Daily Uses sentences

Individual Plan

 Objectives:

 ● Students understand that self-directed learning is a systematic process.

 ● To fulfill its purpose, self-directed learning needs a plan.

 ● Students follow the steps to make an individual plan for self-directed learning.

 “In the last class we discussed the idea of self-directed learning and what it means to be in charge of your own learning.

 We also practiced a skill: finding information online to solve a certain scenario.

 However, we should remember that learning does not mean just finding information to answer a question that comes up.

It should be systematic.

” Explain the meaning of the word– systematic means organized, planned, deliberate, methodical, efficient.

 The facilitator does not need to say all these words to explain the meaning to students.

 Instead, the facilitator should understand the meaning and then use simple words and examples to explain it.

Tell the students: “Learning also does not happen all at once, it is a process, or happens over time, step by step.

(facilitator explains the term process). After this explanation, ask students to refer to Part A in the Student Resource Book, copy these vocabulary words into their notebook, and write down their meaning as they understand it.

 Ask students for examples of a systematic process. You can be prepared with examples to share with students if they cannot think of any examples.

 One example of a systematic process is formal schooling, where children advance through grades and learn certain things each year that build on each other.

Farmers follow a systematic process in tending to their crops, with certain times for certain activities, beginning with preparing the ground, planting seeds, tending crops and ending in the harvest. Scientists make new discoveries following a systematic process, using a scientific method with each discovery building on the previous one.

 Explain that each person’s learning should also follow a systematic process. To be systematic, we always need a plan.

During this lesson, we will learn how to make a plan for our own self-directed learning.

Tell the students: “Together, we will follow a step-by-step process to make a plan for your own learning.

 The first step is to decide what you want to learn.

In your notebook, write down three ideas of things you would like to learn at this stage in your life. They could be related to your personal life, your career, or your interests. Don’t worry too much right now and just freely write down three ideas.

Later, we will choose one topic to learn about.”

 Have students read Part B in the Student Resource Book and write down their ideas in a notebook. The facilitator should walk among students and look at what they are writing down in their notebooks.

Note whether there is overlap between students in topics they want to learn about (for example, several students all want to learn about passing the IAS exam, or want to learn graphic design.)

 Tell the students: “Now that you have some ideas on what you want to learn, it is time to think about why you want to learn it.

 This ‘why’ will motivate you and give you strength when learning becomes difficult or you are tired. Know your reason for learning something, or your goal, will also help you make a plan to reach that goal effectively.”

 Tell students to look at the three learning topics they wrote down, and now spend a few minutes to reflect on why they want to learn about each one.

They can discuss with a partner to help clarify their thoughts, then write down the reason for learning next to each topic.

 If they find it difficult to think of a reason, they can refer to some examples in the Student Resource Book, in Part C.

 Tell the students: “Now that you have clarified your reason, or goal, it may seem far away or difficult to reach.

The next step is to break your big goal into smaller pieces.”

Ask students to choose one of the three learning topics they have identified. They should choose the one that is most important to them right now.

 Tell them “This is the topic we will create a learning plan for today.”

 Students should write down the topic and goal on a new page in their notebook. This is where they will write down their self-directed learning plan.

 Next, they should think about what they already know about the topic, and what they don’t know, or what they would like to learn.

 They can also write down questions they have about the topic. Finally, students can practice breaking their larger learning goal into a list of smaller goals.

They can work in pairs, or directly with the facilitator, if they need help. Have students read and follow Part D in their Student Resource Book and answer the questions in their own notebooks.

To achieve a goal, we need to dedicate significant time and energy to it, over a long period of time.

 Ask the students how important this learning goal is to them?

 Are they willing to dedicate a lot of time and effort to achieving it?

 How much time exactly are they willing to spend?

 Have students discuss with a partner and write down in their notebook how many hours per day, or per week, or per month, they plan to spend on achieving this goal.

 Next, you can help students make a timeline for the smaller goals they have identified in the last step.

For each smaller goal, they should dedicate a specific number of days, weeks or months to achieving it, and write this down in their notebooks.

 They can do this with a partner if it helps to discuss ideas together.

 Finally, tell the students they will now start to make a plan. Before they begin, tell students that many students make a mistake when making a learning plan.

 They fill up all 109 Lesson - 117 their plan times with learning activities, and do not plan for other activities like eating, resting or other responsibilities.

 Then, it becomes impossible to follow the plan and they  throw the whole plan away.

Therefore, it is important for students to set realistic and reasonable goals.

 Another thing they need to consider is where they will do their learning activities.

 The environment we choose shapes our success when we are trying to reach a certain goal.

 Ask students whether there are places they have noticed are conducive to learning for them, and places where it is very difficult to concentrate or learn effectively.

Ask students for examples of each, and for the reasons.

 Also ask students to consider other factors when choosing a location.

Will their learning activities require a computer?

Or a smartphone? Will they need internet access?

Or is it better to choose a place without internet access to avoid distraction?

Is the location somewhere they can focus, or are they likely to often be interrupted by others? After they have considered and discussed some of these questions, ask students to read aloud Part E in their Student Resource Books and then begin to write down their own plan in their notebooks.

Finally, after they have created a plan, have them check the plan with a partner and answer the questions at the end of Part E.

 Congratulate students on now having a self-directed learning plan.

The next step in improving the plan is to identify resources for learning.

Tell students: “While you may sometimes feel alone on your learning journey, the world is filled with resources that can help you on your way.

These include free resources, and resources you need to pay for.” Ask them to refer to Part F of the Student Resource Book for some examples.

 Have them read the first part of Part F, and discuss with the class the benefits and disadvantages of each type of resource. After the discussion, tell students that that one disadvantage of some resources, especially free internet resources, is accuracy.

 This means you need to do more work to verify all the information you find.

Outdated or incorrect information is unfortunately very common.

Discuss ways in which you can verify incorrect information.

Next, divide students into small groups, and ask each group to help each member create a list of learning resources for their learning topic.

 They should be sure to write down the resources they will use to fulfill their learning goals in their notebook.

 Finally, tell students one important part of their self-directed learning is how to keep track of what they are learning.

 Have them discuss some ideas with a partner and answer this question in their notebook.

Tell students that this is a self-directed learning plan.

 Nobody else will manage it for them, no one will punish or reward them, and no one else will give them feedback.

They will be responsible to track their own progress.

 How do they do this?

Read and discuss Part G with students, and have them incorporate what they discuss into their plans in their notebooks.

 Conclude the class by checking each student’s learning plan in their notebooks, giving feedback where possible.