Learning how to learn

学习如何学习

LDT101_3

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• Time: 6 hours

• 时间：六小时
  Level: Introductory

• 水平：介绍
  

Introduction

简介

• Introduction
• 简介
  
• Learning how to learn is a process in which we all engage throughout our lives, although often we do not realise that we are, in fact, learning how to learn. Most of the time we concentrate on what we...
• 学习如何学习是一个过程，这个过程将贯穿我们的一生，尽管实际上我们常常不知道自己在学习如何学习。绝大多数时间我们专注于……
  

Getting started

开始

• Examples
• 例子
  
• Each activity is followed by a discussion and examples of the responses of two students. Both students are studying Open University courses that will eventually count towards a degree. Thesse are nine...
• 每项活动后面都带有两个学生的讨论和反应。这两个学生都在学习开放大学课程，最后要取得学位。这是九个月……
  
• What do we mean by learning how to learn?
• 学习如何学习，在这里是什么意思？
  
• This activity will help you to explore what we mean by learning how to learn.
• 这项活动将帮助你了解我们所说的“学习如何学习”的含义。
  

Thinking about your learning

思考你的学习

• Introduction
• 简介
  
• In encouraging you to think explicitly about how you learn, as well as about what you learn, we are drawing on research about learning which has shown that this approach can actually improve your performance....
• 鼓励你明确思考你是如何学习的，以及你学的是什么。我们利用对学习的研究，实实在在的改善你的表现……
  
• Your motivation
• 你的动机
  
• Why did you decide to become a student and what do you hope to gain from your studies?
• 为什么你决定成为一名学生，你希望从学习中获得什么？
  
• Your learning history
• 你的学习史
  
• You do not need to explore this in detail - just pause for a moment and think about:
• 你不需要详细了解，仅仅只需停下来，考虑一下：
  
• Organising your study - keeping a learning diary
• 组织你的学习——坚持学习日志
  
• If you have found this approach to learning interests you, you might like to take the analysis a stage further. To do Activity 4, you need to be studying a course so that you are engaged in learning on...
• 如果你发现你感兴趣的学习方法，你可能打算做进一步的分析。在活动四，你需要学习一门课程，这样使得你可以进行有规律的学习……
  

Learning through assessment

评估式学习

• Introduction to applying your learning
• 介绍如何应用到你的学习当中
  
• In this part of the unit we invite you to apply some of the ideas we have introduced in a more structured way. One of the easiest ways to really understand learning how to learn as a process, rather than...
• 在这部分我们邀请你以一种更有条理的方式应用我们介绍过的一些想法。真正理解学习如何学习是一个过程，而不是一系列单独的活动的最简单办法……
  
• A summary of the phases and activities of learning how to learn
• 简要介绍了学习如何学习的步骤和活动
  
• We can represent the process of learning how to learn in a diagram with four phases (Figure 1).
• 我们可以用一幅有四个阶段的图表来表示学习如何学习的过程（图一）。
  

The preparation phase

准备阶段

• Preparing
• 准备工作
  
• In the preparation phase you should pause before starting a new section of work and think about it as a whole. What needs to be covered? What are the various components of this block of work? What are...
• 在准备阶段，你应该在开始新的工作之前停下来，从整体来思考这个工作。需要覆盖哪些方面？这份工作有哪些部分组成？有哪些……
  
• Analysing the task
• 分析任务
  
• This involves you in analysing both the learning task, (e.g. working through the text, other readings, calculations, experiments) as well as the assessed task (e.g. the assignment). It is important to...
• 这需要你同时分析学习任务（比如通过文字进行工作，额外的阅读，计算，实验）和评估工作（如功课）。这是很重要的……
  
• Making a plan
• 制定计划
  
• How you respond to this suggestion will depend on what sort of person you are. Many of us are great planners with timetables and lists for every part of our lives; others just get on with the priorities...
• 你如何对待这个步骤，决定于你是一个什么样的人。对于我们生活中的各个方面，通过使用时间表和清单，我们大部分人都是了不起的计划者；还有一部分人只考虑轻重缓急……
  

The exploration phase

探索阶段

• Exploring
• 探索
  
• This is the phase when you will be studying your course material, using and developing your learning skills. The two activities of this phase are:
• 在这个阶段，你开始研究你的课程素材，使用并发展你的学习技能。这个阶段的两个活动是：
  
• Studying the materials
• 研究你的素材
  
• This is the period when you will be working on your course materials in preparation for the assignment. This may include working through written or electronic texts, any other associated reading or media...
• 在这个阶段，你将要处理为功课准备的课程素材。这期间包括完成各种文字工作，阅读其它相关文字或媒体资料……
  
• Monitoring your progress
• 监控你的进展
  
• Of all the components in the learning how to learn process, this is probably the most difficult. As you study, you need to make a conscious effort to monitor your progress while working on the course,...
• 在学习如何学习的过程中的各部分中，这可能是最难的。正如你所学，在你学习这门课程的过程中，你需要明确地努力监控你的进度，……
  

The implementation phase

实施阶段

• Implementing
• 实施
  
• This is the phase when you complete your assignment. In some courses and for some assignments, the exploring and implementing phases may merge or overlap; in other courses, considerable exploration is...
• 在这个阶段，你将完成你的功课。在某些课程以及一些功课中，探索和实施阶段可能合并或者重叠；在其他一些课程当中，在能够完成实际功课之前，需要相当多的探索。……
  
• Monitoring your performance
• 监测你的表现
  
• As you move into actually doing the assignment, the emphasis on consciously trying to monitor how you are performing continues to be important. This involves checking your work while you are working on...
• 在你开始进入做功课的过程中，强调坚持自觉监测你的表现很重要。在你工作期间检查你的工作，而非……
  
• Making a self-assessment
• 做出自我评估
  
• The ability to self-assess your work is a critical skill for you to develop if you want to improve your performance. If you can assess your own work accurately and identify the gap between what is required...
• 自己评估自己工作的能力是你需要发展的一个很关键的技能，如果你希望提升自己的表现的话。如果你能准确评估自己的工作，并找到需求和现实之间的差距……
  

The reviewing phase

回顾阶段

• Reviewing
• 回顾
  
• This phase takes place after a period of study and an assignment have been completed. It is when you focus on reviewing your performance on your assignment as well as the whole cycle of study you have...
• 这个阶段发生在经过一段时间的研究和完成功课之后。在这个阶段，你关注你在功课中的表现，以及刚刚完成的整个学习周期。……
  
• Learning from feedback
• 从反馈中学习
  
• This is actually quite a difficult thing for any student to do. It is most effective when your assignment is returned, but by then you may have moved on to the next part of the course. Even so, you do...
• 实际上，对于任何学生而言，这都是相当困难的事情。在你的功课被发还的时候进行最有效果，但那时你已经开始进入课程的下一部分了。尽管如此，你……
  
• Review the whole process
• 回顾整个过程
  
• Before you file away your assignment and return to your current study, spend a little time reviewing the whole process of preparing, exploring, implementing and reviewing your assignment. Review what you...
• 在你封存功课并回到课程之前，花一点时间检讨整个过程，准备、探索、实施以及回顾。回顾你所做的……
  

Learning from revision and examinations

从复习和考试中学习

• Introduction
• 介绍
  
• Once you have got a general understanding of the process of learning how to learn, and have tried applying it to an assignment, you may be able to see how the same approach can be applied to revision,...
• 一旦你对学习如何学习的过程有了一个大体认识，就会将其应用到功课当中去，你可能会看到相同的方法是如何应用到复习当中的，……
  
• Preparing
• 准备
  
• Both activities in this phase - analysing the task and making a plan - are critically important when it comes to preparing for an exam. Start by gathering together everything you have been sent that relates...
• 在这个阶段中的两个活动——分析任务和制定计划——在为考试做准备的时候非常重要。从收集与之相关的所有东西开始，……
  
• Exploring
• 探索
  
• Although this sounds as though it may not seem very appropriate in the context of revision and exams, it is critically important that you re-explore the course as you do your revision or prepare your end-of-course...
• 虽然听起来好像不那么适合复习和考试的背景，但是，你重新探索课程的确很重要……
  
• Implementing
• 实施
  
• As with assignments, this is the phase when you actually do the task - sit the exam or produce the final version of your end-of-course assessment. This is where monitoring your performance is really important....
• 这个阶段就是你完成任务、上交功课的阶段——参加考试或者形成你的最终作业。这也是监测你表现得最重要时刻。……
  
• Reviewing
• 回顾
  
• Undoubtedly this is the most difficult phase to apply to revision and an exam or to the preparation and production of an end-of-course assessment. Most of us heave a huge sigh of relief when it is all...
• 毫无疑问，这是应用到复习、考试当中和应用到准备、形成最终作业过程中的困难最大的阶段。我们大多数人会松掉一口气……
  

Learning how to become a reflective learner

学习如何成为一位反思型学习者

• Reflection and the four main phases of learning how to learn
• 反思与学习如何学习的四个主要阶段
  
• If your course encourages this approach to learning, or if you have read other material on learning how to learn, you may have come across the term 'reflection'. Maybe you have been encouraged to reflect...
• 如果你的课程鼓励这种学习方法，或者如果你看过有关学习如何学习的其他材料，你可能会遇到单词“反思”。也许你被鼓励反思……
  
• What is reflection?
• 反思是什么？
  
• Is reflection different to just thinking about your study? And how do we do it? Can someone teach you how to reflect or is it a matter of practice? Can everyone be reflective or are some students - and...
• 在你的学习当中，反思与单纯的思考是否相同？我们如何进行反思？有人可以教你如何进行反思，或者你不知道如何进行实践？每个人都能进行反思，还是只有部分学生可以……
  

Further reading and sources of help

进一步的阅读资料和其他有用的资料

• Further reading
• 进一步的阅读资料
  
• OU books
• 开放大学书籍
  
• Other sources of help
• 其他有用的资料
  
• Websites
• 网站
  

• Acknowledgements
• 致谢
  

Introduction

简介

Learning how to learn is a process in which we all engage throughout our lives, although often we do not realise that we are, in fact, learning how to learn. Most of the time we concentrate on what we are learning rather than how we are learning it. In this unit, we aim to make the process of learning much more explicit by inviting you to apply the various ideas and activities to your own current or recent study as a way of increasing your awareness of your own learning. Most learning has to be an active process - and this is particularly true of learning how to learn. Therefore, you will find that this unit contains a number of activities for you to complete, which require you to make notes and keep records. You can either write these down in a notebook, or use word processor, whichever you feel most comfortable with.

学习如何学习是一个过程，这个过程将伴随我们一生，事实上，尽管我们经常并不清楚我们在学习如何学习。大多数时候，我们专注于我们所学的内容而非方式。在本单元，我们的目标是，通过邀请你在你当前或最近研究中运用各种思想和活动，令你的学习过程更加明晰，以增加你对自己学习的认识。多数学习都是一个活动过程——这句话对于学习如何学习尤其正确。因此，你会发现本单元包含了大量需要你来完成的活动，需要你记笔记、保存记录。你可以使用笔记本，也可以使用字处理软件，只要你觉得好用就行。

Learning Outcomes

学习成果

The broad aim of this unit is to provide a framework for learning-based activities and reflective exercises. More specifically, it is designed to offer you the opportunity to:

本单元的主要目标是为基于学习的活动和反思练习提供一个框架。更具体的，是设计用来为你提供如下机会：

• think about and understand how you learn;
• 思考和理解如何学习；
  
• apply the ideas and activities in this unit to your own learning experiences;
• 在你自己的学习体验中应用本单元的思想和活动；
  
• learn how to become a reflective learner.
• 学习如何成为一个反思性学习者。
  

Getting started

开始

Examples

举例

Each activity is followed by a discussion and examples of the responses of two students. Both students are studying Open University courses that will eventually count towards a degree. Thesse are nine month distance learning courses.

每项活动后面都带有两个学生的讨论和反应。这两个学生都在学习开放大学课程，最后要取得学位。这是为期九个月的学习课程。

Course material is delivered to students by post, email or online. Their assignments are submitted by post or email, marked either by a computer or a tutor, and returned. Open University students are provided with a tutor, regular tutorials and guidance on completing assignments. They are also provided with online conferencing facilities to communicate with their tutor or with other students.

课程素材通过邮递、电子邮件或者在线的方式交付给学生。他们的功课也通过邮寄、电子邮件来提交，由计算机或者导师来评分，然后返还给他们。开放大学为学生提供一名导师，定期辅导或指导其完成功课。也为学生与导师或其他学生交流而提供在线会议功能。

Both students have been provided with assignment booklets, which provide advice on completing their assignments. They also refer to Study Skills series of books, which are published by the Open University. The series includes books providing study skills advice in particular subject disciplines, as well as general study skills advice.

这两个学生已经得到一套作业手册，其中就其完成功课提出一些建议。还列出由开放大学出版的学习技能系列书籍。该系列书籍为特定学科训练提供学习技能，也提供一般学习技能的建议。

Tim is stduying an introductory Humanities course and Sue is a biology student.

小丁正在学习一门介绍性质的人文学科课程，小苏是一名生物学学生。

What do we mean by learning how to learn?

学习如何学习，在这里是什么意思？

Activity 1

活动一

This activity will help you to explore what we mean by learning how to learn.

该活动将帮助你探索我们对“学习如何学习”的认识。

Think back to an example of study you have done in the past, or any fairly structured learning opportunity you remember. Focus on a particular activity or task when you were consciously engaged in learning. Jot down a brief description of what you were learning - what was the subject, topic or task? Having reminded yourself of that, write a brief description of how you were learning it.

回想一个你过去已经完成的研究的例子，或者任何你能记起的有条理的学习机会。重点放在你自觉学习时的具体活动或任务。用笔简单的描述你学习的是什么——课题是什么，标题是什么，任务呢？提醒你自己，简要写下你是如何学习它的。

Now read the discussion

现在阅读讨论材料

Discussion

阅读材料

This is what Tim wrote:

下面是小丁写的：

There was a prep essay which was due before the course started. To be honest, I was really nervous. It took me ages - I kept changing the words round over and over again. I wasn't feeling very confident because I haven't written an essay for about 20 years. I started to panic a bit because I only had a couple of evenings put aside to do it. I thought that if I kept on writing, I'd get there in the end. It wasn't productive and I had no idea of what I was trying to do - a bull in a china shop approach really.

这儿有一份课程开始之前就准备好的论文。说实在的，我很紧张。它把我的年龄——我一次又一次的不停更改年龄。我没有信心，因为我几乎二十年没有写论文了。我开始有些惊慌，因为我只剩下两个晚上来写论文了。我想如果我不停地写，最后我会写出来的。事实上写不出来，我根本不知道我要写的是什么——公牛闯进瓷器店一般的混乱。

Now that I've thought about it I can see that I was trying to write the essay without planning how I was going to do it. I didn't approach it systematically at all - that's why I couldn't get started. It was a real learning curve though because when I got my feedback from my tutor, it was clear that I hadn't actually answered the question - to be honest, I'd hardly read it. I just homed in on the topic. I made the assumption that I was no good at writing essays. It's taken me a while to work out what was happening but I think I've learned that good essays don't just 'happen'.

现在我回想起，我能明白，我曾经在没有规划如何去做的情况下尝试写出论文。我无法有条理的处理一切事情——这也就是为什么我不能开始工作的原因。这是一条真正的学习曲线，但是因为当我从导师那里得到对我的反馈，很显然我并没有真正回答这个问题——说实在的，我很难读懂它。我仅仅是看懂题目而已。我假设自己不善于写论文。我要花一些时间弄清楚发生了什么，但是我想我学到一点，就是好的论文写的不仅仅是“事情的发生”。

Sue's notes were different:

小苏的笔记有所不同：

• I was reading one of the set books and studying graphs - trying to interpret the information, especially that needed to answer Q1 on my first assignment.
• 我读过这套书籍和学习图表中的一册——试图解释信息，尤其是需要回答我第一份作业的第一个问题。
  
• I read it over and over again; I thought I understood it but was not sure.
• 我再三阅读；我认为我理解了，但是我不敢肯定。
  
• There was so much information, I thought 'I'll never remember all this.' It all seemed to be important.
• 这里面的信息太多，我想我永远都记不住它们。它们看上去都很重要。
  
• If I try to understand basic principles rather than try to remember all the details I might do better, and valuable study time will be more effective.
• 如果我尝试理解基本原理而非尝试记住所有细节，我可能做得更好，宝贵的学习时间也会更有效率。
  

Can you begin to see the difference between thinking about what you were learning and how you were learning; between the content of your study and the process of doing it? Only when you begin to examine the process are you likely to consider whether there might be other more effective ways of studying. We are certainly not suggesting that you engage in this activity every time you study, but being aware of the two dimensions of study and being able to analyse both of them is an important part of learning how to learn.

你能开始明白思考你曾学过什么和你曾如何学习之间的区别；你学习的内容和学习的过程之间的区别？只有当你开始检查其过程，你可能会考虑是否有其他更有效的学习途径。我们当然不会建议你每次学习都从事这项活动，但时刻意识到学习的两个方面，就能够分析它们，这是学习如何学习的很重要的组成部分。

You will notice that the focus here is on learning - your learning. It may be that the example you chose to examine was an occasion when you were being taught to do something. In this unit we do not look at the teaching side of the experience, although that does not mean it is unimportant. Here the emphasis is on you and your learning in any learning situation, and this places a considerable responsibility on you to think through the process. It also encourages you to understand more of what happens to you when you learn. As well as enhancing your learning, this can increase your control over your own learning; you may find this is an approach that is new to you, but do give it a try.

你会发现，这里的重点是学习——你的学习。比如，当你被教导要做点事情的时候，你选择检查可能是一个机会。在本单元我们并不看重教学方面的经验，但这并不意味它不重要。这里强调的是在任何学习状况下的你和你的学习，你想通过这个过程你就需要付出相当大的责任。它也鼓励你去更多了解在你学习的时候发生了什么。它还能增强你的学习，可以增强你对自己学习的控制；你可能发现这是一种陌生的方法，但是请给自己一次尝试。

Thinking about your learning

思考你的学习

Introduction

简介

In encouraging you to think explicitly about how you learn, as well as about what you learn, we are drawing on research about learning which has shown that this approach can actually improve your performance. Certainly it can and will make you a more efficient and effective learner. Before we start to explore the process, let us consider two general points about learning.

鼓励你明确思考如何学习，以及学习什么。我们正在利用有关学习的研究，研究展示了这种方法可以有效的改善你的表现。当然，它能够且将会使你成为更有效率更有效果的学习者。在我们开始探索这个过程之前，让我们考虑有关学习的两个一般性问题。

1. There is no single method of learning that guarantees success. How you learn best depends on many different factors, some of which we will explore in this unit. One of the main reasons for producing the unit is to help you find out which approach to learning is most effective for you in a range of different contexts. In each context, different tasks will require different approaches.
2. 没有任何学习方式可以保证成功。你的最佳学习方式取决于许多不同的因素，我们将在本单元探索其中一些。本单元存在的一个主要的目的是帮助你找出在一系列不同的环境中哪种学习方法对你最有效果。在每一种环境中，不同的任务将需要不同的方法。
   
3. What works best for you will not necessarily be the same as the approach used by other students, even those studying the same course. We are all unique as learners, although there are some patterns that emerge in any group of students. It is important to explore a whole range of approaches because that will enable you to find out what works best for you. By all means, do share ideas, techniques, tips and hints with other students and do try some that seem to work well for your colleagues, but if they do not work for you, modify or reject their suggestions. And that goes for the ideas in this unit as well.
4. 最适合你的工作不一定与其他学生所使用的方法相同，尽管学习的都是相同的课程。尽管可以从任意学生小组当中总结出一些学习模式，但是作为学习者，我们都是独一无二的。重要的是要在一个大范围内探索，因为这将让你找出什么工作最适合你。运用一切手段，与其他学生分享想法、技术、提示和心得，并在同事之间尝试一些可用的手段，但是如果他们不工作，修改或拒绝他们的建议。在本单元中也应当报有这种观念。

The most important aspect of learning how to learn is that you really do need to actively think about your learning. Let us continue thinking about your learning by moving from the analysis of a single learning activity to a wider view of you as a learner. Two main things will probably affect your approach to learning:

学习如何学习，最重要的方面是，你真的需要积极思考你的学习。让我们离开分析单个学习活动，将你看做一个学习者，从更广泛的角度继续考虑你的学习。主要有两样东西会影响到你的学习方法：

• your motivation (the reasons why you are engaged in a particular course of study)
• 你的动机（你从事某一课程的学习的理由）
  
• your previous history as a learner, both in a formal setting (such as at school or on another course) and informally, through unstructured or unexpected learning experiences.
• 你以前作为一名学习者的历史，包括正规学习（比如在学校或其它课程）和非正规学习，非结构化或者突发学习的经历。
  

Pause for a moment and consider each of these two points in turn.

暂停一会儿，逐项考虑这两点。

Your motivation

你的动机

Activity 2

活动二

Why did you decide to become a student and what do you hope to gain from your studies?

为什么你决定成为一名学生，你希望从学习中获得什么？

Think about this question for a few minutes and then note down your response.

考虑这个问题几分钟，然后写下你的回答。

Now read the discussion

现在阅读讨论材料

Discussion

讨论材料

Have you recorded only one reason for why you became a student or are there several reasons? Have your reasons for studying changed since you became a student? What you want to gain from studying may be something very specific (like promotion) or perhaps very personal (like increased self-confidence).

你是否写下你为什么成为一名学生的唯一理由，还是诸多理由？在你成为学生以后你的理由是否发生改变？你想从学习中获得的东西可能具体（比如得到提升）或者可能非常个性化（比如增加自信）。

Here is what Tim wrote:

这里是小丁写的：

I've always worked with computers but I actually have a dream. I'd like to be a teacher. I'm particularly interested in music and history. I suppose I'm also attracted to the idea of being able to say that I've got a degree - it'll make me feel good about myself. I hope that doesn't sound as if I'm not interested in the content, because I'm also looking forward to learning new things! This year is just a starting point to achieving my long-term goals.

我一直都在从事与计算机有关的工作，但我实际上有一个梦想。我想成为一名教师。我尤其对音乐和历史感兴趣。我想我被我可以宣称自己获得学位的主意所吸引——这会让我对自己感觉更好。我不希望这听起来好像我对内容不感兴趣，因为我也期待学到新东西！今年只是实现我长期目标的开端。

This is Sue's response:

小苏的回答：

Decided to be a distance learning student because I'm a nurse and work shifts. The distance learning system seemed to suit me. Wanted to do psychology degree. Chose Biology, brain and behaviour as the course title sounds good and the description appealed to me. Might do science degree. This course relevant to psychology and science degrees.

决定成为一名远程学习的学生是因为我是一名护士，需要轮班工作。远程学习系统似乎很适合我。想得到心理学学位。选择《生物学、大脑与行为》是因为课程名称听起来很好，以及它的简要描述很吸引我。也想得到科学学位。这门课与心理学和科学学位有关。

Most students have a mixture of reasons for studying, some more dominant than others. And many students find their motives change over time. It is a good idea to pause occasionally and review your motives because being aware of them may affect your attitude to study and how you organise it. When things seem to get difficult, reflecting on your reasons for being a student may help you reorganise your priorities.

大部分学生都有好几种学习的理由，其中一些占主导地位。许多学生发现他们的动机会因时而变。偶尔停下来反省自己的动机，是个好办法，因为你要明白冬季会影响到你的学习态度以及你如何组织学习。当事情似乎很困难的时候，反思你的学习理由有可能会帮助你调整你的轻重缓急。

Your learning history

你的学习历史

Activity 3

活动三

You do not need to explore this in detail - just pause for a moment and think about:

你不需要浏览细节，仅需停下来思考：

• one good (enjoyable and effective) learning experience
• 一个好的（愉快的、有效的）学习体验
  
• one experience that was perhaps less effective and enjoyable.
• 一个可能缺少效率、愉悦的学习体验
  

Then ask yourself why the first was more effective and why the second was not.

然后问自己为什么第一个更有效率，为什么第二个没有。

Now read the discussion

现在阅读讨论材料

Discussion

讨论

Here is Tim's response:

这是小丁的回答：

A good, enjoyable learning experience

一个好的、令人愉悦的学习体验

I can think of a number of things. One of the first enjoyable experiences was starting to use a computer back in 1988. PCs were very new then and there wasn't really much help available, nor was there much in the way of software. I just switched it on and had a go. Basically, I learned by doing it, even if I made mistakes. Each time I switched it on, I discovered something new. There was no pressure and I could learn at my own pace.

我能想出一些。第一件让人开心的体验是在1988年开始使用计算机。当时计算机还非常稀罕，也并不能真的起到什么作用，也没有什么软件。我仅仅打开计算机并试了一下。我基本上是在使用过程中，甚至是犯错过程中学会它的。每次开机，我都能发现新东西。没有压力，我可以按照自己的步伐来学习。

Not so enjoyable

不那么令人愉悦的

Recently, I registered for a programming course at my local college but I found it really difficult to concentrate in the evenings. Although a lot of it was hands on, we had to attend some lectures as well - I completely lost my way on several occasions and almost fell asleep!

最近，我在本地大学注册了一门编程课程，但是我发现非常不方便在晚上学习它。虽然多数资料可以相互传阅，但我们也必须参加一些讲座——有好几次我迷路了，甚至打瞌睡。

It's been really helpful to write all this down. It seems that I do find it difficult to learn if I can't work at my own pace. Also, I like to be doing things - I'm not very good at just listening, especially when I'm feeling tired after a long day at work. Another thing is that I hate being made to feel stupid - I think that's linked to a lack of confidence because I always assume that other people are better at things than I am.

它倒是对写这个有所帮助。看来，如果我不按照自己的步伐，就很难学习好。另外，我喜欢动手做——我不那么擅长只动耳朵不动手，尤其是在我经过一整天的工作，觉得很累的时候。再就是我很讨厌被人觉得愚蠢——我想这跟我缺乏信心有关，我一直都认为别人做什么都比我强。

Again your individual responses may be different to those of other students; do compare your responses if you have an opportunity to do so. Try to analyse what affected your learning experiences - what did work well for you and why? Then consider what did not work well for you - what made those specific learning experiences unsuccessful?

再者，你个人的回答可能与其他学生的不同；如果有机会的话，比较一下你的回答。试着分析是什么影响了你的学习体验——什么让你工作的好，为什么？然后考虑什么让你工作的不好——是什么令这些学习体验失败的？

Sue's response was different:

小苏的回答就不一样：

Good experience

好的体验

• Last year, an assignment on memory because subject matter interesting. Fascinating. Wanted to know more. Actually enjoyed it! Did well.
• 记忆中，去年有一项功课。因为课题很有意思。想知道更多。实实在在的享受它！没别的了。
  

Bad experience

坏的体验

• A question on Freud because subject matter difficult, not really my scene but chose it to try to understand it. Didn't enjoy it. A real struggle. Poor mark but tutor comments now seem helpful.
• 一个关于弗洛伊德的问题，因为课题很难，我也并不喜欢它，我选择它是为了试图弄懂。并未享受。真的是一场战斗。得分很低，但是现在看来导师的批语很有用。
  

You may have found that there is a link between your responses to Activities 2 and 3. Your current motives for studying may link to your earlier learning experiences - such as now wanting to study in depth some subject you remember enjoying but had to give up. Or maybe you looked at some maths materials that a friend, family member or colleague was studying and thought, ‘This is much more interesting than the maths I did at school - I could do this!’

你可能已经发现在你对第二个活动和第三个活动的回答之间具有联系。你当前的学习动机可能与你早期的学习体验有关系——比如现在想要深入学习的一些课题，是你曾经喜欢，后来被迫放弃的课题。或者你曾经看到自己朋友、家人或者同事正在学习的数学资料，认为：“这比我在学校学的数学有趣多了，我也可以学好它！”

Whatever your responses to these two activities, it is likely that you will have some emotional feelings about why you remembered and recorded them. Emotions and feelings are often part of our learning. We all have a learning history that has both positive and negative experiences. Maybe the reason your learning did not go too well was nothing to do with the topic or the activity, but simply that - like Tim - you had had a difficult day and found it impossible to concentrate. All learning has an affective component (to do with feelings) as well as a cognitive one (to do with thinking). Recognising this - and resolving any tensions in our feelings about learning - is an important part of learning how to learn.

无论你对这两项活动作何反应，你都会对于自己为什么记住、记录它们产生一些情绪性的感受。情绪和感受，往往是我们学习的一部分。我们每个人的学习历史，都有正面和负面的体验。也许你的学习理由不太好，导致在这个课题或者活动中没什么事情可做，但是简单地说——就像小丁那样——你已经有了很艰难的一天，发现在这一天很难集中精力。所有学习都有感性（带着情感去学习）以及理性（带着思考去学习）两方面。认识到这一点——并能解决我们学习上的任何紧张情感——是学习如何学习很重要的一部分。

Organising your study - keeping a learning diary

管理你的学习——坚持学习日记

If you have found this approach to learning interests you, you might like to take the analysis a stage further. To do Activity 4, you need to be studying a course so that you are engaged in learning on a regular basis. To examine your learning patterns, try keeping a 'learning diary' over a short period of time - at least a week - or maybe during the period that you are studying a particular section of your course.

如果你发现令自己对学习感兴趣的方法，你可能想对接下来的阶段进行分析。要完成活动四，你需要学习一门课程，这样你就可以定期地处在学习状态中。检查你的学习模式，在一段不那么短的时期内尝试坚持“学习日记”——至少一个星期——或者在你学习课程的某一特定章节的期间。

Activity 4

活动四

The process of keeping a learning diary is simple. On the first page, draw up a daily diary and record in summary form what days and times you were engaged in your work. Then for each study session or activity keep a record of:

坚持学习日记很简单。在第一页，写下每天的日记，同时以摘要的形式记录你一整天的工作。然后为每个学期或者活动记录如下：

• the practical details - what, when, where and how you studied
• 具体细节——你学习的内容、时间、地点以及方法
  
• the study methods and the various skills you used
• 你所使用的学习方法和各种技能
  
• your feelings about the methods of studying you used
• 你对于自己所用学习方法的感受
  
• a note on the effectiveness of each session
• 对每个学期的效力的描述
  
• a comment on how you might change your practice to be more effective next time.
• 对于你在下一次学习当中如何改变做法的说明
  

To really learn from this activity, you could stop reading this unit now and return to it after recording your study activities over a few days. Or, you may prefer to go on reading and return to the activity when we revisit this task later in the unit.

要从这个活动中学到东西，你可能要停止阅读本单元，花上几天时间记录你的学习活动，然后再回来。或者，你可能更愿意继续阅读，当我们在本单元后面部分重温此任务的时候回来。

Now read the discussion

现在阅读讨论材料

Discussion

讨论材料

The real value of keeping a learning diary is what you decide to do with the information once you have recorded it. You need to set aside a time when you can look back at your notes, see what you can learn from them about how you learn, and then consider any changes you might make.

坚持学习日记的真正意义在于，一旦你记录了信息，你就可以决定将其用在什么地方。你必须留出一些时间，以便于你能回顾你的笔记，看看你能从中学到一些什么如何学习的知识，然后考虑你可能需要做出的任何变化。

For example, look at your diary and consider:

举个例子，看看你的日记，然后考虑：

• What circumstances were most conducive to study?
• 什么状况最有利于学习？
  
• What sessions worked best (where/when/how long)?
• 哪次学习过程最好（时间/地点/日程）？
  
• What activities were most successful and why?
• 什么活动最成功，为什么？
  
• How much planning in advance did you do - about how/when/where/what you would work on?
• 你做了多少关于你工作的方式/时间/地点/对象的事前规划？
  
• What did you do if you got stuck/lost concentration/felt unmotivated?
• 如果你停顿下来、无法集中注意力、感到迷茫，你会怎么办？
  
• What changes can you make that might improve the effectiveness of your study?
• 你能否就改进学习效力做些什么？
  
• Where or to whom can you go for help and advice?
• 你可以向什么人或地方群求帮助或建议？
  

Here is part of Tim's diary:

这里有小丁的一部分日记：

10 Feb.

二月十日

Have worked out timetable for study. Will try to stick to it! Will try to do two hours per day - every day - one morning and one evening, even at the weekends.

已经设计出用于学习的时间表。我会尽量坚持下去！每天两小时——不间断——早上一个钟头，晚上一个钟头，周末也不例外。

9.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. - Started on Unit 1. Didn't cover many pages (8) but have done the activities and made loads of notes. That'll help me remember. Worried about how long it's taking. Didn't really feel like working this evening though - bit tired after meeting at work and didn't get home until 8.30. The whole thing was a real struggle and I can't say that I enjoyed it.

晚上九点半到十一点半——开始第一单元。看的页数不多（八页），但是完成了活动，做了大量笔记。这有助于我记忆。有些担心能记住多久。尽管一晚上并不觉得喜欢这样做——上班开会有些累，八点半还没有回家。整件事情像是在打仗，也不能说自己就喜欢它。

11 Feb.

二月十一日

6.30 a.m. to 7.30 a.m. - Good progress this morning. Getting up at 6.30 isn't nearly as bad as I thought it'd be. Still worried about how long I'm taking to work through this unit though.

早上六点半到七点半——今天早上进展良好。早上六点半起床并没有我想象中那样糟糕。尽管仍然操心这个单元还要学习多久时间。

Didn't manage anything this evening. Wanted to watch the football and then not in the mood.

今天晚上没有任何事情。本来想看足球的，后来没有情绪。

12th Feb.

二月十二日

6.30 a.m. to 7.30 a.m. - Did usual hour this morning. Achieved quite a lot - made me feel really good. Stopping to look at the illustration book breaks time up. Had first, proper tutorial this evening and met someone I used to go to school with - haven't seen him for 20 years! Signed up for self-help group and Bob and I will definitely get in touch anyway. Tutor has suggested that we try different forms of note taking. Couldn't study after tutorial. Too tired when I got home. I'm already behind my schedule.

早上六点半到七点半——早上一切照常。今天收获颇多——这让我感觉很好。停下来看图书让时间过得很快。首先，晚上适当的补习，和老同学见面——已经有二十年没见过面了！报名参加自助小组，大宝和我无论如何都肯定会保持联系。辅导老师建议我以不同的形式记笔记。补习以后不能再学习了。回到家太累了。我已经落后于计划了。

13 Feb. etc.

二月十三日等等

What I've learned from doing this

我从这里面学到什么？

Writing things down has enabled me to pull out some surprising points:

把东西写下来让我得出一些惊人的观点：

I'm really a 'morning' person so I should avoid studying late at night if possible. I might think about doing a bit before dinner though if I'm home at a reasonable time. It's worth studying for half an hour or so at a time - over a week it adds up.

我真的是一个早晨型的人，所以我应该尽可能避免在晚上学习得太晚。我在考虑，如果我按时回家的话，可以在吃晚饭之前学习一点。每次学习差不多一个半小时才有价值——加起来就超过一周了。

Sue's notes were brief but to the point:

小苏的笔记很简单，但是给出了要点：

Tues 3 March eve Read through Book 1 Ch. 1–5 again. Made extra notes. Each time I read something, I find something new to note.

三月三日，星期二，晚上，再次通读第一册一至五章。做了很多笔记。每次阅读我都能发现一些新东西值得笔记。

Sat 8 March am Realised the first assignment is based on first 9 chapters of Book 1! Mustn't panic. Concentrated on Q1 first - genetics - I need to understand this. Read Ch. 3 several times, concentrating on diagrams.

三月八日星期日，上午，领到第一册前九章的第一份功课！不要慌。先关注第一个题目——遗传学——我要明白这一点。反复阅读第三章，专注于图表。

Tues 10 March eve Q1 parts 1 and 2 seem to be OK and straightforward, but worth only 5 marks each. Not sure about the rest (worth the other 40 marks!). Jotted down ideas. Need to think. Will come back to it. Q2 is essay. Need to start this. Subject sounds OK - how animals stop behaving in a particular way. Found relevant sections in 3 different chapters. Draft 1 started.

三月十日星期二，晚上，第一题第一二部分基本上已经简单明了地完成，但每道题只得了五分。不知道接下来的题目该怎么办（还有四十分要等着拿）。随时把想法记录下来。需要三思。以后回过头再看看。第二题是一篇论文。要开始做了。题目听起来不错——动物如何停止某种特定的行为。在三章不同的章节里找到相关内容。已经开始第一稿。

Sat 14 March on and off all day Realised essay was on how animals STOP behaving and all my notes are on START behaving!! Drew up new plan. Did draft 1.

三月十四日星期六，一整天断断续续地写论文《动物如何停止行为》，而我的所有笔记都是关于开始行为的！！草拟新计划。第一稿。

Sun 15 March on and off most of day Finished Q1. Draft 2 of Q2.

三月十五日星期日，一整天断断续续，完成了第一题。第二题进入第二稿。

Mon 16 March eve Must finish and post. Due in tomorrow. A few minor changes to essay - no time for any more.

三月十六日星期一，晚上，必须完成功课并投递出去。明天是最后期限。对论文做了一些小的改动——没时间做更多改动了。

Sat 28 March Assignment came back - 65%. Quite pleased but tutor comments explained how I could have got more if I'd checked the precise wording of the questions a bit more carefully. So felt I'd short-changed myself. Decided to underline key words in future.

三月二十八日星期六，功课发下来了——65分。很高兴导师在批语中告诉我如何做得更好——只要我能在问题的用词准确性方面更加小心一些即可。这样可以让自己骗骗自己。决定以后在关键词上做标记。

At this point it might be worth considering how you developed your approach to study. Are you using methods you used in other learning situations? Have you ever thought about how you work or do you just 'get on with it'? Have you used any books on how to study or discussed study methods with other students or with your tutor?

你如何开发你的学习方法，在这一点上它可能值得考虑。你现在使用的方法以前用在其他学习情况当中么？你有没有考虑过要如何工作才能“有进步”呢？你只否看过讲如何学习的书籍，或者与其他学生或者你的导师讨论过学习方法？

Many of us use methods that we have developed from a range of experiences and sources - some of which are likely to be more effective than others. Being aware of how we learn enables us to make choices about the most appropriate way to tackle any learning task more efficiently and effectively. This does not imply that you have to be organised and regimented in your study programme - it means just thinking about what works best for you. If you feel comfortable with a relaxed and unpredictable approach that suits you and your lifestyle, that's fine. But if that approach is not working too well, at least you should be considering the possibility of changing it.

我们大多数人所使用的方法，是我们从一系列经验和资源中发展而来的——其中一些可能比其他的更加有效。意识到我们如何学习可以令我们选择最合适的方式来处理任何学习任务，使得更有效率、更有效果。这并不表示你在你的学习方案中必须实现规划好——这表示只需要考虑什么最适合你。如果你觉得宽松而无规律的方法很舒服，那么他就适合你和你的生活方式，这就够了。但是如果该方法并不能工作得很好，至少你应该考虑是否改变一下。

Learning through assessment

评估式学习

Introduction to applying your learning

介绍如何应用到你的学习当中

In this part of the unit we invite you to apply some of the ideas we have introduced in a more structured way. One of the easiest ways to really understand learning how to learn as a process, rather than as a series of individual activities, is to apply it to a section of the course you are currently studying. Choose a section that is complete in itself - for example, a block of the course - and that leads to an assignment. We suggest that you read through the whole of this section and its associated activities, and then decide how you might apply it to your own work on your current course.

在这一部分，我们邀请你以一种更加条理化的方式实践一些我们介绍过的思路。要真正理解学习如何学习的最简单办法就是实践过程，而非一系列单个的活动，也就是要将其应用到你现在正在学习的课程内容中来。选择一节独立的课程，要带得有一份作业。我们建议你通读整节课程以及相关活动，然后决定如何将其应用到你自己当前的学习中去。

When you want to try this out for yourself, you will need to allocate some of your (study) time to completing each activity in this section. Even if you have a very tight schedule, it will be time well spent. Some students have found that working through this process affects their approach to study in a way that both enhances their performance in the short term, and has lasting effects on their learning.

当你想尝试这个的时候，你需要安排一些学习时间来完成本章节的每一个活动。即使你的计划安排的很紧凑，抽出这些时间也是值得的。有些学生发现根据这些过程所进行的工作会在某种方式上影响到学习方法，仅在短期内提高了他们的表现，并对其学习产生持久的影响。

One idea is to use a separate notebook (or put together a document on your computer) to record your responses to the activities. Alternatively, if you choose to include your responses in with your normal study notes, use a different coloured pen (or font if you word process your notes). This will enable you to distinguish your learning about how to learn from what you are learning while still seeing how the two interact.

有个办法是使用一份专门的笔记本（或者你计算机中的一份文档）来记录你对活动的反应。另外，如果你决定在你平常的学习笔记中记录你对活动的反应，建议你使用不同颜色的笔（或者另一种字体，如果你是使用字处理软件的话）。这可以在遇到学习方法和学习内容发生交互的时候，让你分辨出你的学习方法和学习内容。

If you know another student who is studying the same course, why not suggest you share your responses to the activities? You could do this by meeting (at tutorials or elsewhere), by post or phone, or by email. Finally, it is a good idea to tell your tutor that you are going to try the activities - part of learning how to learn is developing a good learning dialogue with your tutor.

如果你知道其他学生在学习相同的课程，为什么不将你对活动的反应与别人进行分享呢？你可以在（在辅导课或者别的地方）会面的时候分享，可以通过发帖子或者打电话，发送邮件。最后，如果你想尝试这些活动，告诉你的导师是一个不错的主意——学习如何学习的一部分是发展与导师的良好学习对话。

As on previous pages, the activities over the following sections will include responses from both Tim and Sue. TIme was working on the course, and Sue was working on the final assignment for her biology course

如前所述，一下章节所包含的活动将包含小丁和小苏的反应。小丁学习这门课程，小苏正在完成她生物课程的最后功课。

NB: Because of the way the responses are presented on the web, the user is presented with both in succession, rather than in a format that allows easy comparison.

主意：因为反应是以网页的形式提供的，提供者都放在一起，而非别的一种易于比较的格式。

A summary of the phases and activities of learning how to learn

简要介绍学习如何学习的步骤和活动

We can represent the process of learning how to learn in a diagram with four phases (Figure 1).

我们可以用四个阶段的图表来表示学习如何学习的过程（图一）。

Figure 1: The four main phases of learning how to learn

图一：学习如何学习的四个主要阶段

View description
查看具体说明

Preparing for a section of study and an accompanying assignment is an essential part of the process. In this phase, you are encouraged to pause and think ahead about how and when you will tackle both studying the material and the assessment task itself.

准备，为某一节的学习及相关功课，是整个过程重要的一环。在这个阶段，建议你停下来预先想想，何时以及如何处理对素材的研究和功课任务本身这两样。

Exploring is the phase when most of your studying is done, by both working through the course and preparing for the assignment.

探索，是你进行学习的主要阶段，包括学习课程和准备功课。

Implementing covers the actual doing of your assignment - producing the assignment in a form that can be sent to your tutor.

实现，涵盖你完成功课的实际动作——以某种可被导师接受的形式制作功课。

Reviewing is the phase when your work is returned. Lessons from this phase may well help you in the next circuit as you prepare for another section of study and the next assignment.

反省，这个阶段发生在你的劳动成果被返回来的时候。这一阶段将帮助你在下一循环中为其他学习和新的功课做好准备。

So what should you actually do in each of these phases? Each can be divided into two activities (Figure 2), and we will look at them in turn in the following sections.

所以，你打算在每一阶段具体怎么做？每个阶段都可以分解成两个活动（图二），我们将在下一节依次考察这些活动。

Figure 2: The eight activities of learning how to learn

图二：学习如何学习的八个活动

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The preparation phase

准备阶段

Preparing

准备

In the preparation phase you should pause before starting a new section of work and think about it as a whole. What needs to be covered? What are the various components of this block of work? What are the learning objectives or outcomes? What will you need to know and be able to do at the end of it? What is required in the assignment?

在准备阶段，开始一次新的学习之前，你应该停下来，从整体角度来考虑它。需要哪些相关知识？这次学习任务包括哪些部分构成？学习目标或结果是什么？在学习结束的时候你应该掌握或者能够做到的是什么？在功课中必需的是什么？

There are two main activities during this phase, both directly related to your course work and assignment:

在这个阶段有两个主要活动，都与你的课程以及功课有直接关系。

• analysing the task
• 分析任务
  
• making a plan.
• 制定计划
  

Analysing the task

分析任务

This involves you in analysing both the learning task, (e.g. working through the text, other readings, calculations, experiments) as well as the assessed task (e.g. the assignment). It is important to work out from the start just what this part of the course requires you to do as well as to know.

这需要你分析学习任务（比如文字工作、各种阅读、计算、试验）和评价任务（比如功课）。这从一开始就是很重要的工作，也正是课程需要你知道、需要你去做的。

Activity 5

活动五

Scan through your course material, looking at section headings, activities etc. Check any other components of the course you may have been provided with or directed towards. This could be other reading, audio-visual material, or electronic texts. Then look at the assignment. Take particular note of any guidance you’ve been given. This may have been given verbally by your tutor or in student notes. Also look at the criteria that will be used in marking it. If you have a choice of questions for your assignment, look at them all at this stage – it will also help you see what to expect and look out for as you study. Make notes as you compile this overview.

通看一遍课程素材，找到章节标题、活动等。检查课程的所有组件，包括你已经持有的，和你将要拥有的。这包括阅读材料、视听材料，以及电子文本。然后查看作业。特别注意给你的任何建议。这些建议有可能由导师口头提出，或者写在学生注意事项里面。同时也要看看用于评分的标准。如果你可以选择作业中的问题，现在把它们都看一遍——这将帮助你看到你在学习中期望和关注的是什么。最后整理出一份课程概况。

Now read the discussion

现在阅读讨论材料

Discussion

讨论

Here's Tim's list of what his next assignment requires:

以下是小丁所列在他下一功课中所必需的：

What I need to know sounds really daunting - I've looked through the next assignment question and the advice. There are two parts to the question. This is what I need to know:

我系要知道的东西听起来很让人害怕——我已经通读了下次功课的问题和建议。问题分两部分。下面是我需要知道的：

The basic elements of classical architecture

古典建筑的基本元素

The form of the Colosseum - structure, decoration, shape

剧场的形式——结构、装修、外型

Its function - why it was built and what it was used for

功能——为什么要修建它，它的用途是什么

The relationship between form and function

形式和功能之间的关系

How far the functional needs were achieved in the design

实现了多少设计中的功能需求

What the Roman Games were all about

罗马奥运赛场周围是些什么

The reasons why they were important for the Romans

为什么入乡随俗很重要的原因

Some idea of the relative importance of these reasons (seems difficult, I think I will need to weigh things up - possible weakness)

这些理由当中一些相对重要的思路（似乎很难，我想我需要权衡一下可能的弱点）

What primary sources are

主要来源有哪些

How they should be approached

如何处理它们

How to decide which bits of the course material are relevant (I'm getting there but I do find it time-consuming)

如何判断哪些课程资源是相关的（我能做到，但是我发现这很耽误时间）

How to structure the work (I believe I'm OK at this now)

如何构建工作（我相信现在我能行）

How to answer the question within a tight word limit (a weakness)

如何在有限字数的限制内回答这个问题（弱点）

How to be analytical rather than just descriptive (a definite weakness!)

如何分析而不仅仅是描述（一个很大的弱点！）

Addition to skills audit completed earlier

增加对早期完成的技能的审查

I've looked back at the early skills audit that I did and I note that I need all the same skills again plus a few more for this assignment. I'll need to be able to synthesise the information. It's all there in the material but I've got to pick out the right bits and direct them to a particular question. I've also got to look at some detailed architectural drawings which are a bit like diagrams and understand the technical bits.

我回头看看早期我所做的技能审查，我注意到在这项功课里，我再次需要所有相同的技能，同时又增加了一些。我需要能够综合处理信息。这些信息都在素材里面，但是我要找到正确的那个，并将它们引向特定的题目。我也需要看一些详细的建筑图纸，这东西有点像图表，需要理解技术细节。

From the overview, you will get a good idea of what to expect in terms of content as well as an indication of what learning skills you may need. Pause for a moment and look back on previous parts of your course or other courses you have studied; or on earlier learning experiences that are relevant to the current task. This may help you identify your strengths and weaknesses as a learner. In what skills needed for this task are you particularly strong? What areas need improving? This analysis can be quite specific, perhaps based on feedback from previous assignments or, if the current task demands something new, only very general points from your previous learning may seem relevant.

通过课程概况，对于你所需要的学习技能，以预期的内容及描述的形式，你能获得一个好的思路。停下来回顾本课程以前部分和你以前学的其他课程，或者与当前任务有关的更早的学习体验。这可以帮助你分清你作为一名学习者的优劣之处。对于任务所需的技能，哪项你最擅长？哪些方面需要改进？这种分析可以是非常具体的，或许基于来自于以前功课的反馈，或者假如当前任务需要一些新东西，似乎你以前所学的东西中只有非常笼统的要点与之有关。

To get an overview of what she had to do, Sue made a comprehensive analysis of what the next part of her course entailed and then looked in detail at the assignment that followed. Here are her notes on the assignment.

为了获得一份他必须做的课程概述，小苏对其课程接下来的必修部分进行了一次广泛的分析，然后看了相关的作业细节。下面是他对作业的笔记。

Assignment 7. Assignment booklet useful here as it tells me about:

功课七。有用的功课小册子告诉我：

• assessment strategy and the role of assessment in learning
• 功课策略和功课在学习中的作用
  
• subheadings in essays, spelling, diagrams and referencing
• 论文的副标题、拼写、图表和引用
  
• computer-marked assignment strategy and the role of formative and summative computer-marked assignments
• 计算机评分的作业策略，以及实施和完成计算机作业的作用。
  
• tutor-marked assignment strategy and gives hints on things like sequence for setting out arguments in essays and why short answer questions are 'tiered'
• 导师评分的作业策略，并就在论文中列出论点的顺序和为什么简单回答问题需要分层而提出建议
  
• marking strategy and explains why over 55% is good and over 70% is very good
• 评分策略，并解释55%分以上为良，70%分以上为优秀。
  
• skills expected and tested in the course
• 在课程中预期和将要测试的技能。
  

1. understanding of key facts and concepts
2. 理解关键事实和概念
   
3. clear, concise and coherent writing
4. 清晰、简明而连贯的写作
   
5. interpretation of data from tables, charts and graphs
6. 从表格、图表和图形中解读数据
   
7. experimental design and analysis
8. 实验设计与分析
   
9. integration of material from different parts of the course
10. 整合来自课程不同部分的素材
    
11. interpretation of new data in relation to material in the course.
12. 解读与课程相关素材的新数据
    

Assignment 7: 2 questions, Q1 = essay, Q2 = 4 parts.

功课七：两个题目，第一题是论文，第二题有四部分。

• Q1: essay 'Compare and contrast psychoses and neuroses'. Answer in no more than 1200 words.
• 第一题：论文《比较精神病和神经病》。1200字以内。
  
• It carries 50% of total marks for the assignment.
• 它占到作业总分的50%
  
• It tells me that it refers mainly to book 6 material but information from other parts of the course may also be relevant.
• 它提示我主要参考第六册的素材，但是也有可能引用到本课程其他部分的信息。
  
• It tells me about marks to be deducted if I go over the word limit.
• 它提示我如果超出字数就会被扣分。
  
• Q2: A four-part question about Parkinson's Disease.
• 第二题：一个关于帕金森氏症的包含四部分的问题。
  
• Part (a) has 15% of total assignment marks; (b) = 10% (c) = 10% (d) = 15%.
• 第一部分包含总分15%的分数；第二部分10%，第三部分10%，第四部分15%
  
• It tells me to refer to the tables in the Assignment Booklet. Table 1 for part (b) Table 2 for (c) and both tables for (d).
• 它提示我参考了功课手册中的表格。表格一用于第二部分；表格二用于第三部分；第四部分同时用到两个表格。
  
• It tells me that it refers mainly to book 6 material but information from other parts of the course may also be relevant.
• 它提示我主要参考第六册的素材，但是也有可能引用到本课程其他部分的信息。
  

Making a plan

制定计划

How you respond to this suggestion will depend on what sort of person you are. Many of us are great planners with timetables and lists for every part of our lives; others just get on with the priorities and everything else follows in due course. Planning is no guarantee everything will get done or that deadlines will be met, but the process of making a plan makes you focus on what the task entails and gives direction and purpose to your study. Studying does demand that most students need to plan their work and there is evidence that target setting and appropriate planning can enhance performance.

你如何回应这项建议将取决于你是什么类型的人。我们许多人都能够利用时间表和列表安排我们生活的每一方面；还有一些则仅仅依赖于时间顺序。计划并不能保证所有事情都能圆满完成或者限期解决，但是制作计划的过程可以让你关注任务需要的东西，以及为你的学习给出方向和目标。学习要求大多数学生必须计划自己的工作，有证据表明设立目标并作出适当的规划，可以增强学习效果。

Plans can be as general or as specific as necessary depending on your purpose and preference. Remember to take into account any awareness you have of your preferred ways of working - your learning skills, styles and strategies. The aim is to help you begin to understand what approach to learning really works best for you, in the context of the course you are currently studying and your personal circumstances.

视乎你的目的和偏好，可以根据需要制定一般的或者特定的计划。记得要顾及所有你所拥有的工作方式——你的学习技能、风格和策略。其目的是帮助你开始明白，在你当前学习的课程的相关环境中和你的个人情况下，哪种学习方法最适合你。

An action plan can be just a list of things to do, a chart giving deadlines, a diagram showing how the various parts of your plan interact, or a set of post-its on a sheet of card that you move around when each task is done. If you break down the overall task into a series of smaller targets, you can chart your progress in more detail. It's useful to have a way of recording your progress as well as a way of listing any sources of help that you need. You can even customise one of the more sophisticated electronic planners - if that is your preferred way of working. But do remember that your original plan may well have to be modified as you work towards your final target.

一个活动计划，可以仅仅是一份待做事情清单，一份时间期限图，一份展示了你计划中多个部分如何互动的图表，或者一组卡片，可以便于你在任务完成后将其移去。如果你将总任务分解成一系列小目标，你可以更详细的计划你的过程。它作为记录你学习过程、列出所有对你有帮助的资源的一种方法非常有用。你甚至可以定制一个非常精细的电子计划——如果你喜欢这种工作方式的话。但是请记住，在你朝着最终目标前进的过程中，你最初的计划可能会有所改动。

Activity 6

活动六

Now, make yourself an action plan for your next assignment. You may like the design and layout of Tim's or Sue's action plans, or you may prefer to design one for yourself.

现在为你接下来的功课制定一个活动计划。你可能喜欢小丁或者小苏的活动计划的设计与布局，或者你也可能喜欢设计一个自己的。

Now read the discussion

现在阅读讨论材料

Discussion

讨论材料

The format and the content of the plan should be one that suits you and the assignment for which you are preparing.

This action plan compiled by Tim covers his work on a section of the course, as well as setting targets for the completion of his assignment.

Target	What I need to do	With help from	Target date	Revised date	Date completed
Find out what the next assignment is about.	Read the question and student advice.	Bob Self-help group Tutor at tutorial	April 12		April 12
Gather material for both parts of essay.	Go through my notes extracting relevant bits.	TV programme might be useful.	April 13		April 13
	Check back through course unit and margin notes in case there is anything to add.
Produce an essay plan for each part.	Put the points in order.	Discuss key points with Bob. Look in Arts Good Study Guide for advice on analysing.	April 13		April 13
Produce first draft of both parts.	Put my notes in some sort of order with an introduction and conclusion.		April 13	April 14	April 14
Produce final draft of part 1.	Edit to make sure that all the points are relevant; proof read for spelling and grammar 'blips'.	Self-help group meeting at pub.	April 14	April 15	April 15
Produce final draft part 2.	As above.	As above.	April 16	April 17	April 17
Meet assignment deadline: April 21.	Have final read through (just in case!) and post to tutor.	April 18	April 19	April 19

Sue has a very disciplined approach to her work, with tight deadlines for her final assignment.

Main task: Submit my final assignment on time!

Target	Tasks	Target date
Book 6	(i) skim read	6 Sept
Assignment 6 (due in 15 Sep)	(i) finish and post	12 Sept
Assignment 7 (due in 2 Oct)	(i) check requirements	18 Sept
	(ii) select relevant sections
	(iii) re-read
	(iv) check graphs and tables
	(v) extract data
	(vi) make notes
Assignment 7 Q1 (essay)	(i) draw up essay plan as grid	18 Sept
	(ii) include evidence and data
Assignment 7 Q2	(i) re-read question and check understanding	22 Sept
	(ii) draft out answer to parts (a) to (c)
	(iii) if necessary get help on (d)
Assignment 7 Q1 (essay)	(i) DRAFT 1 of essay	22 Sept
	(ii) check word limit and
	(iii) use red pen to cut down!!
Assignment 7 Q2	(i) write final version of Q2	24 Sept
Assignment 7 Q1 (essay)	(i) DRAFT 2 of essay	27 Sept
	(ii) get someone else to read through and comment
Assignment 7	(i) FINAL VERSION of essay	30 Sept
	(ii) post it!

The exploration phase

Exploring

This is the phase when you will be studying your course material, using and developing your learning skills. The two activities of this phase are:

▪ studying the materials

▪ monitoring your progress.

The exploration phase

Studying the materials

This is the period when you will be working on your course materials in preparation for the assignment. This may include working through written or electronic texts, any other associated reading or media components, possibly attending a tutorial, accessing any other information that you need and making notes or records of it. Some courses give you a lot of direct guidance on how to work through the course materials; others present you with a range of options and routes. Some courses, particularly those at higher levels, leave you to make the decisions about how to tackle your study. Take advantage of any advice offered but as you become more aware of how best you learn, you will be able to take increasing responsibility for your own learning.

As you study and prepare for the assignment, you may need to use skills or techniques in which you are less confident, possibly those identified during the preparing phase. If so, try to consciously work on the skills that need developing rather than struggling through course material, ignoring areas or activities you find difficult.

This is a good time to complete a skills audit.

Activity 7

Take a break from your work and have a look at the instructions for your next assignment. Make sure you read any student notes very thoroughly and take note of any advice your tutor provides. Really analyse the task(s) involved and identify the skills you will need to complete the assignment successfully. Then draw up and complete a form like the one shown in Figure 3 or, if you prefer, devise one that suits you and the task.

Figure 3: A form for completing a skills audit

View description

Now read the discussion

Discussion

Here is Tim's skills audit for the assignment he was planning. As you can see, he has identified a number of skills that the assignment requires and in most of these he feels fairly confident. But there is some material in this part of the course that is new to him and he knows he has problems with it. He decides to really work on the relevant skills because they are important for the assignment.

Skill	Estimate of my current level of skill					How do I know?	Priority for improvement				What might I do about it?
	1 low	2	3	4	5 high		1 low	2	3	4 high
Reading			X			Coping OK but still find that part difficult in terms of maintaining concentration.			X		Look in the Arts Good Study Guide. Ask people on the FirstClass Conference what they do.
Note-taking				X		I can understand them when I start to plan my assignment.		X			I'll just keep practising pattern notes.
Gathering information for assignments		X				It takes ages - I end up going over all my notes plus the whole block again.				X	Bob has same problem. Look in Arts Good Study Guide again. Ask tutor - she said we shouldn't hesitate to phone if we have problems.
Assignment plan		X				Also takes ages - sifting through all that info.				X	As above - I must speed up a bit.
First draft				X		Once I've got the plan I seem to be reasonably OK. It doesn't take that long and I get positive comments from my tutor on my structure.		X			If l can speed up the above then I expect this will take less time.
Being analytical	X					Tutor says on PT3 my marks will improve dramatically once I get away from so much description.				X	Compare my last essay with Bob's. Ask self-help group if anyone's willing to let me look at their assignment when it's been marked.
											Look in Arts Good Study Guide. Edit draft carefully.
Answering the question			X			Tutor wrote on PT3 that lack of analysis means that I don't fully answer the question.				X	Doing above should help with this.
Organising my time			X			Fit study in OK but underestimate time things take.			X		Hope above will help sort this problem. It all seems to be linked.

Sue has a very clear idea of where she needs to develop her skills and makes this a priority for her next assignment. Here is her skills audit.

Skill	Estimate of my current level of skill					How do 1 know?	Priority for improvement				What might I do about it?
	1 low	2	3	4	5 high		1 low	2	3	4 high
understanding key facts and concepts			*			it often takes me a long time and I sometimes miss key points that are crucial			*		try other ways of going through the material; perhaps go to a learning skills workshop
clear writing				*		tutor tells me on assignments		*			keep at it
concise writing				*		tutor tells me on assignments		*			keep at it
coherent writing				*		tutor tells me on assignments		*			keep at it
interpreting data from tables			*			get put off if there are lots of numbers			*		practice, perhaps ask for session in tutorials
interpreting data from charts			*			I sometimes need to draw in lines to help me interpret histograms and bar charts			*		practice, perhaps ask for session in tutorials
interpreting data from graphs			*			if there are several lines on one graph I sometimes take ages to interpret them			*		practice, perhaps ask for session in tutorials
integration of material from different parts of the course		*				there's so much in the course it takes ages to go through it all in case I've missed something relevant				*	discuss with other students over phone or at tutorials
interpretation of new data in relation to material in the course	*					final part of tiered questions seems to test this and I find them the most difficult parts of assignments				*	ask tutor for help if stuck in understanding; ask for practice at tutorials; ask tutor for extra feedback on assignments

The exploration phase

Monitoring your progress

Of all the components in the learning how to learn process, this is probably the most difficult. As you study, you need to make a conscious effort to monitor your progress while working on the course, always with the main task in view. This is where a flexible plan devised in the preparation phase can be revised, particularly if you meet a difficult patch. Knowing when help is needed and where to go for it is important, especially if you discover that your learning skills need improving. Sources of help may be formally provided in the course materials, through your tutor or from an administrator. Check if there are any skills workshops or supplementary materials available (see Further reading and Other sources of help sections). Some courses offer help online - make sure you know what is available and make use of it. Other sources of help may be informal - other students, self-help groups, friends or colleagues. Major areas of difficulty, perhaps identified as you work through one part of the course or prepare an assignment, may have to be tackled at another time; ask your tutor what help is available.

All this is part of monitoring your progress as a learner and a student on a particular course. Try to take the time to review your progress, especially if your course has built in a 'pause for thought' or a review section. The emphasis of your monitoring should be on 'What am I learning?' as well as 'How am I learning it?'

Activity 8

You might like to record your progress as a learner as you work towards your next assignment. You can do this in any format that suits you - Activity 4 gives you some points to consider and here are some further ideas.

Keep a learning journal for at least a week, recording:

▪ the timing of each study session

▪ the place of each study session

▪ what you were learning

▪ how you were learning

▪ what did and what didn't go well

▪ changes you might make in the future.

Try to rate each session on a scale of 1–10 (e.g. a rating of 1 if you feel it was a waste of time, 10 if you feel that it was really beneficial) and add a comment on why you gave it that rating.

At the end of a week (or longer) pause and look at your records.

Now read the discussion

Discussion

Here are some comments from Tim who kept a detailed diary earlier in the course and now adds some scores to different activities to check on his progress.

Don't do daily diary now but note significant things. I'll just note my thoughts from looking at what I've written. Not very good at being honest about my skills but I'll have a go.

Journal is useful because it's clear that it makes me think about what's going on when I study, what works well and what doesn't. Where I work isn't a problem - no children around now! 10/10 I think for where.

I can see now that studying in the evening rates about 4/10 for me - a little is fine but I'm much better in the morning - 10/10 I think provided I take a break! I can now stop worrying about that.

Seeking help and talking things through with others and sharing ideas makes a huge difference because my note-taking rating has gone from 1/10 to about 6/10 or 7/10. I can still speed up a bit though. Still my notes look better now - less detail than I used to put.

Finding time is still a bit of a problem though - 6/10 perhaps. I tend to stick rigidly to my timetable but to be honest I could do a bit more early evening and at the weekends. On the other hand I think that I could be more efficient with the time I do use. I still need to find a strategy that helps me to locate the right bits for the assignments - currently rating about 4/10. I panic and go back over everything! I want to get decent marks (not great at the moment) for my assignments and I'm trying to develop my analytical skills. I give myself 3/10 because I'm still too much into description.

The purpose of this activity is to monitor your progress as you are studying and, in this case, working towards the completion of an assignment. But keeping the diary and monitoring your study is only of use if you learn from it - i.e. if you use the information to improve how you learn. If you used a rating system, look again at the high and the low scores - when, how and why do you work well; when, how and why is your study less effective? Use this information to find ways of working that are more effective and efficient. You can also relate your diary to your plan (Activity 6) and your analysis of the task (Activity 7) since this might be a good time to check your progress and make any necessary changes.

Sue decided not to keep a diary at this point. She had kept brief notes earlier in the year while preparing her first assignment (Activity 4) but shift work and family responsibilities meant her schedules were irregular and always very tight. She said that good planning was important for her, even if only for a week or two in advance. So she decided to check out how well she kept to her action plan for Assignment 7 (Activity 6) by ticking off each stage and noting whether she kept to her target dates. As you can see, some tasks took longer than expected and she lost several days due to her son having time off school, but just managed to meet the deadline for her final assignment. Sue realised that her schedule was far too tight, especially for a final assignment and that, in future, she must allow time for unforeseen circumstances.

Here is Sue's amended action plan:

Target	Tasks	Target date	Date completed
Book 6	(i) skim read took much longer and needed to make notes	6 Sept	8 Sept
Assignment 6 (due in 15 Sep)	(i) finish and post very rushed	12 Sept	14 Sept
Assignment 7 (due in 2 Oct)	(i)check requirements	18 Sept	23 Sept
	(ii)select relevant sections
	(iii)re-read	Martin ill and off school
	(iv)check graphs and tables
	(v)extract data
	(vi)make notes
Assignment 7 Q1 (essay)	(i)draw up essay plan as grid	18 Sept	23 Sept
	(ii)include evidence and data
Assignment 7 Q2	(i)re-read question and check understanding	22 Sept	27 Sept
	(ii)draft out answer to parts (a) to (c)	got stuck - phoned tutor
	(iii)if necessary get help on (d)
Assignment 7 Q1 (essay)	(i)DRAFT 1 of essay	22 Sept	27 Sept Getting worried …
	(ii)check word limit and
	(iii)use red pen to cut down!!
Assignment 7 Q2	(i)write final version of Q2	24 Sept	29 Sept
Assignment 7 Q1 (essay)	(i)DRAFT 2 of essay	27 Sept	30 Sept
	(ii)get someone else to read through and comment	no time for this
Assignment 7	(i)FINAL VERSION of essay	30 Sept	1 Oct
	(ii)post it!
	Just made it!

The implementation phase

Implementing

This is the phase when you complete your assignment. In some courses and for some assignments, the exploring and implementing phases may merge or overlap; in other courses, considerable exploration is needed before the actual assignment can be done. If there are several parts to your assignment, part of your planning might be to move back and forth between exploring and implementing - studying for and then completing part of the question, then returning for more study before tackling the rest of the assignment. Again, find a pattern that best suits you and the task. The two activities in the implementing phase are:

▪ monitoring your performance

▪ making a self-assessment.

The implementation phase

Monitoring your performance

As you move into actually doing the assignment, the emphasis on consciously trying to monitor how you are performing continues to be important. This involves checking your work while you are working on the task rather than waiting until you have almost completed it before you look back at what you have done. You may wonder why we place so much emphasis on monitoring what you are doing. The reason is that if you check regularly what and how you are doing and are aware of your progress and performance, you are less likely to lose sight of the task and more likely to make appropriate changes as you work. For example, part of monitoring your performance as you complete an assignment is to make sure you check and re-check any guidelines or criteria given any student notes or guidance you’ve received. Even though you may have done this as part of your initial preparation and planning, it is very easy to lose sight of the question as you immerse yourself in study and then rush into producing the assignment.

Advice in student notes and grading criteria are sometimes ignored by students who then cannot understand why their grades are disappointing. Sometimes students drift away from the question, forgetting any advice they may have read, so this is something you should focus on both before starting and while working on the task. If you are given the marking criteria against which you will be scored but find them difficult to understand, don't be afraid to ask your tutor for clarification so that you will know how to use the criteria to enhance your work.

Activity 9

Try to find time to pause and think about the process of actually producing the assignment. It will give you a real insight into how you demonstrate your learning and produce material for assessment. If you can keep notes as a running commentary while you do this, it will give you an opportunity to review and possibly improve the process.

Now read the discussion

Discussion

As part of a research project, some students were asked to keep a small tape recorder beside them to record their progress as they worked on an assignment. The evidence from the study suggested that the students involved may have gained as much from the experience as those responsible for the research.

Tim did his talking aloud on the phone to Jane, another student on the same course. Their tutor had suggested that the only way to become good at analysing poems and paintings was to practise doing it. Students were encouraged to pair up and do this regularly over the telephone in the lead-up to the final, compulsory assignment.

Right, now, as you know I've been a bit nervous about doing poems but I've written down the stages we agreed at our last meeting and tried to apply them. I've read it through several times and each time I jotted down a few notes in terms of what I think it's about. I think it's about a model who's upset at how unattractively she has been portrayed.

Right, count the lines - 14 - traditional for a sonnet. Whoops, I nearly forgot the title, oh, yes, perhaps she was a famous artist.

OK, next stage, the rhyme scheme. Oh, yes, it's ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Ah, good, although this is a modern sonnet it follows the traditional Shakespearean rhyme scheme. That gives me a clue to the next part of the process - the structure. Yes, after line 8 the tone changes, that's the 'turn' and the final two lines say something punchy to finish it off. Now I can see quite clearly that there are two ways to look at the structure - we can talk about the significance of that in a bit.

Now, I'll talk about the rhythm. I'm expecting it to follow the tradition for the Shakespearean sonnet - da da, da da, da da, da da, da da - yes, it does have 10 stresses for each line.

Now I'll look at that in relation to the punctuation. That's interesting, a pause after every line except line 7 - that makes a big point about how bad this woman makes her feel. Apart from that each line seems to make a statement on its own.

Good, now I've looked at the structure I'll have a go at the language. Alliteration - yes, in line 1 - all hard sounds where she feels ugly. That contrasts with the soft sounds in the second part where she feels beautiful. It's in the final line as well - I feel that the point is made strongly.

Oh, I nearly forgot - subject matter - does it follow the tradition? No, it's turned on its head! It not about adoration - quite the opposite.

I'm relieved that I've got so much out of this - a planned approach has made a huge difference to my nervousness about poems. I'm flagging a bit now though - can you help me to pull the language apart a bit more, please Jane?

Sue used a different coloured pen to jot down her thoughts as she completed her assignment.

▪ final assignment - good!

▪ end of course coming up - exam approaching! - panic!

▪ deadlines tight - no extensions on this assignment

▪ question 1 = essay - must check wording carefully - 'Compare and contrast' - draw up a grid I think to help note taking and essay planning

▪ mustn't forget examples to back up each point I make. Tutor said that's what gets good marks

▪ mustn't waffle

▪ too much information for word limit - red pen needed for drastic cutting

▪ Question 2 - these tables look complex. Need to work out what they mean. Think I've got it now. Ah - part (d) - not sure I understand what they mean here. Must try phoning tutor for hints.

▪ Tutor said part (d) designed to get me to think and a 'tiered' question like this is designed so that part (a) is straightforward and it works up to a 'challenging' final part. He's right there! Really need to think on this one.

▪ Think I've got it! Now I need to explain my reasons or I'll lose marks.

▪ ' Need to re-do essay in final version. Happier now. Fascinating topic - but so much information provided. Difficult to know if my selection is the most appropriate.

The implementation phase

Making a self-assessment

The ability to self-assess your work is a critical skill for you to develop if you want to improve your performance. If you can assess your own work accurately and identify the gap between what is required and what you are producing, you are more likely to be able to close the gap. But making an accurate and honest self-assessment is not an easy skill to develop, even though it is crucial in learning how to learn. Some courses do ask you to self-assess your work and submit your comments as part of the assignment. If this is required by your course, take it seriously and think carefully about what you have produced. This is where you should definitely use the marking criteria if they are provided and your tutor will give you appropriate feedback on your comments. If your course does not require this, you could put together a self-assessment form for yourself, which your tutor may agree to have a look at for you. It’s worth spending time on this as it will develop your own ability to self-assess.

Click 'view document' to open and print figure 4 as blank template.

View document

Activity 10

When you are ready to send your assignment to your tutor, spend a few minutes completing a form like the one in Figure 4. If your tutor has not provided a form like this, you can reproduce it yourself by completing Part A and attaching a note asking your tutor to respond. You can attach Part B as a separate sheet or write the headings on the back of Part A.

Figure 4: A form for your assessment of your assignment

View description

Now read the discussion

Discussion

If you take it seriously, completing the form is an important learning experience, so give yourself time to think about and complete each section. Trying to identify what you think you have done well is difficult but important. Use the form as part of a dialogue with your tutor who will then respond with feedback and advice. Building up this kind of dialogue will help you to learn from your assignments more effectively.

Here is Tim's form.

Name Tim Sullivan	Assignment number 2
1 One or two things that I think I have done well or tried to do well:
I think I have structured this well.
I checked through and made sure that everything was related to the topic.
2 One or two things that were difficult and I'm not too happy about:
I'm still unsure about my analytical skills - I find it difficult to do this particularly with the literature.
3 My assessment of this piece of work:
I've read back through it and now I'm starting to worry that there's too much on one part of the question and not enough on the other. I can't spend any more time on it but the balance doesn't seem right.
4 I would especially like feedback on the following areas:
(a) Course related
Analysing.
(b) Skills related
I haven't spent enough time on getting the balance between the different parts of the question right. I'm spending ages on gathering the material and sorting it out - trying to get it down to something manageable.
5 Any other comments or anything that you feel it is important that your tutor should know:
I've got a promotion at work - I really need to try to cut down on the time I'm taking.
Please send this form with your assignment. Complete Part B when it is returned.

Here is Sue's form.

Name: Sue Napier	Assignment number 7
1 One or two things that I think I have done well or tried to do well:
Q1 essay. Found it really interesting. Think I've structured it well and tried to include evidence for the points I've made.
2 One or two things that were difficult and I'm not too happy about:
Q1 essay. Found it difficult to keep within the word limit so I may have missed out important points in doing so.
Q2 part (d) difficult and I'm not sure I've got it right.
3 My assessment of this piece of work:
A bit rushed as I'm thinking of revision and the exam now.
4 I would especially like feedback on the following areas:
(a) Course related
Do I need to remember all the names and dates of studies for the exam?
(b) Skills related
Am I on the right lines in Q2 (d) interpreting new data in relation to what is in book 6?
5 Any other comments or anything that you feel it is important that your tutor should know?
My youngest is off school at the moment so study time is limited.
Please send this form with your assignment. Complete Part B when it is returned.

The reviewing phase

Reviewing

This phase takes place after a period of study and an assignment have been completed. It is when you focus on reviewing your performance on your assignment as well as the whole cycle of study you have just completed. The two activities of this phase are:

▪ learning from feedback

▪ reviewing the whole process.

The reviewing phase

Learning from feedback

This is actually quite a difficult thing for any student to do. It is most effective when your assignment is returned, but by then you may have moved on to the next part of the course. Even so, you do need to make time to re-visit your assignment when it is returned and take note of your tutor's comments. It is the one time when your tutor is able to give feedback and advice to you as an individual student so it is well worth taking time to really absorb their comments. Try to separate those that are about what you have included in your assignment from those about how you have presented it. Assignments that give you a clear indication of the criteria used in grading may enable you to learn more effectively from the assessment process, but some tutors explain their own criteria and you should note this carefully.

Even if you have now moved to a new topic, your tutor's comments may aid your revision of the topic. More importantly, there may also be immediate advice that you could act on and incorporate into your next and any future assignments, thus enhancing your grades. For students, a great deal of learning takes place through completing assignments and getting feedback from their tutor. This, like self-assessment, is a crucial part of the process of learning how to learn.

Activity 11

If you sent a form to your tutor, put aside some time to complete Part B when your assignment is returned.

Now read the discussion

Discussion

Here is Tim's form, completed when he had read his tutor's comments on the assignment.

6 My tutor's comments on this assignment:

I got 58%.

What I wrote was well structured and coherent.

I could write less about the topic in a general way and spend more time with my focus on answering the question asked. For example I could have done more on 'compare and contrast' in order to make my essay more analytical.

Equal weight needed on discussion of both characters.

I should consider reading for a purpose - might save time and aid focus.

I could try to complete essay well before due date - spend more time on editing.

7 My response to those comments:

I must say that I felt a bit miffed about the 'focus' bit - a bit fed-up and worried that I'll never get to grips with the literature. I'm still having problems with the 'answering the question' bit. I do keep to the topic but I don't do all that I'm supposed to. I've swallowed my pride and looked back through script (not easy to do as I'm anxious to get on to the next bit rather than go back over mistakes). Can't really take issue with my tutor's comments. I've read Bob's essay - he got 75% and I do see that there was more focus and more balance. Thought about the 'reading for a purpose' comment and looked in the Arts Good Study Guide. I've been nervous about doing this - worried I'll leave something out. It's probably worth a try though - anything, rather than get so bogged down with material! I know I've been rushing the editing lately - it's because things are hectic at work. If I'm honest I sent both of my last essays off without spending enough time on the editing stage. The word limit is getting higher so I do need to take care. I've looked back over this unit and I realise that I've had problems with selecting material for the essay right from the beginning. Despite my concerns, this has been time well spent.

8 Two things I am going to try to do next time:

(a) Read the essay question and notes first, work out what I have to do and try to read with this in the back of my mind.

(b) Try doing skeleton essay from my notes in order to get focus right (and not get bogged down in detail). Then go back to course units for examples, checks for accuracy etc.

Now file this form with the assignment and refer to it when you start work on your next one. Then keep it to help with revision.

Sue also sent her form to her tutor who wrote some notes in section 6 before returning her assignment.

6 My tutor's comments on this assignment:

Q1 essay: A very good essay, well structured and well written. You compared and contrasted well too, so full marks for style and presentation. Remember to back up all the points you make with evidence and, to get even more marks, explain why and how the examples you give are good ones in supporting the points.

Q2: Part (a) full marks.

Parts (b) and (c): have another look at the tables here. You needed to bear in mind the data missing for some patients.

Part (d) designed to get you to really think and apply what you have learned to new data. If, when you've had time to digest my comments you still are unsure, do phone me.

7 My response to those comments:

Q1: Really pleased with this. Drawing up the grid as an essay plan helped me compare and contrast rather than just describe and discuss.

Q2: Fair comments. Need more practice at this for future courses. Won't worry too much for exam though, as that is just computer-marked assignment-type and essays.

8 Two things I am going to try to do next time:

(a) Keep doing essay plans and reading the precise wording of the questions.

(b) Remember that short answer questions are graded in difficulty and change my thinking strategy for the later parts of them.

Now file this form with the assignment and refer to it when you start work on your next one. Then keep it to help with revision.

If you decided not to send a form to your tutor, you can still benefit from looking carefully at the feedback you have been given on your assignment. You could use the instructions below to review your assignment and your tutor's comments on it.

What to do when your assignment comes back: how to gain maximum benefit from it

Assignments are not designed only for assessment - although most of them are marked in some way, they can count towards a final continuous assessment score or grade.

Working on an assignment is an active learning process from which you can gain a great deal. It is important to maximise the value of this.

When tutors receive your assignments they don't just grade them: they are normally expected to give you feedback and advice which will help you to improve your performance.

To get full benefit from your assignment, you'll need to engage with their comments and respond to them. If you do get in the habit of doing this to all your assignments, you'll learn far more from the whole exercise.

TEN TIPS FOR WHEN YOU GET YOUR ASSIGNMENT BACK

1. You'll probably look first at the grade - most people do - and this may arouse some feelings:
   • ▪ if you've done better than you expected, you'll feel relieved
   • ▪ if it's worse than you expected, you'll feel disappointed
   • ▪ if it's much lower than you anticipated, you might feel angry or insulted. There's nothing wrong with these feelings but they will affect your learning, so put the assignment away until your next study session.
2. In your next study session, allow yourself about 20–30 minutes to work on it; do this even if you're now on to new work.
3. Read the feedback and comments from your tutor.
4. Make yourself read through each question, stopping to read the comments. Sometimes tutors put these on a separate sheet so you can refer to it as you read.
5. Mark (in a different coloured pen) your responses to what your tutor has written; anything you agree or disagree with; anything you don't understand.
6. When you've finished re-reading, think about the grade again. If you're still unhappy, make a note to ask about it.
7. Go back to the feedback and comments from your tutor and re-read it. Can you understand what your tutor is saying?
8. On a separate sheet of paper or at the end of the assignment write down one or two main points - pieces of advice; mistakes you see you made; things to remember - points which you need to bear in mind when you write the next assignment or when you revise for your exam.
9. Make a note of anything that still puzzles you; comments which confuse you; criticism you feel is unjustified etc.
10. Arrange to speak to your tutor about you’re your work. Either take your notes an assignment to your next tutorial, or contact your tutor by phone or email. Make sure you both have a copy of the assignment to refer to.

At the end of every assignment you should be able to identify at least one thing that will help you to improve your performance. Then file your notes away ready for revision.

Learning from feedback is probably the most critical activity in the process of learning how to learn. Continuous assessment is not just a mechanism for judging your performance as a student, it is also meant to be part of the process of learning. But it can only contribute to learning how to learn if you, the learner, engage with this part of the process.

The reviewing phase

Review the whole process

Before you file away your assignment and return to your current study, spend a little time reviewing the whole process of preparing, exploring, implementing and reviewing your assignment. Review what you did and how you did it in each of the four phases. Trying to identify just one thing that went well and one thing that you could have done differently can help you in your future study. Remember that your review should focus on the process of the preparation for, and production of, your assignment (i.e. how you might do it differently) and not just the product itself (i.e. how you might do it better).

Here are some comments from Tim.

I've dipped in and out of this unit but I can see now that I could have gone through the whole thing a bit earlier. I really haven't made much effort to read through my tutor's comments until now - just a quick look at the feedback sheet I received - and I know that I've missed a lot. Pulling out my tutor's comments gave me something to focus on for my last assignment - I saved myself time and anguish over what to put in the essay and I got a better mark. I will certainly have a good look at my next assignment.

As you read through the description of the process with its four phases and associated activities, you probably felt that you might like to try some of them but that attempting to complete the whole process could be too demanding. That's fine - now you have a choice. You can decide to invest some time and effort in learning how to learn and therefore give the whole process a try as you start the next part of your course and prepare for the associated assignment. Or, you may choose to focus on one phase of the process and try the activities suggested just for that phase - perhaps preparing or reviewing. Possibly, you may decide that you want to really develop one or two components that seem particularly important for you. This may be because the activity is something you rarely do - like planning - and yet feel that it might make a difference to your work. Or, you may have found some of the suggestions really interesting and decide to try them out for yourself - perhaps focussing on monitoring your progress and performance or attempting to self-assess your own assignments, and then trying to apply any relevant feedback from your tutor.

Learning from revision and examinations

Introduction

Once you have got a general understanding of the process of learning how to learn, and have tried applying it to an assignment, you may be able to see how the same approach can be applied to revision, exams or any other form of assessment at the end of your course. This section looks at how the four phases (preparing, exploring, implementing and reviewing) relate to revision and exams. You may want to remind yourself of the overall process by looking again at Figure 2.

You might prefer to skim through this section at this stage and return to it as your exam gets closer. However, the skills and the strategies that you need to use during revision and in exams may be very different from those you use during your study of other course components, so do leave time to practise them. Again, you may decide to focus on one particular phase of the process as revision time approaches.

Learning from revision and examinations

Preparing

Both activities in this phase - analysing the task and making a plan - are critically important when it comes to preparing for an exam. Start by gathering together everything you have been sent that relates to the exam or end-of-course assessment for your current course. Also collect any advice you have had in the past about exam preparation. But the really important thing at this stage is to try and obtain a specimen exam paper or any detailed instructions relating to your end-of-course assessment. Use this information to analyse the task. While you are looking at these documents, think through what it is that you are expected to do and look back at any previous experiences you have had that might be relevant to the task. This is particularly important in preparing for an exam. Activity 12 is designed to help you if your course has an examination.

Activity 12

Before you start any revision have a look at these questions. You can either note down your responses or, preferably, share them with another student or someone who will 'interview' you, listen to your responses and perhaps question you further. The object of this exercise is to recall how you have prepared for and performed in examinations previously. If you have not taken an exam before, think about how you will probably do it this year, instead. The list starts with a general question, focuses on revision and then on the examination experience, and ends with another general question.

Revision and examinations

1. How would you summarise your overall feelings about examinations?
2. About how long is your revision period - how long before the actual exam would you start revising?
3. What sort of pattern does your revision take - do you work in phases, small bits or longer periods?
4. How close to the exam do you revise - up to the night before or do you have a break?
5. How carefully do you plan or structure your revision - do you plan a detailed outline of what you will do or do you just start and work through?
6. If you need to memorise material, do you have any particular way of doing it?
7. Do you record material in any way - perhaps summarise it on cards or paper, or record it?
8. Do you try to include any new material while revising or stick with what you have already studied?
9. Do you try to re-organise your material - perhaps re-write notes, or select from different parts of the course?
10. Do you make use of back papers or practise actual questions?
11. What do you do on the night before and the morning of the examination?
12. What do you think and feel as you journey to the examination place?
13. Do you stand outside talking with others or stand alone?
14. Between going into the room and starting the examination do you have rituals such as where you place the things you've taken with you? Do you meditate, pray or practise relaxation?
15. Once the examination starts, do you have a particular pattern of work - of tackling the paper?
16. Do you have a problem with timing?
17. Do you check back through your work before the end?
18. What do you do immediately after the examination?
19. Do you contact other students or your tutor after the exam?
20. Looking back at the examination(s) you have taken, do you feel you have learned anything that has helped you, or might help you, to do better?

Now read the discussion

Discussion

When you have answered the questions, make a list of what you feel are your main worries about examinations or what you find most difficult to cope with. Then you could:

▪ contact your tutor to ask for advice

▪ find out if there are any exam preparation workshops in your region.

Make another list of any good ideas you intend to try as you prepare for your next exam.

Depending on the task and format of the assignment, planning to complete an end-of-course assessment can be different from planning for an exam. Planning for an exam includes planning your revision too, while preparation for the end-of-course assessment may be more like preparing for one of your course assignments. Here scheduling is very important. The time between your last course assignment and the exam, or the end-of-course assessment cut-off date, will probably be short, so make detailed plans of how and when you will revise or prepare. Your tutor will probably give you some good advice.

Learning from revision and examinations

Exploring

Although this sounds as though it may not seem very appropriate in the context of revision and exams, it is critically important that you re-explore the course as you do your revision or prepare your end-of-course assessment. Studying the materials is important as many exams and end-of-course assessments require you to step back and review the course as a whole as well as consider the component parts. This is where you may need different skills and strategies; so, try different ways of recording and remembering information.

Keep an eye on your schedule and monitor your progress as you work through your revision. If you are facing an exam, make sure you practise answering questions from the sample or back papers. If you are completing an end-of-course assessment, keep checking the requirements, the instructions and advice you have been given. Some end-of-course assessments ask you to do tasks that are quite different from earlier assignments.

Learning from revision and examinations

Implementing

As with assignments, this is the phase when you actually do the task - sit the exam or produce the final version of your end-of-course assessment. This is where monitoring your performance is really important. For most students, the crucial thing in an exam is usually to monitor the timing. Unlike the production of a assignment, an exam is a timed test; so, you need to pace yourself appropriately. Most end-of-course assessments have no time constraints although you may find the deadline very tight. Again, monitor your performance carefully. But timing is not the only thing to monitor - check that you are answering the question asked; that your calculations are accurate, and so on.

You may remember that the second component of the implementing phase was to make a self-assessment. This may sound a strange thing to suggest in relation to exams. However, generally students do not get many opportunities to improve their performance in exams so, once the actual event is over, make yourself spend a short time trying to assess your performance before the details fade in your memory.

Learning from revision and examinations

Reviewing

Undoubtedly this is the most difficult phase to apply to revision and an exam or to the preparation and production of an end-of-course assessment. Most of us heave a huge sigh of relief when it is all over and then try to put it out of our minds during the weeks while we wait for the results. When these arrive, it is very difficult to think back to the exam itself or revisit the details of the end-of-course assessment. With very little feedback to help, learning how to learn from exams or their equivalent is difficult.

It is also likely that you may have quite strong feelings about the results - delight, amazement, relief, disappointment, even despair. Whatever your reaction, remember that there are people who can help you review the process and advise you if you want or need to take action. More importantly, if you are continuing with another course and you really want to improve your learning, remind yourself that this is the best time to review both your revision period and your exam performance. Try to identify what you can learn from it that might help you to handle the process more effectively next time.

Learning how to become a reflective learner

Reflection and the four main phases of learning how to learn

If your course encourages this approach to learning, or if you have read other material on learning how to learn, you may have come across the term 'reflection'. Maybe you have been encouraged to reflect on your learning or on your assignments. In this unit, we have deliberately not used the term until now. This is not because we think the term - or the process - is unimportant, but because it can seem vague and not particularly helpful to you as a learner. In fact, all the activities in this unit have involved reflection of some kind. In this final section, we want to explore the meaning of the term and explain how it can help you in learning how to learn (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Reflection and learning

View description

The preparation phase involves you in looking back as well as looking forward before embarking on a section of study within a course or perhaps the course as a whole. It encourages you to pause and think purposefully before moving on and has been described as

reflection-for-action.

The over-arching emphasis of both the exploring and implementing phases is of being aware of what you are doing while you are doing it - often described as reflection-in-action. Such reflection needs to be critical reflection - asking yourself questions, checking your thoughts and actions, explaining to yourself (or others) why you are saying, writing, or doing things in this way. Reflection in action is difficult but becomes easier when carried out with another person who can listen to you talking through your work or reading what you have written.

The final reviewing phase closes the cycle; it overlaps with and leads into preparation for the next section of learning and assessment, or perhaps to revision and exams. This is a time for reflection-on-action to conclude the process. Look back over the whole learning experience and identify what you have learned from studying this part of the course and completing the assignment. The emphasis should be on both the content learned and how you learned it - this is the meaning of learning how to learn.

Courses are often very demanding in terms of time and some are overloaded. You may be tempted, especially in your first year, to struggle on, preoccupied with trying to keep up. It is hard to make yourself pause and consider how you are studying and learning even when course materials invite you to do so. In most courses there are natural breaks - at the end of a unit or block of study as well as after the completion of an assignment. These are designed to help you fit in time for reflection-on-action, a conclusion for the section of work you have just completed and a preparation for starting the cycle again with the next section of your coursework.

Learning how to become a reflective learner

What is reflection?

Is reflection different to just thinking about your study? And how do we do it? Can someone teach you how to reflect or is it a matter of practice? Can everyone be reflective or are some students - and some people - more reflective than others?

There is no clear definition of reflection or precise way of describing what we mean by a reflective learner. But we can discuss some characteristics of the process, and encourage you to develop your own preferred ways of developing it.

Reflection is thinking for a purpose - in this unit we have linked it to wanting to become a more effective and efficient learner; someone who wants to understand their own learning. Thus, reflection is also about wanting, or at least being willing, to change the way we learn.

Reflection is analysing how we learn - taking apart our own learning processes. The activities in this unit are tools to help you do this. But reflection is also about evaluating how effectively we learn - making judgements on our own performance, and that is not always an easy or comfortable thing to do.

Most of all, reflection includes being critical - not in a negative or destructive way, but through rigorous questioning and deep probing into what and how we learn. Many people would say that the most important characteristic of an effective student in higher education is that they are capable of critical thinking - actively challenging both themselves and others.

For most of us, reflection becomes a more meaningful activity if it can be shared, either in a group or with another student. Putting your thoughts and ideas into words and getting a response from someone else, then perhaps listening to their reactions, makes the process more interactive and developmental. This interaction can be face-to-face or might be at a distance - by telephone or electronically. Even if you cannot easily engage with another student, any other person - friend or family - who is supportive of you as a student or shares your interest in learning might well enjoy sharing with you some of the activities in this unit.

Sharing ideas about the activities means that you are more likely to engage with the material. If you prefer not to share your thoughts and experiences with others, or if talking about your learning is not possible, at least take time to respond to the activities in writing. The activities in this unit do not have a 'right answer'. The examples from Tim and Sue show that students vary in the way they approach their learning and in how they reflect on its effectiveness. We hope that you have found time to record your responses and to act on them where appropriate. If you have read this far and have actively engaged in the process as we suggest, it is likely that you are well on the way to becoming a reflective learner.

Learning how to learn, however, is about more than reflection - it is about development and change. Understanding how you learn is just the first stage; taking action to develop yourself, to make changes and improve your learning is, like learning itself, an ongoing process. We hope that working through this unit has at least encouraged you to start.

Further reading and sources of help

Further reading

OU books

▪ The Good Study Guide, by Andrew Northedge, published by The Open University, 1990, ISBN 0 7492 00448

▪ The Sciences Good Study Guide, by Andrew Northedge, Jeff Thomas, Andrew Lane, Alice Peasgood, published by The Open University, 1997, ISBN 0 7492 341 1 3

▪ The Arts Good Study Guide, by Ellie Chambers and Andrew Northedge, published by The Open University, 1997, ISBN 0 7492 8745 4

Other books

▪ Writing at University: A guide for students, by P. Creme and M. R. Lea, published by Open University Press, Buckingham, 1997

▪ Reading, Writing and Reasoning: A guide for students, by G. J. Fairbairn and C. Winch, published by The Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press, Buckingham, 1996

▪ A Guide to Learning Independently, by L. Marshall and F. Rowland, published by Open University Press, Buckingham, 1996

▪ Calculating and Computing for Social Science and Arts Students, by R. Solomon and C. Winch, published by Open University Press, Buckingham, 1994

Further reading and sources of help

Other sources of help

Websites

http://www.open.ac.uk/goodstudyguide/

This Open University site is a companion site to the Good Study Guide series of books.

Acknowledgements

The content acknowledged below is Proprietary (see terms and conditions) and is used under licence.

This publication has been written by Maggie Coats with contributions from Maggie Boxer and Maureen Haywood and produced by the Student Services Communications Team on behalf of the Open University Centre for Educational Guidance and Student Support.

Thanks are due to the following people who read and commented on the draft material:

Denise Bates, Margaret Johnson, Liz Manning, Jenny Marris, Beth Mackay, Roberta Nathan, Patrick Kelly, Kathleen Gilmartin.

Steering group: Margaret Johnson, Vicki Goodwin, Kathleen Gilmartin, Jenny Marris, Juliet Bishop, Liz Manning, Patrick Kelly, Roberta Nathan, Clive Barrett, Beth Mackay, Denise Bates, Heather Laird, Janine Talley, Maggie Coats.

Production team: Penelope Lyons, Mandy Anton, Jenny Nockles, Roy Lawrance, Beth Mackay, Angela Driver.

Unit image: Courtesy of Fallon Roxann at Flickr

http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=1556