Your
learning plan
It
will help you and your facilitator if you draw up a learning plan
at the start of your programme and submit this by email to your
facilitator. This plan can include any training needs you have
in the use of online tools and techniques to be completed before
starting the programme. It should also list the time you hope
to spend on activities and assignments, and how you will plan
these to fit into the work you do with your own learners. By sharing
the plan as it develops (don't wait until it is complete before
emailing sections to your facilitator), you will allow the facilitator
to co-ordinate a general learning plan for everyone and draw up
timetables. This will become a two-way process. If you also share
your plan with the other candidates, you will all start to contribute
to the overall planning of the online group activity.
To
plan your learning you should read through and follow the guidance
in Study Sections 1 and 2. This includes advice on the number
of hours you are likely to spend on each outcome. The time you
actually spend on particular activities and whole study sections
depends very much upon your own particular circumstances. If you
ever have concerns about the amount of work you are managing to
do, please get in touch with your facilitator.
Coming
to terms with the materials
Everybody
has their own learning style, and their own particular needs and
interests. It is up to you to decide how you use the learning
materials that support the course, though you should discuss your
learning plan with your facilitator. The plan you come up with
will depend on many factors. These include your personal style
and interests, the amount of time you can realistically devote
to learning, your level of motivation, and your prior knowledge
of the subjects being covered.
Generally,
it's a good idea to start by quickly getting an overview of the
whole course by looking through the paper-based and online materials.
This will help you to know what is where, so that you can find
particular things more easily when you need to find them. It will
also give you an idea of what you might particularly need to concentrate
on and should help highlight likely areas of difficulty - something
you should talk to your facilitator about. You can then start
working through the study sections in the step-by-step route sequentially, while dipping into areas which are of
particular interest to you, and further exploring external resources,
from time to time. Alternatively, you can proceed with the assessment
route, or the activity route.
Although
individuality in applying learning styles and creating learning
plans is encouraged, it should be noted that online learning and
discussion impose certain restrictions. Facilitators will co-ordinate
the learning plans that you submit and agree a timetable for activities
that involve online discussions, and will set deadlines for posting
assignments. Although they will try to be as flexible as possible,
it is clear that it would be inefficient for different members
of the group to work on activities in a radically different order.
Whenever online discussions are involved, it is advisable to agree
a set period of time (say a few days, or a particular week) when
the whole group focuses on a particular activity, or set of related
activities.
Whatever
your learning style, we recommend you complete the Pre-start
Checklist. This should follow your induction with your training
provider. If this highlights areas with which you are unfamiliar
you should speak to your facilitator and/or training provider
to ascertain whether this needs to be addressed before starting
your programme.
General
advice
As
you work through this Introductory Guide, we recommend that you
use this time to familiarise yourself with the materials. Where
you identify gaps in your understanding or knowledge e.g. technical
or practical matters, contact your facilitator, who may provide
you with the answers or direct you to technical support. We then
recommend that you approach your learning programme as follows:
What
you should do
-
Get an overview of the programme.
-
Evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses in terms of what
you know and what you know you can already do well.
-
Formulate a learning plan (be realistic about the time available
for offline study and preparation and online participation).
-
Set yourself deadlines, and try to stick to them.
-
Revise your plan, if necessary, as you progress with the programme.
-
Identify needs or interests not (yet) covered by the programme
and look for online resources that meet your needs.
-
Try to read all materials with a discerning eye - do not believe
everything you read.
-
Try to find materials that are: interesting, relevant and understandable.
-
Feel free to use the ideas of others in your assessments, but
do not plagiarise (ie do not copy verbatim without using quotes
and citing sources).
-
Try to respond promptly to email messages and conference posts,
but be realistic about the abilities of others to do so.
-
Remember that this programme is not just what is presented to
you, it is about what you do.
-
Have fun, whenever possible, and try to remain positive when
difficulties are encountered.
You
and your facilitator
-
Do not expect your facilitator to have all the answers (or to
offer them even if he/she does have them).
-
Share what you find with your facilitator.
-
Seek help and advice from your facilitator.
-
Monitor your own progress and let your facilitator know immediately
if difficulties arise.
-
Let your facilitator and or training provider know of any potential
difficulties you identify.
-
Start working on activities early, do not wait for the facilitator
to tell you to start or wait until you or other candidates have
finished earlier tasks -- working on tasks in parallel is often
a necessity as an online learner.
You
and the other candidates
-
Take part in any real-time (synchronous) sessions that are arranged
- if you cannot, let others know by email as soon as you can
(and send apologies if the session is already over by then).
-
Try to help other participants and to be a willing, friendly,
considerate and co-operative learner.
-
Take responsibility for your own learning, but at the same time
try not to work on your own - collaborate with others and establish
a learner support network .
-
Share what you find with other candidates.
-
Seek help and advice from other participants.
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