2.5 ATL - Approaches to Learning
In school, we were taught the method of ATL - Approaches to Learning. It is a simple method which helps me immensly bothin school, sports, music and everyday-life.
The ATL-method at IES basically refers to those characteristics students bring to the learning process. These characteristics can be observed during usual teaching and learning activities. Students are also requested to provide input. Then, appropriate teaching strategies can be chosen or adapted to improve achievement.
The ATL consists of 7 areas:
- Organizational skills, study practices and attitudes towards work
- Collaborative skills
- Communication
- Information literacy
- Reflection
- Problem solving and thinking skills
- Research and investigation skills
It took me 3 years to memorise all of these areas and what skills fell into what category area. Before we got to learn the 7 areas completely, we we taught about the bacics. The basics of ATL are merely 5 words, all of which are easy to understand.
"3PCA, was the first thing Mr. Eric Toste said to me first day at IES in August, 2004.
I gazed at him, confused.
I want you to be Punctual, I want you to be Prepared, I want you to be Positive, I want you to Communicate, I want you to be Active. No exceptions. Get yourself a nice day, he said and left the room."
This is Approaches to Learning at IES, and this is what I use:
Organizational skills, study practices and attitudes towards work
Punctuality; Preparedness for class - neccessary materials / equipment; Preparedness for class - ready to learn; Effective use of school agenda; Showing care for work well done; Keeping an organized work file / notebook; Meeting deadlines.
Collaborative skills
Working effectively in pairs; Wroking effectively in a group; Leading a group; Encouraging contributions from others; Considering and respecting different points of view / opinions / preferences.
Communication
Writing clearly by hand; Effective use of wordprocessor; Effective verbal communication; Presenting ideas clearly and coherently, in writing and through public speaking; Listening carefully to others; Essay writing skills; Analytical writing skills; Selecting appropriate forms of expressions to suit various contexts; Using writing, drafting and note taking as means for generating ideas; Effective use of visual representations (diagrams, graphs, charts, tables, etc.); Paraphrasing (summarizing) in note taking / avoiding plagiagrism; Use quotations to support arguments; Bibliography & citation using standard reference formats; Identify types of sources (Primary, Secondary).
information literacy
Use of the library; Use of school research labs; Use of Internet / Intranet information sources; Reading charts / graphs / maps; Locating appropriate materials via the Internet; Finding historical data on the Internet; Finding primary source materials on the Internet; Searching Internet for Current Events; Note taking; Interpret sources; Selecting and rejecting information according to goal; Evaluating sources for suitability, reliability, bias, fact / opinion & accuracy (academic worth).
Reflection
Draw conclusions from information and data; Reflect on the success of methods, procedures, techniques; Consider personal performance, areas of strenght and possible improvements; Using performance evalutation to adapt behaviour and learning strategies.
Problem solving and thinking skills
Interpret graphical data; Interpret written information; Identifying causes and effects / casual relationships; Explaining causal relationships; Identifying needs; Identifying goals / targets; Planning strategies for collecting data to clarify a problem; Evaluating outcomes; Considering issues from multiple viewpoints; Creatively generating new ideas.
Research and investigation skills
Develop a research strategy; Select a topic; Limiting the topic; Form a research question / thesis statement.
Remember: Get yourself a nice day.
per ardua ad astra ~ David
Kommentarer
Trackback
