The objective of this unit is to encourage students to develop productive attitudes to study in lessons: preparedness, active listening, and an organised approach to learning.

Students are given support in learning how to prepare for lessons, listen for lesson objectives, ask questions in class, identify key points and make useful notes.

The activities in this unit encourage students to be proactive and recognise that they are independent learners with a responsibility for taking charge of their own learning. The unit gives an opportunity to learn and practise the skills necessary for becoming a successful learner.

The initial activity introduces the students to the idea that it is possible to prepare beforehand for lessons, and to note the objectives of a lesson. This leads on to another kind of preparedness - that of being prepared to ask questions. Since many pupils find this the hardest thing to do in front of their peers, the activity offers support for students who might be too embarrassed to ask questions.

The most extensive activity in this unit is on note-taking. Students are introduced to several different ways of making notes that can be practised by doing drag and match activities, using writing frames, and by modelling. The emphasis is on finding out which method works best for them. Finally, they are reminded that notes need organising, reviewing and rereading if they are to be of real benefit.

This unit is best used as an introduction to the skills for learning how to learn effectively. It is not uncommon to find young people entering university without these essential skills. Teaching and practising these skills again and again is probably the best chance for making this a regular and routine part of the way in which students become successful learners.

Extension

• Ensure that you give your students plenty of opportunity to practise these skills. Make it a regular part of your lesson to flag up lesson objectives, require students to make notes, and check them at the end of lesson. From time to time, ask students to hand in their notes. At the end of the lesson, give a brief indication of what comes next and suggest how they might prepare as part of their homework.
• Encourage good habits of organisation and review. Set aside a lesson from time to time, maybe at the end of a topic, to review what students have learnt, encouraging them to use their notes to write up a snapshot of the topic. Keep reminding them to practise their skills.
• Actively encourage questions and discussions.

(None of these suggestions are new or novel, and most teachers will do these activities as part of their general teaching. However, from time to time it is worth making a deliberate feature of these activities so that they are seen as valuable skills to acquire in their own right.)