HOW TO SUCCEED AS AN ONLINE STUDENT, part 2: Learning from online lecture and text

HOW TO SUCCEED AS AN ONLINE STUDENT Part 2: HOW TO LEARN FROM LECTURE AND TEXT

Substituting online learning for the customary in-school lessons presents some unique challenges.   Materials presented online are less personal and lack the face-to-face connection that allows teachers to assess the comprehension level of class members and provides a student the immediate gratification of asking a question and getting an instantaneous response. 

 The new online role casts the student as an independent learner, requiring techniques that are rarely innate for a college student, much less those in middle school or high school.  But there are steps for navigating autonomous online learning which can be equally beneficial when school resumes and later in higher level education.  While compliance with every suggestion that follows is an unreasonable expectation, each action that is applied increases the probability of success for the elearning student.

STEP ONE:  As usual, the first step is to PREPARE, and that starts with an effective and efficient work area.  In addition to the suggestions given in Part 1 of this series, an efficient independent study space includes a few amenities not possible in the regular classroom.  An oral learner, for example, can have chewing gum or noshies at the desk, and every student should have water or similar fluid to help maintain hydration which is vital for productive brain function.

If the teacher provides a syllabus or similar course content index, a printed copy will serve as a ready reference throughout the semester and a casual reminder if posted at the work station on a white board or bulletin board.  Similarly, a calendar or assignment planner can formalize a study routine, and if the calendar is digital, notifications can ensure timely follow-through on assignments.  The purpose of each of these tips is to maintain assignments and due dates.  If the student is required to log on at specific times to engage in an in-person format, the calendar and notifications will ensure timely entrance in the video conference.

 

The study schedule should fit into the student’s daily routine.  Beginning the “school day” in the morning will make transition to the regular classroom easier whenever school resumes, but the flexibility of online learning offers options to accommodate the student’s preferred activity schedule.  While the timetable is more pliable than an in-school agenda, variability should be kept to a minimum in order to establish a true routine.  Envisioning an “ideal day” can form a template for arranging course work to include “every class/every day,” breaks, and other activities.  

To establish an appropriate environment for study, the student should get dressed as if going to school and establish an end to the study day to avoid becoming either obsessive or negligent.

IN-PERSON LECTURE VERSUS PRERECORDED FORMATS

PREPARATION: The classroom teacher may set up lectures either as in-person video conferences or as prerecorded presentations.  In either case, preparation beforehand should include review of the previous lesson.  This approach is common in Math classes where the instructor inspects homework and answers questions before moving on to the next issue.  For courses in social studies or English, it may be necessary for the student to independently survey previous discussions in order to establish context.

NOTE TAKING:  For in-person lectures, a strong procedure for contemporaneous note taking is required because of the one shot approach to information dissemination.  
    — Notes should be brief, highlighting the major concepts that can be expanded later in review.  Most people are unable to listen, retain, and write in full sentences simultaneously.  Key words and phrases are preferable for synchronous notes.  (Words highlighted in orange in this essay are examples of key items that would be the initial outline.)
    — The note taking template should leave a wide margin to the side so that additional notes to summarize or expand can be added during review.
    — If the instructor is mentioning categories first and then returning to fill in details, the outline should leave plenty of room in the body to add information as the lecture progresses.
    — The student should develop a coding system for frequently used terms. For example, a psi sign () could be used to represent psychology, psychologist, psychiatric, psychedelic, psychosomatic — depending on the course and context.

Since material presented in recorded lectures can be reviewed several times if necessary, note taking can be more loosely structured and altered as needed. Still, a consistent note taking format can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of study and should follow the same guidelines as recommended for in-person lectures.

PARTICIPATION:  A video conference lecturer might allow communication with other students or an opportunity to ask questions during a lecture.  
    — The student should understand how to join in the conversation without causing a disruption and be prepared to participate constructively.
    — Questions should NEVER be left dangling.  If participation is allowed, the question should be posed immediately.  As an alternative, the issue should be written down and either asked or researched as soon as possible.

LECTURE RESOURCES:  Some lectures will be a “talking head” while others may include PowerPoint or similar slides.  
    — Lecture notes offered by the instructor as printable worksheets should be saved, possibly in printed form, and used as reference for review.  The effort that goes into this resource is a direct indication of what is valued by the instructor and should inform the student for written projects and test review.

LEARNING FROM TEXT

PREPARATION:    As with learning from lecture, gaining information from the printed page involves review of previous material to set the stage for supplementing previous knowledge.  Effective learning creates several mental pathways to knowledge, connecting ideas through chronology as in history, through theme as in literature, through hypothesis in science, and through sequencing in math.  The goal of most learning is to add to existing intelligence, and efficient learning avoids recreating the wheel.

With printed text, preparation steps should include Survey of the new material.
    — An outline of key concepts begins with titles and headings.
    — Highlighted words offer a preview of important vocabulary.
    — Captions add detail and interest to key concepts.
    — Charts, graphs, and diagrams present vital statistics in visual form.

Establishing a purpose for reading revolves around the Question tactic.  When the social studies teacher assigns 8th graders a chapter to read and instructs them to answer the 3 questions at the end, most students will read the questions before delving into the written pages.  They are employing a Question tactic by identifying beforehand the information to search for.  Without this predetermined purpose, the student should formulate distinctive questions to motivate investigation of the text.

Actual Reading of the text is an active process.  The student should be prepared to highlight with pen or markers and also to jot notes either in margins or on separate paper.  Note taking techniques used when learning from lectures apply equally to documenting data points from text, but the latter can be less intense since it does not rely on a lecturer’s pace. 

FOLLOW UP

Once essential concepts have been gathered from either lecture or text, learning continues through the steps of Recite and Review.

The Recite maneuver can take several tracks, dependent on a student’s natural preferences and experience.
    — An inspection of notes can be a verbal recitation as if the student is giving a lecture on the topic, a recap of information through construction of a mind map, or revisions of notes through highlighting or addition of details.    
    — Attempts to answer the initial questions spotlight missing data points and establish an objective for the final step…

Review, during which the student returns to the printed material to augment notes with relevant information.

This process is dubbed SQRRR (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) but could as easily be related to lectures as SQLRR (Survey, Question, Listen, Recite, Review).  It encourages the planning and thinking that orbits around actual reading or sitting through a lecture, which are, in reality, a small portion of the overall strategy.  It enhances the theory that “learning” is more than just listening to an expert or reading about an issue.  It requires moving information from working memory to short-term memory from which long-term memory is developed.  Classroom teachers can guide unsuspecting students through the method with periodic, subtle comments and review.  With elearning, it is up to the student to design and administer a study program to attain understanding, retrieve knowledge, and demonstrate comprehension through homework and exams.

Although our American style teaching is heavily dependent on students being in a group classroom environment, the online learning situation we find ourselves in today can provide the opportunity for our students to learn a system for higher level learning that could have impressive benefits after high school.  College, trade school, on-the-job training, or just pursuing a hobby or special interest all require  continuing education.  Unlike the fatalistic prognostication that elearning will put our kids behind, figuring out how to learn independently now can put them ahead of the game for a lifetime.