Independent Learning Skills Questionnaire

Questionnaire and competence record Name: ……………………………………………

Can’t or I do this I can do

When I am studying.... I have
don’t do sometimes this well
Books
I can find suitable books in the library ........................
I can find the relevant sections using contents, ................
and index .......................
Non Book
I can find relevant journals and other non-book sources .....
I have used a journal index ....................................................

CD ROM & the internet

I find relevant CD Roms ........................................................
I find relevant material using logical searches ......................
I search the internet for useful sites ......................................
I print out only vital material .................................................
I even read the material I print out! .......................................

Study Skills
I read in an interrogative way (with questions
in mind) ..................................................................................
I skim read ..............................................................................
I speed read ............................................................................
I make notes from my reading ..............................................
I make notes from my computer searches ...........................
I produce mind maps or other summaries ...........................

Coping Strategies
If I can't understand: I try harder ............................
or change resources ................
I recognise when I am stuck and change strategy ................
I have the courage to ask: a fellow student for help........
a lecturer for help ...................
If I can't find suitable materials
I ask a librarian ...............
or a fellow student ........
or a lecturer ..................
 Can’t or I do this I can do
don’t do sometimes this well

Monitoring my learning
I self-test my own recall of important facts........................
I self-test my understanding ...............................................
I prepare well for a test .......................................................
I maintain concentration while studying ............................
I re-read tasks I am working on often ..................................
I interpret the brief correctly .................................................
and keep to it ..............
I think carefully about my learning strategies ...................
I am learning how to improve my learning ........................

Self Management
I find an attractive and practical place to study ............
I make good use of my time ................................................
I complete on time ..............................................................
I choose tasks appropriate to the time bearing in
mind tiredness etc) ................................................................
I apply new learning-to-learn action plans ........
I am responsive to the situation, e.g. if prevented from
doing task X, then I do task Y instead ................................
I make use of parallel working (doing X & Y together) .........
I make effective use of non lecture time ......…………………

Summary
State two things.......
...you find difficult about learning

... you enjoy about learning

... you do well

... you could improve next time

Over-all learning to learn Score /10

Learning to learn by self-assessment
I used the learning skills questionnaire shown for my ‘A’ level physics students, please adapt it for
your students. If they are level 1 or 2, the questionnaire will need to be greatly simplified.

The questionnaire discovers a student's competency or weakness in various learning to learn skills.
It has the strength that it can be referred to from time to time during a programme, and used for
target setting. For example if a student completes the questionnaire, say after doing their first
independent learning assignment, and the tutor notices that that the student is not confident with:
CD ROM key word searches
Asking other students for help when stuck

Then these can be discussed and appropriate targets can be set, and reviewed after the next
independent learning assignment or at the next monitoring meeting.
The coping strategies on this questionnaire are worthy of particular attention, as they may hold the
clue to why a student finds difficulty with their learning. An absence of these coping strategies
may be a major contributing factor to a student dropping out. The questionnaire is adapted from
the second edition of "Teaching Today" by Geoffrey Petty Stanley Thornes.

Teaching "Learning to Learn" Skills

We need to teach the skills and attitudes required for effective Learning. They do not spring
magically from maturation. Kolb’s reflective learning cycle is useful here.

Do
The student completes
an independent learning
assignment

Apply
Action plan points for Review
improvement become Learning is assessed,
tasks in the next IL and the competences
assignment are used for reflection

Learn
One-to-one with teacher
the student agrees
action for improvement
After an independent learning assignment and its assessment, or indeed before, the students are
asked to review their learning to learn skills. This self-evaluation can be aided by a checklist,
competences, or by answering a questionnaire:

‘Did you find adequate resources?’ ‘What did you do if you got stuck? ... ‘Can you search a CD-ROM?’ ... ‘
(See the questionnaire above)

After this self-evaluation the student may decide, or negotiate with the teacher, goals for
improvement. For example:

“I plan to find more than just one book on the topic; ...... ask for help from friends more determinedly when I
get stuck; ......... find out how to search a CD-ROM with key words...”

These goals become the action plan for the next assignment or period of study. They can be written
at the top of new assignments in a space especially provided for the purpose. Attaining the goals
can then become part of the next assignment, and can be self-evaluated by the student, the teacher
may also provide feedback on the attainment of these ‘learning to learn’ goals.

You can of course address learning to learn skills directly in tutorial sessions, or in a specific
learning to learn assignment. Once the students have developed basic learning to learn skills, and
the habit of reflecting on their performance this support should become less and less necessary.
Level 3 students often only need to use the questionnaire once, though some will benefit from using
it repeatedly.

See chapter 33 on Independent Learning in “Teaching Today” 2nd Ed by Geoffrey Petty for more
detail.

Geoff Petty 2000