OUMH1103-LEARNING SKILLS FOR OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNERS

DEFINITION OF LEARNING The art process or experience of gaining knowledge or skills. Everyone has the right to learn,regardless of where they live, how wealthy they are, what ethnic group they belong to and whether they are male or female. Every state has the duty to give its children, young people and adults acsess to learning and to basic education, because only a people that has knowledge and multiplies this knowledge can contribute to the sustainable development of its country, and thus help reduce poverty. Learning as used here,refers to concerted activity that increase the capacity and willingness of individuals, group, organizations, communities to acquire and productively apply nem knowledge and skills, to grow and mature and to adapt successfully to changes and challenges. Such learning empower individuals and organizations to make wise choices, solve problems and break new ground. In particular, it is sustainable, it is life long, renewable process for people and for institutions that serve people. Learning certainly includes academic studies and occupational training through high school and beyond. But it also encompasses the physical, cognitive. Emotional and social development of children in the earliest years of their lives. It includes the capacity of organizations to anticipate and adapt to evolving values, technologies, performance standards and constituent expectations.And it includes the capacity of geographic communities and communities of common interest to respond with understanding and initiative to broad changes that represent threats or opportunities. STUDY SKILLS Making the grade at college is important. But what is the formula for academic success? Setting your sight on academic success can be a wise decision, since many of skills that your acquire in college can lead to future success in the work world. While there are no magic formulas that guarantee you will be an excellent student, the Counseling Center for Human Development believes that a combination for study skills, time management, and physical and mental wellness is not only the means for success in college, but also the ticket to future success. Of course, you must discipline yourself and work hard. You are responsible for the level of your achievement.

OUMH1103-LEARNING SKILLS FOR OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNERS

To begin with,effective study skills are important. Study skills are techniques used to make learning more efficient and rewarding; such as, attending class regularly, listening attentively, participating, taking good note, getting the most out of reading, and being prepared for class and exams.And although studying may not be highly enjoyable activity, it is necessary for success. Secondly, you must learn how to manage your schedule and responsibilities. Time management training teaches you to make the best use of your most precious resource, time. It really mean managing yourself to become happier. More efficient, effective and successful. Time management skills are tool you need to succed in school and beyond. They enable you to achieve more by leading a balanced life of work and play. Success in school also depend greatly on your ability to read and write. Studies show that people who read well are more likely to do well academically. And writing, the ability to communicate on paper, develop both thinking and organizational skills. It also prepares you for the many course which require writing assignment and essay exams.Vocabulary development is also important. The more words you know, the more ideas you can understand and share. And of course, you must be prepared for test. We are and will be evaluated on a regular basis, both in college and work activities. We all must meet requirement and performance standards.Typically, the person who has studied is better prepared and feels more at ease for tests. STUDY SKILLS AND STUDY TIPS,LEARNING TO LEARN Effective study skills and strategies are the basic of effective learning.They give you an opportunity to approach learning tasks systematically and independently. By always using good study habits, learning to worak smarter will work like and become a succesfull student.

OUMH1103-LEARNING SKILLS FOR OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNERS

LEARN TO LEARN Learning is a very personal matter.There isnt one study/learning skill or strategy that work for every person in situation. Therefore, learning to learn strategies are about learning what you know,learning what you dont know learning what to do about it. Your repoitre of study/learning strategies will : i) enable you to take more responsibility for your own learning. Allow you to spend your time effectively and stay on task. Help you select the best approach(s) for each assignment or task. Provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to begin, follow through and complete assignments/ Give you the confidence to know when and who to ask for help. Know Yourself. Begin by honesty assessing your strengths and weakness in basic college skillsreading,writing,listening, and mathematics- and study/work habit such as a organization,time management,concentration,listening, and note taking. Next,identify your listening style preferences.Many factors affects learning,but consider whether you learn most effectively by reading,by watching,by listening or by doing? You must also become familiar with your instructors teaching style to help you adapt your learning style to the best advantage. In addition,consider when( are you a morning person or night owl) and where ( Do you concentrate best in a bright room with noise or in a cozy,quiet corner?you are at your best for learning. ii) Manage Your Time and Life The first step in learning to manage your time,controlling your own life is to identify what your goal are and then to establish priorities to help you reach them. Analyze how you are using your time.If you arent spending time on your priorities,you must make the necessary adjustments or you wont reach your goal.If school, learning,and good grades are a priority, then you must make and follow a schedule tha gives a significant amount time to go to class and study.

OUMH1103-LEARNING SKILLS FOR OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNERS

iii)

Improve Your Concentration As a good student,you will not necessarily study more than a poor student, but

you will definitely use your study time more effectively. Learn to keep your attention focused on the task at and-concentrate. When you are in class or ready to study, give it your full attention. And remember, how well you learn something,not how fast you learn it,is critical factor in remembering.You must get something before you can forget it. iv) Know What study Means & How to Do it Learning takes more than just going to class and doing homework.It is really a four-part cycle:PREVIEW>CLASS>REVIEW>STUDY When you establish a learning cycle routine you will be able to learn more in less time with less stress. v) Develop A Thinkers Vocabulary English is the richest language with the largest vocabulary on earth. Each of our words is a symbol that represents an idea or objects. Your ability to understand the meaning of the words others use and to selects the right one(s) to communicate your ideas,information, and feelings is very important to effective learning. To develop a thinkers vocabulary, you must become sensitive to words and develop strategies for unlocking the meanings of new words and process for remembering the new words and their meanings. vi) Become An Active Reader Did you ever fall asleep while playing tennis or when watching your favorite television show? Probably not. How about when youre reading? Probably so. What make the differences? If you are actively involved,physically and mentally, you stay interested and committed. When you become passive, you rapidly lose interest and drift away. To learn from study/ reading material, you must be an active, thinking participant in the process, not passive by stander. Always preview the reading and make sure you have a specifics purpose for each assignment. Read actively to fulfill your purpose

OUMH1103-LEARNING SKILLS FOR OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNERS

and answer question about the material. Keep involved by giving yourself frequent tests over what youve read. vii) Become An Active Writer Writing that accurately expresses your ideas demand not only writing skill but focused attention, critical and active involvement. Only if you become actively involved in the writing process will you be able to communicate your ideas clearly. Your writing must have: a purpose a controlling idea or thesis organized development of your idea with major and minor supporting details and a logical conclusion. viii) Build Listening & Note taking skills. Accurately listening to a lecture and deciding what is important are two skills that must be mastered before you worry about how to write the information in your notes.Again, being an active rather than a passive participant is the key to your success. Taking good note demands that you : ix) prepare for class become an active listener distinguish major from minor points use a note-taking system participate in class, and review often.

Know How to Study For & Take Exams Exams are you to show a professor how much youve learned. Preparing for

exams will give you a better understanding of the material, lower your anxiety and improve your scores. Find out as you can about the exam,study and review the material over a period of time( use the night before as a final review not a cram

OUMH1103-LEARNING SKILLS FOR OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNERS

session), pace yourself during the exam and always go over your graded exam with your professor. x) Master Every Course You cant get something for nothing.You can, however,get nothing for something and thats exactly what you will get from any course if your only investment is money. True education is not about cramming material into your brain.True education is the process of expanding your capabilities of bringing yourself into the world. Professors can merely set the stage for you to create learning through your own action. CONCLUSION When you ask someone to define learning, they usually take a few minutes to come up with an explanation and the explanation they do give usually contains the words learn , learnt, learned or learning. Even harder, imagine asking someone to draw a picture thats represents learning or asking them to use only actions and no words to describe learning. Most people have a sense of what learning is, but we find it very hard to describe it to others. When researchers look at the way students learn in schools, colleges and the university setting,they think of learning as referring to two components a process and an outcome. Every day, we are exposed to information, resources or situations we can learn from. We dont take on board every pieces of information from these sources. Instead there are some things we pay more attention to than others.Sometimes because they interest us and at other times because we are told we have to.