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Learning to Learn

Prerequisites

Motivation

Techtonica is an intensive learning program with a format that puts emphasis on participant-led learning, unlike a traditional classroom setting that emphasizes instructor-led learning. It's important that participants understand some common limiting beliefs about learning, and work to free themselves of these beliefs to be more successful at Techtonica.

The tech industry is all about learning. When you open your mind to learning it gives you the freedom to work wherever you want because you learned the skills to get there! Companies like Google use the growth mindset to help their employees learn more and create cool products every day! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-71zdXCMU6A

Objectives

Participants will understand:

  • Their own learning style(s)
  • How to cement new information in their minds
  • What the growth mindset is and how to practice it

Specific Things to Learn

  • The 4 learning styles: Auditory, Visual, Tactile, Writing
  • How to solidify new information
  • The Pomodoro method
  • What the growth mindset is

Materials

Lesson

  • Learning to learn (the mind is a muscle)

    • Learning Styles:
      • Most people use a combination of learning styles (e.g. seeing, listening, touching, taking notes). Learning styles can change, people can have multiple learning styles, and knowing which works for you can make your learning more effective.
    • How to find your learning style
      • Fixing Information:
        • Understand that something is important, but not enough on its own.
        • Hands-on practice helps you to truly grasp concepts, it helps you to automate the knowledge you've acquired.
        • Take breaks while learning or studying to alternate between focused and diffused mode.
        • Do not procrastinate, use the Pomodoro method- work for just 20 minutes on something you don’t want to do, then take a break.
        • Test yourself during the studying process by looking away and trying to recall what you just studied.
        • Revisit topics that you've learned recently, repetition helps fix the material in your mind.

  • Go through the links available in the material section for more details.

Common Mistakes / Misconceptions

  • "I only have one learning style." Most people make use of several learning styles. Sometimes they rely heavily on one over others.
  • "I'm not good at learning new things because I didn't get good grades in school." Ability to learn and grades earned in school are not strongly correlated. Grades reflect other things in addition to learning (persistence, ability to obtain help, ability to spend time on assignments, support at home, etc.)
  • "As long as I have a growth mindset, learning new things will be easy." A growth mindset allows you to be kinder and more patient with yourself when learning new things. Learning new things is often quite challenging, regardless of your mindset.

Independent Practice

Write down some positive, affirmative things to say to yourself that fall under the framework of the growth mindset.

  • Example: "I'm having difficulty absorbing this concept, but I have a lot of resources I can use to try coming at this from a different angle."

Take the Vark Questionnaire

Take the Growth Mindset Self-Assessment

Group Practice Activity

Objective: To foster a collaborative discussion about learning styles and promote deeper understanding among participants.

Instructions:

  1. Pair Up: Participants will pair up with their buddies for a group discussion during week 1.
  2. Discuss Learning Styles: Each participant should share their findings from the VARK questionnaire and discuss their individual learning styles. Consider the following questions to guide your discussion:
    • What learning style(s) did you identify in yourself?
    • How do these styles influence the way you study and retain information?
    • What strategies do you find effective based on your learning style?
  3. Prepare to Share: After the discussion, each pair should prepare to share a brief summary of their insights with the larger cohort during the wrap-up session. Highlight key takeaways and any common themes observed in your discussions.

Note

This group practice activity will take place during week 1, after the Independent Practice section, and will encourage participants to learn from each other’s experiences and perspectives on their learning processes.

Check for Understanding

Write a self-reflective journal entry covering:

  1. What did you learn about yourself?
  2. What felt challenging about this lesson?
  3. What do you want to practice now after learning about this?

Supplemental Resources

  • The Stubborn Myth of Learning Styles - Despite the fact that learning styles are taught to educators as an important aspect of lesson planning, there is no evidence-based research to support that learning styles should be the focus of lesson structure. This article explains changes needed in teacher preparation to focus on adjusting for student comprehension rather than learning styles.
  • Growth Mindset (video) - This is a summary of the book Growth Mindset by Carol Dweck, which is based on her research into how kids tackle difficult problems.
  • Learning to Learn by Sarah Drasner - It contains some useful tips which will help you to learn.
  • The Power of Believing You Can Improve (video) - A TEDx video by Carol Dweck in which she explains how mindset can affect brain activity.