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“What time is it?”
I’m willing to bet that many people, besides myself, start their morning with that question. Following that, the rest of the day houses a potpourri of questions- especially for students. Two sentences into this blog post, and you’re probably asking yourself the question, “Where is he going with this?” Herein lies one of my major points: Questions are an integral aspect of our lives. Without questions, we lack answers. Without answers, progress is just a dream.
Speaking of questions and how they relate to progress, that is what makes the Approach to Learning self-assessment tool one of the great resources on the Chapman Learning Commons’ website! By answering questions about yourself, you discover tips on how to improve your learning strategies. There is yet more to gain from this tool. In this blog post, I discuss how this tool highlights the importance of knowing yourself – and ultimately how that contributes to effective learning.
The Approach to Learning self-assessment tool features a list of questions. Based on your answers, you will be provided with personalized tips regarding your approach to learning. This is where the essential element of self-knowledge comes to the fore. Let’s define self-knowledge. It is a broad term that implies the awareness of one’s feelings, attributes, motivations, and abilities (“Self-knowledge”, 2020). To get the most out of the tool, you need to know yourself well enough to choose the most accurate answers. For example, when asked, “I most often approach brainstorming activities by … ?” The options that follow all lead to different tips, and your accurate answer is what will make the difference in whether you find it helpful or not. This perspective, that you need to know yourself well enough to apply the right learning strategies, opens the door to the various types of self (“Self Awareness”, 2019). This theory of the types of self comes from the field of psychology. Allow me to spare you the details of their intricacies. However, if you are interested, feel free to check out this resource, as well as others listed below! For our purposes, let’s focus on the known and unknown selves. With the known self, you are aware of your attributes, and the unknown self is simply the opposite – things about yourself you think you know but you actually don’t (“Self Awareness”, 2019). In the unfortunate event that your unknown self coincides with your learning habits, self-knowledge becomes absolutely essential.
Aside from questions asked on the Approach to Learning self-assessment, what general habits could be affected by self-knowledge? The answer: a lot! Do you really learn better with “that” kind of music? Are you actually concentrating when learning in open spaces? Are you really learning with your Chegg subscription? The list goes on. Studies show that these questions run deeper than one might imagine. A lack of critical self-knowledge could lead to taking and retaking courses or career paths that did not align with your interests or skill sets in the first place (Lewine, 2012). In a time where grit and perseverance are model characteristics, a self-knowledge deficit means you could be investing resources into ventures that yield no profitable gain for you (Lewine, 2012).
The key here is “YOU”. You need to discover what works for “YOU”. As a student looking to capitalize on your experiences, it is easy to get caught in the stream that chases the method that always works, or the course that is a definite grade booster, or even the prof that practically sticks an A+ grade on your forehead. To achieve effective learning that takes you a step closer to your goals, it is vital that we ask the pressing questions that will give us the answers that pertain specifically to us. The Approach to Learning self-assessment tool is a great start. I, for one, learnt more about my learning strategies using this resource. I discovered that I work better with profs that make room for independent learning. That showed me that though the student does most of the work, the teacher can affect that process. That being said, a high “ratemyprofessor” score is not necessarily a good fit for me, or anyone else. If you find yourself struggling to pick answers that you can 100% say are true about you, or certain choices have not worked effectively for you in the past, fret not. Check out the following resources on how to improve your self-knowledge (to be added).
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