Psychologists and other scientists have studied how people learn for many years. Students, whose responsibility
it is to learn, should be aware of the techniques these scientists have found to be beneficial to learning and apply the techniques to their own learning. Some of the ideas that will be helpful are given here.
1. The learner must be an active participant in the learning process. Students cannot learn well if they only sit
and listen. Student will learn more if they do the assignments. Students will learn more if they participate in class discussions; i.e. ask questions, respond to instructor questions.
2. Students learn better if they collaborate with others in the learning process. Learning occurs when learners
interact with other learners; i.e. share ideas, make suggestions for solving problems, react to other proposed
solutions, etc. Students that help other students work problems or understand concepts are not only being
helpful to the another person, they will also learn more themselves. Many teachers often comment that they
learned more about their content area while they were teaching than when they took courses.
3. Students will learn better if they reflect on their own thinking. After completing homework assignments,
compare your solutions with others--other students or the ones presented by the instructor. Are there any
differences in your solutions and those of others? If so, why? Could it be that both procedures are correct?
Are your solutions based on sound concepts? After tests, review the problems you missed. What were you
thinking when you incorrectly answered a problem? Are you making the same type error each test?
Learners that consider these question will generally learn better that those that do not think about their own thinking.