Learning Strategies

It goes without saying that effective training strategies motivate learners and ensure better results and outcomes from the studying process. It is possible to use instructional strategies to build confidence, to make success easier, to demonstrate relevance of the process as well as to engage learners to solve real problems. Actually, instructional strategies allow students to discover, to share and to explore the matters of particular interest for them. Classroom should be treated as gym. It doesn’t mean that desks should be replaced by balance beam. It means that significant shifts are required in instructional approaches. The first effective instructional strategy is to integrate training with what students know. This strategy assists in building skills and knowledge of learners. Furthermore, it complements trainings they’ve already and prepares them for developing additional skills. This strategy suggests integrating new information with what students already known. It is necessary to set a comfortable tone in order to encourage sharing and participation and to motivate challenge of ideas and debates regarding the subject. The strategy emphasizes using if familiar metaphors and schemes. The objective of the strategy it to make learners share their personal experience, obtained knowledge of the related topic. Online discussions, groups meetings and e-mails are appreciated as well. The second strategy is to connect training to relevant purposes and goals. This strategy helps to grab learners’ attention to the goals and objectives of the studying process. Instructor should be clear about the goals of the training, because it helps learners to move in directions which correspond to program’s goals and purposes. Learning goals should be related to personal goals of the learners. Actually, instructor has to encourage participatory goals setting, because students would work together in order to pick core performance goals. Also creating of action plan is appreciated as it would assist in customizing new and already existing knowledge. References Pardes, Juan Rudel. (1994, July-August). Motivate Every Learner: How to Replace Motivation Myths with Strategies that Work. Retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0STR/is_n1_v104/ai_15669489/pg_2 Creating Training that Motivates. (2001). Retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://seniortechcenter.org/archive/learning_paths/training/start_lesson/creating_training_motivate.php#strategies                Learning Strategies INTRODUCTIONEducators of young children have a propensity to share the goal of fostering children’s successful learning and achievement. As the pressure to give emphasis to academic standards enhances, it is all the more vital to reflect on the most effective practices for make certain that children are in fact learning what is being taught. Several factors related to children’s achievement are not in teachers’ control, but creating a climate of engagement in the classroom is (Finn, J.D., & D.A. Rock. 1997). The use of strategies is a powerful teaching tool vital in promoting children’s achievement for the reason that it focuses children on learning; supports learning specific skills and concepts; and provides children positive associations with learning.GENERAL DISCUSSIONMaintenance rehearsal refers to the simple repetition of items to hold them in working memory, where we are conscious of them. Thus, when we want to remember a phone number for long enoug h to ring it, or write it down, we repeat it to ourselves until we have completed our action. Rehearsal is an effective strategy for short-term recall, and young children can be taught to use the strategy (Graham, S., & B. Weiner. 1996). However, continued use of the strategy is more unlikely than not. It may be however, that training was insufficient to impress upon the children the usefulness of the strategy, and with better feedback they might be encouraged to use the strategy spontaneously. Maintenance rehearsal no doubt seems a self-evident strategy to any adult, simple as it is and long accustomed as we are to using it. However, it is, like any strategy, something we have to learn to do. It is rare in five year olds, common in ten year olds.Categorizing is another very basic strategy that many of us use to help us remember items (Baine, 1986) Thus, if you are given a list: APPLE  Ã‚   JEEPNEY  Ã‚   PANSY  Ã‚   TRUCK  Ã‚   SAMPAGUITA  Ã‚   PLUM  Ã‚   PEACH  Ã‚   M OTORCYCLE  Ã‚   ROSE  Ã‚   MARIGOLD  Ã‚   MANGO  Ã‚   CAR the items will be much easier to remember if you note that the items belong to only three categories fruit, vehicles, flowers. Noting that there are four examples of each will also help. The category labels help considerably when it comes to retrieving the information. Most educated adults do this sort of thing automatically.But, again, like any strategy no matter how simple, it is not something we are born knowing. Very young children are not likely to group items at all, but if they do, it will be most likely according to some sort of association (cornflakes —  milk, baby — bottle, paper — pencil). If young children are taught to group items into taxonomic categories, they will still not use category labels effectively when retrieving the information, without explicit instruction. From around 6 or 7, children seem to benefit more from instruction in categorization strategies. If the children a re very young, such instruction may only confuse them. Using category labels as retrieval cues appears to be a more complex strategy than the first step of learning to group according to category, and doesn’t appear until later.Even children as old as 11 may benefit from explicit reminders to use category labels as retrieval cues and search the categories exhaustively before moving on. At around 7, about 50% of children appreciate the value of categorization as a memory strategy. This doesn’t increase all that much over the next few years (about 60% of ten year olds), although nearly all 17 year olds understand the strategy.The value of category labels in helping young children learn is another strategy. Category labels don’t appear to particularly help recall in children before the age of ten. Picture recognition is assisted by labeling in children as young as four. Researchers have had mixed results in labeling pictures as an aid to learning paired association s in young children. Labeling pictures does not appear to help very young children remember the order of items, but can be helpful to children from six years old until they are of an age to spontaneously label, when such explicit labeling may interfere with their own learning strategy. Labeling however often part of a wider strategy and may is well be helpful to young children for other reasons than improving recall. For example, it may be useful in helping children acquire language.Mnemonics is another strategy used by teachers for the children. Research into whether young children can improve recall by using visual imagery has produced mixed results (Yair, G. 2000). It would seem that, in general, the instruction to generate mental images does not improve recall in children 5 yrs and younger, but does improve recall in children 8 years and above. Children of six and seven appear to be at a transitional stage whereby some children can use the strategy effectively in some situations . The story, or sentence, mnemonic is a verbal mnemonic in which words to be remembered are linked together in a sentence or sentences (Brewster, C., & J. Fager. 2000). It is an effective strategy for learning a list of words.The research confirms that memory even in very young children can be helped by teaching them to use this verbal mnemonic strategy. It is more effective if the words are linked by verbs rather than prepositions simply stringing together words like this: The cat and the banana and the boat were in the sky† is much less memorable than composing: â€Å"The cat ate the banana and tossed the boat into the sky.† Sentence mnemonics have been effectively used by 6th graders to remember the correct spelling of words. The keyword method is one of the most successful mnemonic strategies to be used in education.It is of proven effectiveness as a method of learning new words, foreign language words, and social studies facts. As a technique for learning new words , it has been compared with the following common strategies: learning words in context; finding root words; learning synonyms and antonyms; presenting words in meaningful sentences; having students discriminate correct from incorrect use of words in sentences; and having students generate their own meaningful sentences and is apparently more effective than any of these methods. The keyword mnemonic has been used effectively by 4th graders. When pictures have been provided, it has been used effectively by 2nd graders. It is suggested that, for children 10 years and younger, instructions to visualize are supplemented by illustrating pictures.CONCLUSIONIdeally, teachers should use a wide range of strategies and then masterfully facilitate their implementation. Not only do strategies enable teachers to capture the interest of children as they learn the skills and concepts necessary for success in school, but children also experience what it feels like to be engaged in learning – a lifelong gift.   The strategies chosen depend on the purpose, teaching style, and the children in the classroom. Regardless of the strategies selected, effective facilitation is a key to making them work. By facilitation it means that the techniques used to execute a strategy.REFERENCE:Baine, David 1986. Memory and instruction. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.Brewster, C., & J. Fager. 2000. Increasing student engagement and motivation: From time on task to homework. Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.Finn, J.D., & D.A. Rock. 1997. Academic success among students at risk for school failure. Journal of Applied Psychology 82 (2): 221–34.Graham, S., & B. Weiner. 1996. Theories and principles of motivation. In Handbook of educational psychology, eds. D. Berliner & R.C. Calfee, 62–84. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Yair, G. 2000. Reforming motivation: How the structure of instruction affects students’ learning experiences. Briti sh Educational Journal 26 (2): 191–210. Learning Strategies 1. Learning Strategies for SSC100 SSC100 is not only a common course, but also sets the tone for the whole four-semester study life in Seneca. Therefore, we should pay more attention to this course. My GPA to date is 3. 0 and my target GPA is 3. 5. In order to acheive the target, there are several strategies I should follow . First, take the classes regularly. Some other students may think that it’s not necessary to attend the classes , without which they can still pass this course.However, the powerpoints and the videos the instructors display in the classes are not only interesting but also helpful. Second, read through the textbook: Success Strategies for College. This book introduces diffrernt kinds of learning strategies in details, which are very useful in SSC100 itself, especially in the reflective test, and other courses throughout Seneca. Third, invovle in the group work. To tell the truth, I am not a good team worker, which is neither good for the current college stu dy nor good for the future work.Therefore, I should attach more importance to this part. Communication is a key factor in the group work. I will try my best to listen to others and give my own opinion as much as possible. Last, practice presentation. As for the group work, presentation is one of the most important parts. Practices can sooth the nerves and make the process more smooth in the real presentation. There are two ways to practice the presentation: first, gather the group mates to simulate; second, take part in the presentation workshops in the learning center.