Everyday at 9am Assembly we share a Learning Tip of the Day. These tips cover a wide variety of learning topics from techniques, brain science, strategies, theories, philosophy, and other ideas. We believe that a learners with excellent learning skills and strategies can learn anything, and thus be successful in any learning content.

The following is a representative list of Learning Tips. All of them were Learning Tips in September, 2018.

Learning Tip of the Day: SDL: Problem oriented vs. content oriented

“learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented”

In other words,

• Learning tends to focus on addressing problems (acknowledging, defining, solving)
• Learning tends to not be around content, although we have all initiated learning projects because we were interested in a topic.
• There is a tendency for time to be a large influence in any learning venture. How does “time” affect learning? (We will spend at least 1 Learning Tip to delve deeper into “Time”)
• Open question: describe a recent problem and what role learning (SDL specifically) played in defining, planning to solve, and solving that problem

Learning Tip: SDL: Relevance

“Adults are most interested in learning subjects that have immediate relevance and impact to their job or personal life”

Learning Tip: SDL Experience

“Experience (including mistakes) provides the basis for the learning activities.”

What does this statement mean?

• Learning: Learning starts with experience. New meaning comes about after a process of assimilation or accomodation when faced with something new, something that occurs without internal knowledge about it
• Engagement: All learning requires a connection between the thing experienced and the learner. Everyone experiences a single event differently, based on what they already know.
• Effort: To experience something a person has to exert effort (from visual attention to physical activity). The more effort (put into sensing the experience fully, making sense of it fully, comparing it to what is already known, and creating meaning around it) the more compelling (and more long lasting) the new knowledge.

Learning Tip: SDL - Involvement

SDL Involvement: “Adults need to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their instruction.”

How do we become involved and stay involved in our own education?

(elicit ideas from students and staff)

• KVA Teachers support individual learners. KVA Teachers work best when we are following student goals, student engagement (student involvement). (KVA ed model designed to support SDL)
• Choose educational activities that you want to pursue; that you need to pursue; that you have to pursue to reach your goals.
• Goals: When the “big picture” comes from the student, involvement naturally follows because the plan is the student’s plan (not the plan for the student)
• Scheduling and prioritizing time. Make time to be involved
• Effort: put the effort into being involved in your education/learning
• Need help? Ask for help.

Learning Tip of the Day - Expectations

In continuation of yesterday’s Tip: Goal setting (high level), what expectations are placed on students following the Nova Scotia Department of Education Curriculum?

How are Expectations related to Vision?

Vision: image of success after the program is completed

Expectations: “a belief that someone will or should achieve something.” (Google Dictionary) (scan below for lcd projector definition)

“Belief”

“Will or should”

“Achieve something”

Outcomes (from curriculum docs): particular elements of subject matter that, when mastered, contribute to the goal of becoming the vision.

Types of Expectations:

From Curriculum

From Institute

From Parents/Guardians/Friends/Community/Culture

From Teacher/Content Experts

Most importantly, from oneself

How does it all relate? (Write on the board: Expectations, Outcomes, Vision, Taking Responsibility, Self-Direction)

Learning Tip of the Day:

Higher Level Goals:

Personal Goals and Challenges

Careers

Post-Secondary Education

Graduating High School *

What is the vision of a successful high school graduate?

Graduation Checklist

Learning Tip of the Day: Introduction to Goal Setting: “Vision”

• In Curriculum Development and Program Planning, the path is designed to reach an “end.” In some of this work, the end is a statement of all of the learning that has happened. For example, someone may consider the Math 10 Curriculum document as the goal of Math 10, or the vision of that curriculum. This is not a productive vision as it has very little to do with an individual learner.
• A better vision, or end, to a curriculum or program is an image or statement of what the successful candidate of the program has become. For example, if you were creating a program to help people shovel their driveway successfully, the vision would include a clear driveway as cleared by the candidate.
• The Nova Scotia curriculum that we follow here has visions and higher level outcomes (show/read some examples from math, english, social studies, visual arts, music…). The long lists of outcomes (as found in the 8 page Math 10 curriculum document) indicate the knowledge, learning, meaning, understanding that should support that end, or vision.
• Examples of curricula and programs:
  • NS Dept of Ed
  • Club soccer
  • More personal, short term plans

Learning Tip of the Day: Taking Responsibility (slide show) based on the information found at https://www.coachingpositiveperformance.com/take-responsibility/

Learning Tip of the Day: The Importance of Setting Goals

• Name something in your life that has a goal. (examples: academic success, learning an instrument, volunteering, trying something new, …)
• Name something in your life that for which you have not articulated a goal. (examples, brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, walking, breathing, chewing gum, etc…)
• What purpose does a goal serve? (or, How does a goal function in your life?)

Learning Tip of the Day: Resources

1. What resources are available to us?
   1. What different resources are available to different types of learners?
2. How do we access each of these resources? Think about:
   1. Location
   2. Security
   3. Value/appropriateness
   4. Hierarchy of usefulness
   5. Do we need help accessing or understanding the resources?
   6. Effort
3. What restrictions are there on accessing each of the previous resources?

Learning Tip of the Day

1. Review recall
   1. Last wednesday’s learning tip of the day
   2. Thursday’s
   3. Friday’s
      1. Names and uniqueness
2. “Effort”
   1. Learning takes effort.
   2. “Practice makes perfect” vs. “Perfect practice makes perfect”
   3. Does thinking take effort?
   4. Does remembering take effort? - think back 5 minutes to our review of “Names and Uniqueness”
   5. Time vs. Effort - what is the most productive way to spend your time?

Last 30 minutes of the day - review/recall time. Please put effort into adding this activity to your daily routine.