Learning Factors for Students
Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2020 2:05 am
Other instructors will know what I’m talking about when I mention learning factors, for those who don’t know they come from one of my favourite books:
https://tc.canada.ca/sites/default/file ... tp975e.pdf
I actually mean that. Part 1 of the Instructor Guide is probably the most influential thing I’ve ever read. It explained how I accidentally faked being smart in college and validated why I should keep up the habits I forced on myself, but I’m getting ahead of myself here. What I want to talk about is learning factors but not how your instructor would apply them, instead how you can structure your own learning for maximum effect. After all, “No one ever learns except through their own activity and there is, strictly speaking, no such art as teaching, only the art of helping people to learn” (Flight Instructor Guide, Part 1, paragraph 6 - told you I like that book).
Here’s what your instructor should consider:
(a) READINESS — Ensure students are mentally, physically and emotionally ready to learn.
(b) PRIMACY — Present new knowledge or skills correctly the first time. (Teach it right the first time.)
(c) RELATIONSHIP — Present lessons in the logical sequence of known to unknown, simple to complex, easy to difficult.
(d) EXERCISE — Ensure students are engaged in meaningful activity.
(e) INTENSITY — Use dramatic, realistic or unexpected things, as they are long
remembered.
(f) EFFECT — Ensure students gain a feeling of satisfaction from having taken part in a lesson.
(g) RECENCY — Summarize and practise the important points at the end of each lesson, as last things learned and practised will be remembered longest.
And here’s how to turn those things inward on yourself:
(a) READINESS — This one is easy enough to figure out. Be well rested and well read before the lesson. I like reading the relevant stuff before the lesson and having questions ready for the instructor, then the lesson is largely review with some filling in remaining blanks and firming up the important stuff. Proper Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance, People.
(b) PRIMACY — Maybe a little harder to imagine how to set yourself up in this one but basically don’t try to learn new things from sketchy sources. New concepts are to come from recognized authorities on the subject only. Once you have a basic understanding of something new then you’re better equipped to take in information from a wide variety of sources because you’ll be better able to understand something poorly explained or to reject things that are simply wrong.
(c) RELATIONSHIP — Learn first principles and build up from there. Believe it or not every flight you ever do will rely on the first lesson you ever took. There’s an order to it all and the ‘easy’ stuff you start with is important too. Probably the most important.
(d) EXERCISE — Everything is practice, hold yourself to a standard. Don’t plan to just ‘turn it on’ for the flight test. Instead look at your flight test as a sampling of what you regularly do and try to stay good enough that you could take a flight test cold at any time and still pass. Aim for that level and practice accordingly.
(e) INTENSITY — This one’s kind of anomalous on my list in the list but I guess just pay attention to the things that happen.
(f) EFFECT — Find a way to be satisfied with your training. Don’t focus on the bad stuff, focus on how you can improve it. Don’t forget to consider all the things that are going well. Have an instructor you don’t dread.
(g) RECENCY — Review new things, you have about 48 hours after a lesson to go back over it and really lock things into your mind. Sooner is better. Also fly lots because having to review things in the airplane before moving ahead is very expensive.
This doesn’t just apply to airplanes either, use this stuff to do all sorts of things while making the best of your time. That way you can waste time on more fun stuff than studying!
https://tc.canada.ca/sites/default/file ... tp975e.pdf
I actually mean that. Part 1 of the Instructor Guide is probably the most influential thing I’ve ever read. It explained how I accidentally faked being smart in college and validated why I should keep up the habits I forced on myself, but I’m getting ahead of myself here. What I want to talk about is learning factors but not how your instructor would apply them, instead how you can structure your own learning for maximum effect. After all, “No one ever learns except through their own activity and there is, strictly speaking, no such art as teaching, only the art of helping people to learn” (Flight Instructor Guide, Part 1, paragraph 6 - told you I like that book).
Here’s what your instructor should consider:
(a) READINESS — Ensure students are mentally, physically and emotionally ready to learn.
(b) PRIMACY — Present new knowledge or skills correctly the first time. (Teach it right the first time.)
(c) RELATIONSHIP — Present lessons in the logical sequence of known to unknown, simple to complex, easy to difficult.
(d) EXERCISE — Ensure students are engaged in meaningful activity.
(e) INTENSITY — Use dramatic, realistic or unexpected things, as they are long
remembered.
(f) EFFECT — Ensure students gain a feeling of satisfaction from having taken part in a lesson.
(g) RECENCY — Summarize and practise the important points at the end of each lesson, as last things learned and practised will be remembered longest.
And here’s how to turn those things inward on yourself:
(a) READINESS — This one is easy enough to figure out. Be well rested and well read before the lesson. I like reading the relevant stuff before the lesson and having questions ready for the instructor, then the lesson is largely review with some filling in remaining blanks and firming up the important stuff. Proper Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance, People.
(b) PRIMACY — Maybe a little harder to imagine how to set yourself up in this one but basically don’t try to learn new things from sketchy sources. New concepts are to come from recognized authorities on the subject only. Once you have a basic understanding of something new then you’re better equipped to take in information from a wide variety of sources because you’ll be better able to understand something poorly explained or to reject things that are simply wrong.
(c) RELATIONSHIP — Learn first principles and build up from there. Believe it or not every flight you ever do will rely on the first lesson you ever took. There’s an order to it all and the ‘easy’ stuff you start with is important too. Probably the most important.
(d) EXERCISE — Everything is practice, hold yourself to a standard. Don’t plan to just ‘turn it on’ for the flight test. Instead look at your flight test as a sampling of what you regularly do and try to stay good enough that you could take a flight test cold at any time and still pass. Aim for that level and practice accordingly.
(e) INTENSITY — This one’s kind of anomalous on my list in the list but I guess just pay attention to the things that happen.
(f) EFFECT — Find a way to be satisfied with your training. Don’t focus on the bad stuff, focus on how you can improve it. Don’t forget to consider all the things that are going well. Have an instructor you don’t dread.
(g) RECENCY — Review new things, you have about 48 hours after a lesson to go back over it and really lock things into your mind. Sooner is better. Also fly lots because having to review things in the airplane before moving ahead is very expensive.
This doesn’t just apply to airplanes either, use this stuff to do all sorts of things while making the best of your time. That way you can waste time on more fun stuff than studying!