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Inspired by our research on learning, and the research embedded in the Learning Pyramid (see below), we adopt and apply a Learning Philosophy that we called the 4CE Learning Philosophy (pronounced "Foresee"). This learning philosophy is composed of five strategies:
1- Critical/Creative Thinking (C)
Contrary to conventional learning styles that rely mainly on memory to “accumulate information”, CedarLink's learning approach aims at developing the student’s analytical and inquisitive skills, so that they'll be able to answer the “why’s” of the concepts under question and formulate new challenging “why’s” along with their possible solutions.
This is about developing the “analyst” and the “designer” in the learner, and not just the passive “receptor” of consumed information. Towards that purpose, our educators will often examine new concepts in a “story line” fashion, with a declared objective, tools to use and obstacles to overcome and ask the learner to "help" them in this endeavour, by connecting the threads of the “story” and opening new horizons and possibilities. In this fashion, both educator and learner have a better chance of transforming the learning experience from a dry memory exercise relying on formulas and “cheat sheets” to a stimulating opportunity to process, analyse, discover, create, and innovate!
2- Continuity (C)
Based on experience, CedarLink's educators have noticed that during a school term, many learners do not start to study effectively until examination time or until assessments deadlines are approaching! This pattern of heightened learning activity typically repeated around each upcoming exam or assessment, was designated by our educators as “the Traditional Reviewing Activity Pattern” (TRAP). It basically consists of simply and hastily reviewing the required material and has therefore little knowledge retention value in the long run, especially considering the very low “time constant” of its transients! The knowledge retention resulting from this activity pattern is relatively low. Its associated knowledge has a high chance of disappearing almost as fast as it is acquired (see Figure below)!
The TRAP Learning Activity Pattern
the Continuous Learning Activity Pattern (CLAP). With this pattern, additional assessments are spread evenly throughout the semester for the purpose of inducing more learning activities on a more continuous basis. The assessments don't have to be formal; they can take the form of smaller quizzes or "check points". However, their presence is more likely to be associated with a higher rate of knowledge retention (see Figure below). This increased number of assessments during a specific learning period doesn't only help learners retain a higher level of mental readiness at all times, it also comes as a direct response to Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem (mentioned on our section on education research) that calls for a higher sampling/assessment frequency to better estimate the learning knowledge curve.
3- Coaching/Coordination (C)
Instead of assuming the role of champion of skills and abilities, the CedarLink educator adopts the role of coordinator, inspirer, facilitator, and motivator … in a word … a coach! In this capacity, the CedarLink educator focuses on the weak points, and tries to equip the learner with enough confidence and strength to sharpen his/her skills. On the other hand, and as suggested in the introduction, learners can optimise their performance by adopting the attitude of sport players for the purpose of training their mind in the same way sport players train their body.
As such, learners are considered the masters of their own learning; they are encouraged to act as the “players of the game”; pushed to control their learning strategy, each on his/her own pace, and each in his/her own style: some might want to follow their school program, week by week; some others may prefer to get ahead of the rest … everyone is left to manage his/her learning activities as he/she wishes. The main requirement is to identify key targets, i.e. the learning objectives of the course, and to practice the skills of reaching these targets, each using his/her own aptitudes. Towards this end, the "coach" draws the "players'" attention to perceived deficiencies, helps them boost their "assessment frequency" and makes sure their learning loop is always closed by providing them with competent and regular feedback.
4- Cumulation/Complementarity (C)
Another important tenet of CedarLink's learning philosophy is the emphasis placed on the linkage and the scaffold-like connection between the different topics of each course, and between the topics of several different courses, often extending over several years of learning.
This linkage has the potential of providing the learner with an enhanced view of his/her cumulative learning, and equips him/her with a sense of purpose. Connecting concepts together, across several subject areas, can help the learner infer, extrapolate and interpolate ideas, and make more sense of his/her overall education. Based on this tenet, the learner will pay better attention to crucial details and concepts, making sure to retain these details year after year, instead of wiping his/her memory at the end of the current learning period, knowing that these concepts may be needed later on somewhere along the line. This tenet helps the learner widen his/her horizons and gradually builds his/her “knowledge and skill bag” piece by piece, based on similar, complementary not disjoint concepts and ideas.
5- Ethics (E)
The last but not least important tenet in CedarLink's Learning Philosophy has to do with the attitude to learning rather than the skill of learning itself. As seekers of truth, good learners are expected to act in all honesty and truth. They obviously need to avoid cheating and plagiarism and foster, instead, an environment of truth, where they have the courage to say, write and act sincerely, honestly, and truthfully, even at the expense of their own personal interest if necessary!