Becoming an OU Student

Crawley, 24th April, 2010

Good times!

• Write down one time when something went really well for you.

• Think about how it made you feel.• Write down how it made you feel.

Aims of Session• Shake off the nOUbie colliewobbles• Think about your success

– positive learning states– time and time management

• Tips and tricks to help you be your own best friend

This session . . . • For this session to be really useful for you it will be like

what?• For the session to be like that, you will need to be like

what?• For you to be like that and for the session to go jusdt the

way you would like it to, what support and resources do you need?

Mindset

Why was he good at football?

Why was he good at boxing?

How clever are you?• On a scale of 1 to 10, when 10

is the cleverest person you can think of, how clever are you?

• What are your sources of evidence?

• Have you always been this clever?

Mindset: a quick quiz

Which of these two statements would you most agree with:

Intelligence is something you are born with (or without). Intelligence can be cultivated and developed through

effort and persistence.

Mindsets

You get a low mark for an assignment, do you think:

It proves I’m not capable of doing this. I picked the wrong subject I need to work harder

MindsetsYou get a high mark for an assignment, are you?

Worried that you won’t be able to maintain such a high standard in the future?

Reassured that your grade reflects the effort you have put into your work.

MindsetsYou will work really hard on your course because:

You know that how hard you work makes a difference to your grades

You know that other people will think less of you if you get a low mark.

What difference does mindset make?

• Mindset theory developed by Carol Dweck.• People can be placed on a continuum of belief according to

their implicit views on where ability comes from:– belief that success is based on innate ability shows a

fixed mindset.– belief that success is based on hard work and learning

shows a growth mindset.• These mindsets can determine:

– our attitude to failure,– our resilience and ability to persevere,– our potential for positive change

The Fixed Mindset:Pupils with a fixed mindset regarded intelligence as innate and unchangeable, fixed from birth. They tended to

• choose courses and assignments that seemed like safe options

• worry about the possibility of failure • be concerned that other people would see them as less

intelligent • find it difficult to ask for help or feedback.

Growth Mindset:Pupils with a growth mindset believed that intelligence

could be cultivated and developed through effort and persistence. These pupils tended to:

• actively seek out new challenges • welcome opportunities for intellectual development • respond positively to feedback • feel comfortable in asking for help.

Metaphors . . .• Think of a metaphor for

yourself when you are learning really well.

• Draw a picture to represent your metaphor.

• What does your metaphor tell you about your beliefs about you as a learner?

Reflecting on your learning needs• What kinds of environment support you to be your best?

Which hinder you?• Which activities help you to learn? Which make it hard

for you to learn?• What skills come naturally to you? Which would you like

to develop?• What’s important about learning?• What do you believe about yourself as a learner?• Do you have any negative beliefs about yourself as a

learner? Is there anything that you can’t do?• When you’re learning really well what’s your purpose?

What’s it all for?

Setting Goals

Long term Goals• What do you want to achieve by the end of your time at

the OU?

First 6 weeks• What do you want to achieve in your first six weeks?• What will you need to make these goals happen? • What might you need to change or do differently?• Where will you need to focus?• Where will you get the resources?• What are you going to have to do?

Homework.

Write down one specific thing that you will be practicing to improve your learning?

You will know you’re achieving your goal when . . .

You will know you’re not achieving your goal when . . .

Time and Time Management• How do you think about your past and your future? • Where in the future are your goals?• Your model of time:

– Thinking about the past:• Whereabouts is it? Does it have a direction? Size? Shape? What kind of past is it? Can you point to it?

– Thinking about the future:• Whereabouts is the future? Does it have a size or shape? Point to it?

Reflecting on Time and Time Management

• Think of a time when you used time well.• Think of a time when you used time poorly.• What are the key differences:

1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .• What do you conclude from this?

Reflection• What is reflection?• Why should we reflect?• How to become a reflective learner.

Kolb’s Learning CycleConcrete

Experience

Reflective ObservationActive Experimentation

Abstract Conceptualisation

Reflective Observation

Why should we reflect?• Planning and prioritising• Setting and achieving goals• Dealing with procrastination and anxiety• Recognising and overcoming self-limiting beliefs • Making effective use of available support

Keeping a learning journal:• Blogging/a learning journal helps you to keep a record

which is– useful to you– a cue to memory– honestly written– evaluates key aspects of your work– a tool to help you to identify recurring themes– key to developing a plan of action to take– an appraisal of that action.

Maximising your study time• Plan• Prioritise• Pareto principle – 80% marks from 20% effort• 4 Ds

– Do it – Dump it– Delegate it– Do it less well

Jennie Osborn

Learner Support: Telephone: 01342 322642Email: south-east@open.ac.uk