Learning plan

Key takeaways

Learning plan belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Learning plan to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Learning plan from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A learning plan is a term to describe a document (possibly electronic or interactive) that is used for learning development over a period of time. Any entity can have a learning plan. They are often used by individuals to plan and manage their own learning, but they can also be used by teams, communities of practice or organizations. An organizational level plan can be the aggregate of its individuals plans or it can add information on the emergent learning needs of the overall organization. The active development and maintenance of a learning plan can enrich a person's life and the sharing of learning plans can help to strengthen a community.

Components of a learning plan A good learning plan is a well articulated document with the following components: A set of 'learning goals' that the person (or organization) hopes to achieve within a specific period of time. It is often useful to divide larger goals into more manageable sub-goals that can be realized within weeks or months. Each learning goal (or sub goal) should have a series of concrete steps or actions that the person will take to move towards the goal. Actions should be actual behaviors. Writing a quality article for Wikipedia is an example of an action. Or, if the learning goal is "understand Indian cooking", preparing and serving a masala to a group of East Indian friends might be an appropriate action. Each action should be associated with one or more resources and with evidence. Resources are anything that can be used to realize the actions to be taken towards the learning goal. One of the best resources is a mentor or coach, but there are many others, including books, courses, travel, the Internet and especially Wikipedia. Once a resource has been applied to a goal it is often helpful to rate the effectiveness of the resource, especially in cases where the learning plan will be shared. Evidence is used to demonstrate that an action has been taken, that progress towards the goal has been made, and finally that the goal has been achieved. Evidence can be private, when the person does not need to demonstrate to other people that the goal has been achieved, or public, when evidence is required.

Modes of learning A learning plan can be used for many modes of learning. One taxonomy is as follows:

Culture - learning about one's own or other people's cultures Financial - learning how to manage money and how money works in the economy Physical - physical fitness can be a form of learning and a learning plan can be used to improve and track a person's fitness Political (Citizen) - learning more about one's polity and the rights and duties of citizenship Relationship - things that one wants to learn about people in key relationships, and how to be more effective in relationships Spiritual - deepening one's understanding of the spiritual dimension of life; a prayer or meditation journal can be part of a learning plan. Work - professional learning A learning plan will often have parts that are strictly private, others that are only shared with one's intimates, others that are for various groups, and it may have some parts that are public.

Learning plans, learning records, and the ePortfolio As a learning plan evolves, goals are attained, evidence is collected and becomes a learning record. There has been much attention to learning records or the Electronic portfolio in recent pedagogy and andragogy. Whereas a learning plan looks forward to what is to be achieved, a learning record looks backwards to the past and what has been accomplished. Two sides of the same coin.

Learning landscape A learning landscape is a broader concept than a learning plan, placing the individual at the centre of their learning, allowing them to connect with other learners and create online communities. A learning landscape brings together the strengths of electronic portfolio and social networking. A learning landscape is usually based on an individual's interests, skills, reflection and competencies. By sharing these aspirations and thoughts other members can offer support and encouragement. Tools such as Elgg provide facilities for developing learning landscapes.

See also Curriculum Electronic portfolio Lesson plan

External links Yale University provides active support for its employees learning plans and there are a number of useful documents at its site.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Learning plan

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Learning plan claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Learning plan before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Learning plan ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Learning plan

In research: Learning plan appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Learning plan in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Learning plan is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Learning, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Learning plan outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Learning plan in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Learning plan means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Learning plan out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Learning plan in simple terms?

A learning plan is a term to describe a document (possibly electronic or interactive) that is used for learning development over a period of time. Any entity can have a learning plan.

Why does Learning plan matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Learning plan?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Learning plan.