And why should you be?
Effective decision-making is a skill that can be learned and improved - just like any other! Understanding the importance of decision-making and planning can make all the difference in your learning.
Here at KnowledgePond Education, we often meet new learners who are worried about having made no progress whatsoever with their previous attempts of mastering their skills - may it be learning English or Science. You might be one of those learners who feel their situation is helpless, but our educators have the expertise to show you the perfect solution for your problem: be decisive!
What does it mean to be decisive when it comes to learning? First of all, when you started looking for the most suitable lessons or a course, you have already made your first decision: "I'm going to learn!" You probably made your booking, attended classes for a while... and that's where the problems started. You started feeling that you were stuck and didn't improve at all. But why did that happen to you? Let me show you the three main mistakes you have made so we can correct them:
1. "I want to improve my English skills" is not a well enough defined learning goal for your teacher or tutor to work with. It is not even a good enough starting point for you to choose the educator and the course that can help you achieve your learning goals!
2. You might want it all and want it now, forgetting that improving your skills require time.
3. You are blinded by the end-goal, which prevents you to see the path you need to walk on.
Do these mistakes sound familiar to you? No worries, they can be easily corrected with the proper guidance of an expert teacher and your willingness to learn how to be more decisive in your learning. Here are the first steps you should follow to improve your learning experience and start enjoying the results of your efforts:
1. Before any learning can begin, you need to define your learning goals properly. What exactly would you like to achieve? Why? What learning outcome would make you feel happy and satisfied? Let's see the most common scenario for you to understand the importance of this decision-making even better.
Instead of saying I want to improve my English skills, think this way: "I'd like to speak English with ease. I want to speak without hesitating, thinking about words. It would be great to understand TV shows, conversations and such and laugh at jokes. All together, I want to be able to express my thoughts, feelings and ideas in English easily."
Now we both have a more clear understanding of your end-goal. Why is it good for us?
For you: if you think about it, in this scenario, what you really want is to speak English naturally. Now you know what you are really looking for: a possibly native English-speaking teacher with whom you can engage in guided and natural conversations and discussions, which would help you pick up the language and phrases that are naturally used. You would also like this teacher to be well-trained, so he/she is able to give you advice and guidance on types of learning activities that you should engage in during and out of class. So when you are looking for your next teacher, you know what exactly to look for - saving yourself the time and disappointment you might suffer choosing a teacher who cannot accommodate your learning needs.
For your teacher: Now your educator knows what you need to move forward in your learning. You need a lot of opportunities to talk in English - progressing from talking about daily issues to more complex topics - including opportunities for you to guide the conversation and ask questions! Your teacher can also plan activities to improve your vocabulary - desirably with learning activities following the SMART approach. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-based).
2. The golden rule is: improving your skills require time. And the time should not be measured in the passing days. It should be measured in the time you are spending with actual learning - in your lessons and out of class.
Accepting that time is a key to your successful learning is good for the both of us.
For you: You don't set yourself up for disappointment thinking that spending one hour per week (which is only 52 hours a year!) with your learning will do the job.
For your teacher: working with you as a patient learner who can see every little improvement that has been achieved is very motivating for your teacher to do his/her very best to help you achieve your goals as quickly as possible.
3. Your end-goal is not a single jump away. Many things have to be learned and taught for that learning aim of yours to be achieved. You need to walk with a consistent pace, taking small steps and enjoy every one of them.
And how can you achieve it all? Be decisive! Make smart and well-informed decisions about your learning, starting with a learning plan. To help you get started, download KnowledgePond Education's New Year Learning Wishes PDF file, grab a pen and think: "What do I want to achieve?"
Feeling much better about your learning, aren't you?
Learning is nothing but a blast for KnowledgePond Learners. We can't wait to welcome you in our learners' community!
When you are looking for an English or Mathematics learning programme that understands the importance of learning through interactive teaching, choose KnowledgePond Education - the pioneer private institution providing high quality online lessons to children, adults, professionals and teachers worldwide.
Book a Free Consultation with one of our education experts right away to see how we can help you achieve your goals like a pro!