LearnSmart Strategies: The Best Tips For Efficient Learning
What are LearnSmart Strategies?
LearnSmart strategies are those which many people are trying to implement. They are the ways in which we can learn efficiently with consideration to factors such as our learning environment, the skills that are essential for our professional development and the challenges of learning. Education providers are also finding new ways to develop strategies to allow students to get the resources they need in the smartest way possible. Sometimes there is so much that we want to learn that we just need some solutions to make that process easier for us. That is where these tips come in handy.
Simply by reading this article you are in the right place to start learning strategically.
Being LearnSmart With Your Time and Money
Your time and money is especially valuable. Therefore, one of the LearnSmart strategies is choosing affordable options which do not take up a huge amount of your time.
A LearnSmart choice would be online courses. The College of Contract Management offers live online courses which are offered to you to complete in the evenings or weekends. You are able to work at the same time as learning a course and therefore it will be a manageable way of learning. In addition to these kinds of courses being less invasive on your time, they are also cheaper than courses such as degrees. A degree in the UK is currently £9,250 per year for 3 years. With online courses they are considerably cheaper and you do not jeopardise the standard of teaching. If you have a limited budget and have other responsibilities then this would be the smart solution.
One of the courses which is especially good for saving time and money is an HND meaning Higher National Diploma. This can be used as a qualification that is equivalent to the first 2 years of a university degree which would save you 2 years of high cost learning. This is a reputable qualification on its own as you will be able to enter many professional careers with this qualification to your name, but it can be topped up to a full degree if you want at selected universities.
Being LearnSmart with money also refers to if you can find any finance options to fund your studies. Sometimes particular institutions offer scholarships and bursaries to help you progress. Funding options would be smart if you are paying out for something expensive such as a university degree.
Dealing With the Challenges of Learning
Another way to be LearnSmart is to tackle the challenges of learning. You could have challenges such as:
- Struggling to keep on top of the learning
- Feeling dis-hearted when you fail
- Not being able to meet deadlines
- Not having enough time to learn
- Having too many distractions
- Having a lack of guidance
There are many ways in which you can overcome these challenges, here are a few.
Getting Support
One of the best things that you can do when you are having some challenges in learning is to get support. Whether that be seeking advice from your teachers if you are in school or reaching out to a friend or family member. Sometimes we cannot do everything and know everything. That is why asking for help can be one of the smartest tools to get over a challenge.
In addition to simply asking for advice, you could look into extra tutoring sessions which may run out of schooling hours. This may also be advantageous if you want to get ahead and make fast progress.
Failure Leads to Increased Learning
One of the things you will have to learn in life is that even if you fail at something, you will be even better equipped to get back up, learn from your mistakes and do even better next time. If you do not complete a piece of work to the required standard you would have liked, looking at feedback as to why you failed can be very useful for building your progress.
Schedule Times for No Distractions
If you struggle with failing to be productive with your learning, try making a timetable of when you will focus your attention on learning. This LearnSmart strategy is especially useful. Try and put your phone in a separate room, find a quiet place and do not sit in the same room as things like a games console or the TV. In addition, if you cannot learn with friends and family around as they are too distracting, do what is best for you and your learning and work independently.
Choosing Appropriate Environments
The trick to being LearnSmart is knowing how you work best. That could be learning independently at home, using the library for a space especially for learning or going round your friends house.
It could also be whether you want to learn online and have virtual lessons or be tutored face to face.
By finding out how you work best you are able to make the most of your experiences and do the best that you can do.
Some people find that working in the library means they can separate their learning from their relaxing home environment. This effect can also be achieved by having a home office.
In terms of online and face to face options, it depends on the person and their preferences. The online learning world is fantastic in its ability to reach anyone in the world. However, many often worry about the lack of communication. The College of Contract Management, however, ensures that students can always ask their lecturers questions on the live lectures. Especially during the recent pandemic, online learning has become the more popular choice. Schools have had to adapt from the pandemic and seek advice from the institutions who already delivered education on online platforms. Many students prefer this way of learning, especially as online video chats have the option to interact and be as similar as classroom learning as possible.
Some video conferencing services are better than others and some are especially designed for learning such as google classrooms. This platform allows students to submit their work electronically and makes marking easy.
Striving For Professional Development
Another strategy is one which is LearnSmart as it will make a great impact to life, long term. Learning with our future in mind is one of the best reasons to continue learning into adulthood.
A LearnSmart choice would be to add qualifications to your skill set and in turn have a well built professional profile. You could take short or long courses as well as training courses.
For example, there are CPD courses such as the RICS CPD, which stands for Continuing Professional Development which allows you to maintain a CPD membership. There are also short CPD courses that you can take purely for broadening your knowledge in specific areas.
Another smart choice refers to the professional development of teams. Many companies decide to conduct in-house training. This can help a business train their employees to meet changing and evolving standards and increase their profits. Furthermore, it can help to make stronger teams and increase the communication throughout.
Knowing When to Stop Studying
Being LearnSmart also means not overdoing it when it comes to studying, but rather finding workable strategies which mean you work less. If you are cramming information into your head late at night right before a test, you are doing it wrong. You should find ways to study in short bursts. If you do lots of work without breaks then you will just get burnt out. One of the most effective ways to learn is little and often and you should aim to start with more than enough time before any tests or exams. This will allow you to review the information and repetition leads to increased long term learning.
In addition, learning should not be the process of cramming information into your head and willingly forgetting it after you finish the test. Learning comes from the understanding of a subject and also being interested in it. When you learn for a test, you may just be memorising phrases and not actually understanding the principles. A greater understanding of a topic will be reflected in your assessments. In general, learning is great for our self development so it should not be something that is rushed.
How Colleges Are Developing LearnSmart Strategies
Many schools and colleges are developing ways to become more LearnSmart. They want to provide the best ways to learn to all students so they gain the most from their experiences and efforts. Here are a few examples of the efforts made.
Student Surveys
Student surveys are some of the best ways that colleges, universities and schools are discovering how to create LearnSmart strategies. Students can record how they find learning in different ways and the ways in which they learn best. Many institutions ask that students complete surveys once they have completed a module to record what they liked about teaching and what could be improved. This helps to tailor a course specifically for future students need.
Offering Accessible Learning
Accessible learning means the strategies put in place to make learning available for all people and those with disabilities. In schools, they must provide those with learning difficulties with extra support as it is the law. They may offer things such as:
- Extra time for competition of work
- Learning 1 to 1
- Providing additional learning materials
- Creating appropriate environments
There are some learning providers specifically for those with learning disabilities.
There have even been strategies developed for e learning and accessibility. This allows many people with disabilities to understand and navigate the online platforms. As an example, screen readers and other assistive tools.
Developing Collaboration
Another LearnSmart strategy that colleges are trying to implement is improving the way that students work together. It is known that working together is a fantastic way to learn as each student discovers new ways of changing their learning style. Teachers encourage students to talk amongst themselves and also create exercises. Not only does this help students learn but it also improves their team building skills which are fantastic for future professional job roles.
This technique also encourages independent learning which is thought to be great for building confidence and will provide students with a better chance of success.
Collaboration does not only refer to students working together but also for how the lecturer or teacher encourages conversation and gets the students to reflect upon what they have learnt. If a lecturer or teacher simply gives information to students like reading from a book they may not maintain focus. Therefore, it is being encouraged that lecturers ask students questions and have them more involved in the learning sessions.
Conclusion
Being LearnSmart is something that will benefit us in so many aspects of our life. We will optimise our time and money as well as deal with the challenges of learning. In addition, we will know which environments work for us and strive for professional development. The fact that these strategies benefit us so much, means that institutions are finding ways to implement these techniques including The College of Contract Management. We try to find more ways for you to learn as optimally as possible and create fantastic learning opportunities.
Learning is something that we do every day without knowing it, but making conscious efforts to add to our skill set will prove to be particularly useful and insightful. Learning not only creates new career opportunities for us but it can also improve our mental health.