Chapter  four  The  C.R.E.A.M  strategy  for  learning  

§  What  do  those  letters  stand  for?  

 § C:  creative  § R:  Reflective  § E:  Effective  § A:  active  § M:  motivated  

§ Creative:   Have   the   confidence   to   use   your   individual  strategies  and  styles,  applying  imagination  to  your  learning.  

§ Reflective:  analyze  and  evaluate  your  own  performance  and  draw  lessons  from  it.  

§ Effective:  organize  your  space,  time,  priorities,  state  of  mind  and  resources  to  maximum  benefit.  

§ Active:   be   personally   involved   and   doing   things,   physically  and  mentally  to  make  sense  of  what  your  learn.  

§ Motivated:   keep   yourself   on   track   using   short-­‐   and   long-­‐  term  ‘goals’  or  desired  outcomes.  

 

Attitudes  that  prevent  creativity  

 §  It’s  A  Waste  Of  Time.    §  It’s  Childish.    §  I  Am  Not  Creative.  

§  I  can’t.  

§ Approaches  that  foster  creativity:    

§ You  find  what  you  are  looking  for.  

§ There  is  more  than  one  right  answer.  

Reflective  Learning    

§ As   a   student   of   higher   education,   you   are  responsible  for  your  own  progress.  

§ There   are   methods   that   help   you   develop  yourself.   One   of   them   is   writing   things   down.  This  will  help  you  clarify  your  thoughts.  

§   For  example:  1.  Write  down  things  you  find  difficult.  2.  Write  down  things  you  find  out  about  yourself.  3.  Write  down  ideas  that  arise  from  your  studies.  

Effective  Learning  

§ Effective   study   depends   on   having   your   state   of  mind,   space,   time   and   materials   organized   in   the  ways  that  best  suit  your  learning.  

§ Ineffective  Learning?    § It   is   the   opposite   of   effective   study.   A   student  needs   to   avoid   ineffective   learning   through   the  following  points:  1.  Never  work  when  you  are  tired.  2.  Never  read  without  questioning  what  you  read.  3.  Never   learn   things   off   by   heart   without   really  

understanding  them.  4.  Always  ask  for  help  when  you  need  it.    

Active  Learning  

§ An   active   learning   exists   when   a   university  student  is  involved  in  what  he/she  is  learning.  

§ There   are   many   characteristics   of   active  learning.  Here  are  some:  1.  You  look  for  ways  of  being  more  involved  in  what  

you  are  learning.  2.  You   look   for   links   between   different   things   that  

you  discover.  3.  You   take   charge   of   your   learning   and   manage   it  

like  a  project.  

Inactive  learning  or  passive  learning.  

•  Passive  learning  is  the  opposite  of  active  learning.  Some  characteristics  of  passive  learning  are:  

1.  You  wait  for  directions  and  information  to  be  fed  to  you.  

2.  You  repeat  information  without  understanding.  

3.  You  may  become  bored  and  tired  easily.  

Motivated  Learning  

§ Motivation  affects  a  student’s  success.  A  student  will  need  clear  motivation  to  keep  him/herself  going  even  through  tough  times.  

§ How  do  you  motivate  yourself?  1.  Keep  setting  yourself  new  goals  and  challenges.  2.  Reward  yourself  if  you  achieve  a  short  –  term  goal.  

3.  Always  aim  for  more.  Make  your  next  set  of  goals  a  little  more  challenging.  

Summary  

§ This   chapter   has   encouraged   you   to   consider  and   to   develop   attitudes   and   approaches   that  make  learning  more  interesting  for  you.  

§ The   C.R.E.A.M   strategy   encourages   you   to  consider   your   own   attitudes   and   motivation.  Try  to  apply  it  in  your  new  university  life.  

 

Questions    

 

End  of  week  I