learning and When do
others Come In for Help
• An example on how you can include all
learning activities into a planner
• References:
• Foundations of Teaching for Learning 5:
Planning for Teaching and Learning,
Coursera MOOC by Commonwealth
Education Trust at
https://class.coursera.org/teach5-
001/wiki/updatedsyllabus
• Learning How to Learn, Coursera MOOC
by University of California, San Diego,
weeks 1, 3 and 4 at
https://class.coursera.org/learning-
002/wiki/The_basics
Explanation:
Learning the material for an exam or test
should not be crammed for the last
day before evaluation. The long term
memory needs time to consolidate.
Also, understanding comes in time,
with the diffuse thinking mode being
activated between the spaced
learning sessions.
Planning of learning should take into
account summative test dates and
changing/ adapting methods of
learning in due time, as well as
involving a little help from friends.
Always respect the time table you’ve
created for yourself by practicing the
Pomodoro and starting the day with
the most difficult aspects, careful to
combine the hard with the easy to
allow for interleaving.
 Spaced Learning: How to Build a Timetable for
Learning and When do others Come In for Help
Topic* Content* Date when Dates when I Method or
• study starts first */ exercise or
in school* second**/ strategy I am
• third***study using for
• the lesson at
home*
learning*

• *Chapter’s *Lesson title *Week no # *Week no # *What

• name
*What
*List main
concepts
*dd/mm/yyyy *dd/mm/yyyy
**dd/mm/
materials did I
use?
• role/use does and facts ***dd/mm/ *Describe how
the topic I studied the
• present as part information
• of a larger
context of
*Did I use
direct recall?
• learning (in *Testing?
the big *Multimedia?
• picture)? *Experiential
learning?
 Spaced Learning: How to Build a Timetable for
Learning and When do others Come In for Help
Difficulties Did I Date of the New or Teamwork Date when I
of solve supplementary adapted * revise the
learning* the study/new methods whole lesson*
problem material and before the
* involved* materials* summative
test**
• Nr. Crt.
•
*Name
Tema
the *yes?/ *week no # *Describe *Did I use *week no #
• difficulties
(capitolul) no? *dd/mm/yyyy how you any help *dd/mm/yyyy
• ToDetalii de conţinut *Mention of adapted/ from **week no #
• (aspecte tematice/ lecţii)
• understand
Data când începestudiul temei lanew şcoalӑ changed the colleagues **dd/mm
• the information
Data când studiez prima datӑ lecţia acasӑ to methods or / parents/
• Metoda sau tipul de exerciţiu ales pentru învӑţare
•
material, be confronted
Dacӑ întâmpin dificultӑţi de înţelegere, care sunt acelea
exercises to friends to
• ToDacӑ
practice
am lӑmurit dificultӑţile de with the older
înţelegere better learn the
• problem-
(DA sau NU) one understand material?
• Data la care reprogramez studiul lecţiei (daca este cazul)
• solving,
Metoda to *necessary
sau tipul de exerciţiu modificat/ înlocuitfor
pentru the
o maimaterial
bunӑ înţelegere a lecţiei
• memorize reconstructing
Data la care se face evaluarea sumativӑ a temei la clasӑ
• Data la care fac recapitularea temei
the big picture
 Six Easy Steps to Enhance Learning
Abilities and Outcomes
• Step 4: The Practice of Learning:
“Chunking”, Visualization,
Analogies, Deliberate Practice,
Problem Solving, Cooperation,
Knowing the Multiple
Perspectives
• References:
Learning How to Learn, Coursera
MOOC by University of California,
San Diego, week 2 at
https://class.coursera.org/learnin
g-002/wiki/The_basics
Creative Problem Solving, Coursera
MOOC by Univeristy of
Minnesota, retrieved at
https://class.coursera.org/cps-
001
• Explanation
The idea behind efficient learning is to be able to understand and
keep track of the long term uses of information we learn by
quality memorization and by constant usage of the material
into always new context. This keeps our mind fresh and
powerful.
This process is called “Chunking” and consists of decomposing into
smaller pieces and understanding sequentially and globally the
material to be learned.
Next we have to see where the new information fits into the larger
picture: this is done more efficiently if we use:
transfer,
interleaving,
building visual mental representations
analogies,
problem solving (exercises and testing),
multiple perspectives (cooperation),
repetition,
deliberate practice of the most difficult parts of the
material to be learned.
 Six Easy Steps to Enhance Learning
Abilities and Outcomes
• Step 5: Testing Yourself: Flashcards and
Multiple Choice Questioning
• References:
An easy and useful way for building your
online flashcards at
https://quizlet.com/create-set
Foundations of Teaching for Learning 6:
Introduction to Student Assessment,
Coursera MOOC by Commonwealth
Education Trust, to be checked at
https://class.coursera.org/cps-001
Learning How to Learn, Coursera MOOC by
University of California, San Diego,
week 1 and 4 at
https://class.coursera.org/learning-
002/wiki/The_basics
• Explanation
In order to fight the illusion of learning, an
accurate and consistent check of the
learning has to be undertaken personally
by the learner. Testing is involved into the
practice of new material and discovering
its multiple uses.
One simple method of testing memory and
understanding of material is the direct
recall, by turning away from the aiding
materials (these could include textbooks
or flashcards especially created for
learning purposes).
Finding or creating multiple choice questions
(usually with a single correct answer and
other three mistaken answers) could be
the best practice of learning, because it
enhances the hard work of discovering
meaning and new implications
(connections) between sets of ideas.
 Six Easy Steps to Enhance Learning
Abilities and Outcomes
• Step 6: Life-Long Learning: The
Importance of Stepping Beyond Your
Passions
• References:
Learning How to Learn, Coursera MOOC by
University of California, San Diego,
week 2 and 4 at
https://class.coursera.org/learning-
002/wiki/The_basics
Supporting and Promoting Adult and
Community Learning, an article by the
LLL Council of Queensland, at
http://www.llcq.org.au/01_cms/details.
asp?ID=12
• Explanation
Life-long learning is a responsibility of all
people. It is known that memory and the
neurons must be constantly trained into
healthy use in order to keep them working
all our lives.
This can be done by permanent inquiry and
finding new opportunities to learn, to
solve problems during the adult age.
A simple walk away from the regular path
towards our working place, travelling
outside the country, learning languages,
studying films or mathematics – anything
out of our specialization, will do the job
for permanent learning. Just being an
active citizen of this world, curious,
informed and helpful for others.
Increasing mental strength by life-long
learning is shown to prevent premature
aging and it also contributes to a general
state of well being and optimism.
Hope you’ll find this methodical support
for learning useful!
Hope you’ll become the responsible
learner you always knew you’d be!
Wish you the best of time with your
learning!

THANK YOU FOR

LEARNING AND
MAKING THIS WORLD
BETTER!
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