Overview

How is undergraduate learning different?

How to learn deeply and actively?

What is your learning style?

How to promote reflective learning?

Study Skills:
Learning How to Learn

Study Skill Course

Dept of Medical Education
College of Medicine
OBJECTIVES
● To define “Learning” & learning principles.
● To recognize that undergraduate learning different
from secondary school.
● To identify different types of learning
● To apply these learning principles to our daily
learning activities.
 Some Opening
Thoughts

Successful people have made a decision to be

successful!

Successful is a journey not a destination

What is Learning??
 Learning:
The process of acquisition of new knowledge, skills,
attitudes, values, behaviours, preferences, &
understanding…..

It is not only knowledge

You should be able to demonstrate such new

learning
Study: a definition
“ Reading with a purpose i.e to obtain
specific answers to specific questions”

Ailan Moran
 How is
learning & studying as
an undergraduate
different to
learning & studying as
a secondary school student?
University vs. secondary school education
Secondary Undergraduate education
education
Sources Mainly from teachers & Not only from teachers. Books, internet,
books peers are also very important
Orientati More knowledge oriented Not only knowledge. In a professional
on course there are skills and behaviours
Goals To pass an exam Not only to pass an exam, but mainly to
train for a profession (especially in a
professional course)
Type of Passive and superficial Active and deep learning. Learning needs
learning mostly (unfortunately) to be with you for a lifetime
Methods Mainly books & teacher’s Lectures, small group discussions,
notes computer assisted learning, library,
internet, clinical skills sessions,
laboratory
Assessm Written exams Written exams, practicals (OSPE), vivas
ent (oral exams), clinical exams (e.g. &
 Why are these differences in learning?
We consider you as adult learners
The need to know — adult learners need to know why they
need to learn something before undertaking to learn it
Learner self-concept — need to be responsible for their own
decisions
Role of learners' experience — have a variety of
experiences of life - the richest resource for learning
Readiness to learn — are ready to learn those things they
need to know in order to cope effectively with life situations
Orientation to learning — are motivated to learn to the
extent that they perceive that it will help them perform tasks
they confront in their life situations.
 If adult learning is to be achieved…...
Learning has to be deep and active learning as
opposed to superficial and passive learning

Why is deep/active learning important?

- Superficial learning is easily and very quickly
forgotten
- With superficial learning you will not be able
to apply or use it in practical situations
- Deep learning accommodates varying learning
styles
 How can deep /active learning be
achieved?

Do not be a passive receiver of information.

Try to interact with information and try to
apply it and try to do different things with that
information.
 What do we remember?

• 20% of what we read

• 30% of what we hear
• 40% of what we see
• 50% of what we say
• 60% of what we do

• 90% of what we read, hear, see,

say and do
 Learn actively and deeply

• Don’t just read and close the

book
• Try to do different things with what you
have read immediately after writing
 draw flow charts
 draw diagrams using colour
 write a summary
 Mind/concept mapping
In short, interact with what you have learned
 How to shift information from
short term to long tern memory?
1. Learn actively & deeply
2. Revisit, repeat & revise

Important points about revisiting & revision

 There is no special place of time to revise.
 Try to revisit and repeat at every given
opportunity.
 Do not wait until you finish studying to revise.
Forgetting curve
Why there is different
in Learning from one
person to Other??
 Learning styles I

Visual learner

Auditory learner

Reading/writing

Kinaesthetic learner
 Learning styles II
Thinkers

Reflector Theorist
Action-oriented

Activist Pragmatist
• Your learning style =
How you perceive information
+
How you process information
WHAT IS LEARING STYLES?
• The way in which each individual learner begins to
concentrate on, process, absorb, and retain new and
difficult information.
• Learning styles are the most important tool for us when
we construct knowledge.
• The right way of studying does not exist.
• Everybody learns in his individual way, but without
knowing this way, you can’t learn efficiently – sometimes
you can’t learn at all. SO
• Learning styles are strategies or regular mental
behaviors that are habitually applied by an individual to
learning.
Classical classification of Learning styles:
• Visual (prefer to learn by seeing)
• Auditory (prefer to learn by sound)
• Kinesthetic (prefer to learn by doing)
• Verbal (linguistic) learning style
• Logical (mathematical) learning style
• Social (interpersonal) learning style
Visual style:
* Characteristics
– prefer to see the information
- like reading text
– memorizes by writing repeatedly
– when inactive, doodles, looks around
*Enhancing
– Visualization-imagine
– Visual prompts
– Concept maps
- visual representation of information-posters etc
Auditory style:
* Characteristics
– like to listen to teacher
– talks fluently and logically
– memorizes by repeating words aloud
– inactivity leads to talking to self or others
* Enhancing
– active listening
– rhyme and rhythm-mnemonics
– imagine you can hear …
Kinesthetic
* Characteristics
– hands on
– talks about actions, speaks more
slowly
– inactivity leads to fidgeting
– distracted by physical disturbance
* Enhancing
– use objects that can be
manipulated
– acting out
– body language and physical
movements
The verbal (linguistic)style:
- Involves both the written and spoken word.
- Express both in writing and verbally.
- love reading and writing.
- Know the meaning of many words
- The temporal and frontal lobes drive this style.
The logical (mathematical) style:
- using brain for logical and mathematical
reasoning. classify and group information to
learn or understand
- Work well with numbers and perform complex
calculations.
- Work through problems and issues in a
systematic way
- The parietal lobes, especially the left side, drive
our logical thinking.
The social (interpersonal) style:
- Communication well with people, both verbally
and non-verbally.

- listen well and understand other’s views.

- Prefer learning in groups

- prefer to stay around and talk with others.

- The frontal and temporal lobes handle much of
our social activities
 Perceptual Elements of style

Visual Visual Tactile and/or

Auditory Verbal
Picture Text Kinesthetic
Learners Learners
Learners Learners Learners

Remember Remember Remember Remember Remember

best when best when best when best by best when
they LISTEN they SEE they READ DOING they
to a lecture, a (create) the written rather than DISCUSS
presentation, mental word sitting and with others
or an images (textbooks, listening, the new
audiotape. of what memos, reading, and complex
they hear and e-mail or thinking information
or read. messages). about the they are
information. learning.
 How can you learn from learning
experiences (both academic & non-
academic)?
By active reflection
What is reflection?
Reflection is purposeful and systematic
revisiting of a learning experience with a view
to learning

What is a learning experience?

Any incident that you either participate
in or see/hear
Reflection - cyclical process
- many ways

Kolb’s cycle
Concrete
experience

Reflective
Future observation
planning

Abstract
conceptualisation
Reflective cycle: a simplified version

1. What is the learning event?

2. What did I learn?

3. What more do I have to learn?

4. How can I learn it?

5. Evidence for further learning /

change of practice?
 Reflection
Evidence for learning /
change of practice

Concrete
experience
What is the event?

Reflective
Future planning observation
How can I learn?
What did I learn?

What more do I have to

Abstract
learn?
conceptualisation
 Why should you participate in other non-
academic activities?

They provide a rich source of learning

experiences for you to develop a lot of abilities
- Communication/interpersonal skills
- Team work and leadership
- Decision making
- Organisational and management abilities
- Attitudes
- Personal development

Key to holistic education

 Summary
Learning in university is fundamentally
different from learning in secondary school

Active and deep learning is the key to success

in the university (and in later life)

Identify the learning style that suits you best to

achieve deep learning and use it to the
maximum

Try to learning from all experiences (both

academic and non-academic) in the university
I wish you a very successful
and enjoyable time in your
course

All the best