Mainly for Students: Lessons on effective learning

Now the new term is under way, how much have you thought about how and by what means you will succeed at university this academic year? To help this process, ask yourself a number of questions (see below) and make a note of your answers. Reflecting on your performance is an important part of making positive changes to your learning. Next, try producing a mind map of your strengths and weaknesses and how you might reduce the latter and improve the former. This will help you to work to the best of your abilities, ensuring a less stressful and more productive year ahead. Self-knowledge is power Moving on, we are going to try to help you understand how you learn best. Head to http://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/ and give the VARK questionnaire a go. This will tell you something about yourself that you may or may not know. It’s a very practical tool to help you understand yourself, enabling you to tailor your learning to your own needs. It will also provide you with strategies to implement in the year ahead. VARK actually stands for visual, aural, read/write and kinesthetic. These are all sensory modalities that are used in different learning styles: Visual learners tend to draw things, enjoy working with plans, maps and diagrams, work with design and logos or look for layouts that are striking (rather than focusing on the content). A good way to learn if you are visual would be to turn tables into graphs, read words and convert them into your own diagrams or use different types of formatting in your notes, eg bold and highlighting. Aural learners tend to talk things over, explain things out loud, debate extensively and listen to those who have authority. A good way to learn if you are aural would be to work in a group, comment on and explain ideas to others, use voice recordings and listen to podcasts. Read/write learners tend to use both of these methods, make lists, correct mistakes, clarify what has been written and structure words into hierarchies or points. A good way to learn if you are read/write oriented would be to use clear titles and headings, add glossaries and read handouts. Kinesthetic learners tend to demonstrate before applying what has been learnt, do things, talk about real-life experiences and use measurable outcomes. A good way to learn if you are kinesthetic would be to use all of your senses, read case studies, watch videos and attend practical sessions. Multi-modal learners tend to learn best using a variety of these approaches – approximately 50-70% of the population fit into this group. Activists, reflectors, theorists and pragmatists Another way of assessing your learning style is to try Peter Honey and Alan Mumford’s questionnaire based on the work of education theorist David Kolb (a version is available at help.open.ac.uk/learning-style-activity). The outcome of the questionnaire suggests what your current learning style might be. The predominant learning styles identified are: activists, reflectors, theorists and pragmatists. However, all of us have differing combinations of the four. Activists like: new experiences and trying things out solving current immediate problems guessing solutions and brainstorming ideas Reflectors like: watching and observing others trying things having time to research and prepare before doing something and, when complete, time to properly reflect on what was done discussing views with others facilitated by a good tutor Theorists like: studying topics embedded within a wider body of theoretical knowledge or conceptual framework logic and reasoning supporting the learning of a particular topic opportunities to critically analyse or conceptualise a problem Pragmatists like: topics that have a practical application ideas that work and can be applied to new situations things learnt that can be applied in practice The questionnaire would likely confirm what you already know about yourself, but be prepared to be surprised. While you may well have a strength in one style over another, you should push yourself to develop your abilities in the other three. Theorists might consider thinking aloud more and trying things anew before finding out how they work. Activists should spend more time reviewing what they have done. In essence, the more we attempt to complete the full learning circle (see graphic), the more effective our learning, thinking and action should become. The growth mindset Adapting and developing learning styles to your needs will help you suceed at university. It’s not just about having the right technical knowledge and reading around your subject but having the right mindset – a growth mindset, according to educational psychologist, Dr Carol Dweck. Dweck is one of the world’s leading researchers in motivation and why certain people succeed. Central to this, she explores how people (including students) can adopt a mindset that supports improved abilities and success. Dweck explains the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset as follows: “In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success — without effort. They’re wrong. “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work – brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.” Dweck suggests that students who have adopted a fixed mindset — the belief that they are either “smart” or “dumb” and there is no way to change this, for example – may learn less than they could, or learn at a slower rate, while also shying away from challenges (since poor performance might either confirm they can’t learn if they believe they are “dumb,” or indicate that they are less intelligent than they think, if they believe they are “smart”). Dweck also suggests that when students with fixed mindsets fail at something, as they inevitably will, they tend to tell themselves they can’t or won’t be able to do it (“I just can’t learn algebra”), or they make excuses to rationalise the failure (“I would have passed the test if I had had more time to study”). Dweck’s book, Mindset: Changing the way you think to fulfil your potential, is very much worth a look – and even a purchase –but there is olenty of other material online. Trial and error Success comes through trying – and trying new ways of learning helps on the road to success. Even when things go wrong and don’t work out first time, remember the powerful words of literary master Samuel Beckett from his 1983 work, Worstward Ho: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Questions to ask How did I learn well last year? What could I have done better? Do I need any additional support to succeed this year? How can I better equip myself for the demands of my course? Do I get distracted easily when learning? What resources did I use to learn well? What are you particularly good at? Are there some things you just can’t do (or can’t do very well)? Jen Lemen is a director of Property Elite, which provides support, training and CPD to RICS APC candidates, qualified property professionals and students. Mainly for Students is edited by Paul Collins, a senior lecturer at Nottingham Trent University. He welcomes suggestions for the column and can be contacted at paul.collins@ntu.ac.uk