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L
EARNING
TO
L
EARN
: B
ECOMING
A
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ELF
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ROWER
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“Have a bias toward action
—
let’s see something happen now. You can
break that big plan into small steps and take the first step right away.”
—Indira Gandhi
R
EFLECTION
In this experience, you will use a
Problem Solving Methodology worksheet
as a way to help you become
aware of and then reflect on the process knowledge of problem solving and your own use of this kind of
knowledge in your own life.
P
URPOSE
The ability to analyze process knowledge and learn to apply it in different contexts is enhanced with the
use of methodologies. In this course, as well as others, there will be key processes that you will learn.
Understanding how to learn processes as methodologies will serve you well through the rest of your life.
What is a methodology? First and foremost, a
methodology
is a model of a process. Methodologies serve
many purposes. They help us to
1) Analyze, understand and apply a specific process
2) Assess performance to improve future performance
3) Make connections to other processes effectively
4) Make sense of rubrics
An expert who has applied a process at a very high level (as an expert), across many different contexts,
has now
generalized
his or her knowledge with a methodology that others can then use to apply and
understand the same kind of expertise.
1) Expert chess players have modeled chess openings and endings they can teach to novices
2) In sports, processes such as pitching or returning a serve or taking a penalty kick are broken down
into specific steps that new players can learn
3) In cooking or baking, a recipe is a series of steps some of which might themselves be methodologies
(such as separating an egg yolk from the white)
4) In medicine, there are thousands of specific techniques such as Lasik surgery or dialysis
5) Dance teachers and choreographers
teach dance by breaking it down into a series of steps
From this experience, you will gain knowledge about how to use processes and methodologies to move
your understanding from an informational level of knowledge (Level 1) to a working expertise (level
4) as quickly as possible. In the course, you will have the opportunity to work to advance your process
knowledge and your use of helpful methodologies in the areas of reading, learning, problem solving,
assessment, personal development, and teamwork.