LEARNING HOW TO LEARN

These skills are integrated in the learning outcomes & aim to enable learners to take responsibility for their own learning. These skills incorporate study skills & information skills to equip them to become independent life-long learners. Not only do different people have different learning styles, but what is important for them to actually learn varies as well.

 learning-to-learn skills are the general skills that enable students to profit from instruction. These include the following:
Attention control Goal setting Cognitive restructuring Self-evaluation

Attention control
involves the students' awareness of when they are and are not attending to a task. If learners develop conscious control of this process, learning improves. While you are reading this book, your attention may occasionally be diverted to something else. If you cannot catch yourself and get back on task, you are not likely to learn much from this book.

Goal setting
Short-term goals are more likely to be completed than long-term goals. Students will learn more if they can set both longterm and short-term goals and know the difference between them. Successful students set goals that challenge their capabilities. Weak students often read academic materials simply because they are told to do so; but good students see a purpose in their reading.

Cognitive restructuring
The term cognitive restructuring simply means that the learner uses cognitive (intellectual) processes to restructure (state in a different manner) the information that he or she is trying to process. involves verbal mediation and affirmation. When we talk to ourselves about a task (verbal mediation), our thoughts become more salient and more manageable.

 An affirmation is the statement of a positive self-belief regarding a task. Students who make positive affirmations and who talk to themselves clearly about tasks learn more effectively than students who do not do so.

Self-evaluation
This set of skills focuses on monitoring progress toward a goal. At this point we are verifying whether we are on track to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves. Weak students are often astonished when they perform inadequately on a test. Good students know where their strengths and weaknesses are.

 When they fail, extremely weak students often have no idea what their problem is. On the other hand, good students are able to use failure as a foundation for a plan to do better.