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| I have difficulty knowing what I want (B1, B2). Self-management and study skills are the most individual skills to develop. It is your responsibility to develop them, which does not mean that you should forgo the support of tutors or peers. The most important yardstick for measuring your performance in self-management and study skills is their effect on the other skills in the Skill Circle. It takes considerable time and critical self-diagnosis to develop self-management and study skills. They are a mixture of input and output categories. Also, your aims and priorities change over time, as you reach higher levels of understanding and skill proficiency (The Format, part I). The challenge of lifelong (self-managed) learning is to continuously trigger cycles of so-called generative or ‘double-loop’ learning (Parker with Stone, 2003). This requires that you are prepared to go through the following reflective sequence: (1) Problem definition: what is the learning phase you are in, and what are the related problems of developing skills. You try to become aware of your ‘learning gap’ by identifying the difference between were you are (zero measurement) and where you or your tutors/teachers want you to be (in a particular period of time). It also requires that you are able to question old models of learning and self-management. (2) Diagnosis and design: define the skills that you want to develop in particular (Decision) and try to identify different perspectives (advantages and disadvantages) of the available approaches. Set realistic goals. Write a learning contract and updates on a regular basis. (3) Implementation: translate your goals into realistic action (Action). Make realistic plans per week and per semester. Test the development of your skills by looking at your output: the way that you give a presentation, attend an exam, write, reach decisions, and - most importantly - the way that you carry out research and deal with relevant problems. (4) Evaluation: Search for different types of feedback at different stages in your personal development. Five basic principles apply that you should always take into account when you want to make your study activities part of a continuous and virtuous learning cycle. 1. Assume responsibility for your own learning |
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