Vocational College Business and Administration

Learn to learn - solutions Problem: Political discussion about the rate of unsuccessful school leavers without a school leaving certificate, young people have only very little chance to get a well-paid job their chance that they will depend on social welfare in their later life is quite high

Typical problems in “normal” lessons : Learn to learn - solutions Typical problems in “normal” lessons : Students can’t learn at their individual speed. Teachers present contents in certain portions per lessons, which are too large for some students and too small for others. Teachers lead the learning process according to their way of learning, while the students’ way of learning might be completely different.

Traditional methods to solve these problems: Learn to learn - solutions Traditional methods to solve these problems: Offer of individual help to students during the lessons or after the end of the school day different or additional exercises according to their learning progress We offer optional and obligatory support groups in our timetable: If necessary, students aresent to special support courses for two lessons a week, where general and individual problems with the learning contents can be solved. “students help students” project In order to help students to sort out personal or social problems we have three specially trained advisers who help students to solve such kinds of problems A programme of the federal government offers financial support for private lessons, for class trips and stationery

“self-organised learning - SOL” Learn to learn - solutions Our solution: “self-organised learning - SOL” This is an integrated approach that avoids a lot of the disadvantages of the traditional solutions

Learn to learn - solutions The concept of SOL: SOL is introduced in four classes at our school This concept allows students to learn as far as possible according to their individual progress, to test and apply different ways of learning on their way to a fixed aim They can get individual help and advice from their classmates and teachers within the lessons shown on the timetable. They get immediate information about their learning success during the week. Besides, key competences are trained: taking over responsibilities for themselves and for others, working in a team, generating relevant information, organising work and working hours, …

Learn to learn - solutions SOL: Weekly Schedule Learn to learn - solutions U-Std. Montag Dienstag Mittwoch Donnerstag Freitag Morgentreff - Morgentreff - Morgentreff - Morgentreff - Morgentreff - Morgentreff - Morgentreff 1.: 08:00 - 08:45 SOL: Kick Off Werkstatt REWE Werkstatt Politik Werkstatt Sport SOL: Indiv. Übungs-phase 2.: 08:45 - 09:30 Experten-gruppe 3.: 09:45 - 10:30 SOL: Stamm-gruppen 4.: 10:30 - 11:15 5.: 11:30 - 12:15 SOL: Feedback, Reflexion 6.: 12:15 - 13:00 Werkstatt GEE Werkstatt VWL Werkstatt Religion 7.: 13:15 - 14:00 Mittagtreff - Mittagtreff- Mittagtreff- Mittagtreff- Mittagtreff- Mittagtreff every week starts with a kick-off lesson in which the class teacher clarifies organisational matters and presents the “advance organizers”, i.e. maps of the contents that offer an overview of what is going to be learned that week. The schedule of the week shows different SOL-periods for German, Maths, English and Business studies. The other subjects are taught in an more traditional way. (Accounting, Politics, Economics, Religion, Physical education, Health Education).

Learn to learn - solutions SOL: Advance Organizer Learn to learn - solutions The advanced organizer ist a kind of map or overview what should be learned during the oncoming week. The advanced organizer is explained during the Kick-off-lesson on Monday morning.

Learn to learn - solutions SOL: Weekly Schedule Learn to learn - solutions U-Std. Montag Dienstag Mittwoch Donnerstag Freitag Morgentreff - Morgentreff - Morgentreff - Morgentreff - Morgentreff - Morgentreff - Morgentreff 1.: 08:00 - 08:45 SOL: Kick Off Werkstatt REWE Werkstatt Politik Werkstatt Sport SOL: Indiv. Übungs-phase 2.: 08:45 - 09:30 Experten-gruppe 3.: 09:45 - 10:30 SOL: Stamm-gruppen 4.: 10:30 - 11:15 5.: 11:30 - 12:15 SOL: Feedback, Reflexion 6.: 12:15 - 13:00 Werkstatt GEE Werkstatt VWL Werkstatt Religion 7.: 13:15 - 14:00 Mittagtreff - Mittagtreff- Mittagtreff- Mittagtreff- Mittagtreff- Mittagtreff The other parts of the method called “group puzzle”, follow. First: Expert groups – each student becomes an expert in the topic of one subject with the help of given material (book copies, Internet-links, Tutorials) Second: Expert groups are split up an the home groups consist of four students, each being an expert in a different subject  each member of the home group reports to the others, what he/she has learned about the topic of his/her subject; others take notes = an exchange oft knowledge Third part: individual exercises in all four subjects: training, control of learning contents, chance to ask classmates, experts, teachers Finally: test in all four subjects  immediate feedback about learning success to students and teachers Afterwards, the class splits up into four groups (“expert groups” – because four subjects are involved: Maths, English, German, Business Studies). Each group is then given three hours to get deeper into a topic prepared and given to them by their teacher.

Fachkompetenz: Ich kann … SOL: List of Competences Learn to learn - solutions Fachkompetenz: Ich kann … TNW Symbole Erreichte ... die Begriffe Rechtsfähigkeit und Geschäftsfähigkeit erklären und voneinander unterscheiden. Notierhilfe    ...die drei Stufen der Geschäftsfähigkeit benennen und jeweils ein selbstgewähltes Beispiel dafür nennen. Notierhilfe, Übungsaufgaben  ...fallbezogen entscheiden, ob Rechts- und Geschäftsfähigkeit vorliegen und welche rechtlichen Folgen sich daraus ergeben. Übungsaufgaben  ....eigene Fälle zum Thema Rechts- und Geschäftsfähigkeit entwerfen. 2 selbst erfundene Fälle notieren ...die Begriffe „juristische“ und „natürliche Personen“ mit eigenen Worten erklären. ...Beispiele für „natürliche“ und „juristische Personen“ nennen. Notierhilfe, Übungsaufgabe  Summe 12 x   ........ x  List of competences = fixed aimes  students know from the beginning of the week what they should learn and be able to do by the end of the week. A given “list of competences” makes clear the aims of the work and what should be able to do by the end of the week. Within these three hours, the “experts” have to prepare a kind of summary that is the basis for their work on the following day. The results of their work are controlled and approved by the teachers.

Learn to learn - solutions SOL: Target Planning Learn to learn - solutions Students are asked to plan, document and to reflect their learning process; means to control students activities during the process

Learn to learn - solutions SOL: Pictures Learn to learn - solutions Individual work Group work

Learn to learn - solutions First Feedback Learn to learn - solutions Students Teacher Companies/Parents Higher personal competences More students gained professional competence Less students left school without qualification Relaxed atmosphere High commitment Teamplayers Relaxed atmosphere Less problems with difficult students (discipline) Very positive feedback from various local companies Positive effects on the private life All in all, teachers and students are very satisfied with the self-organised learning method. Although it means a lot of work to the teachers to prepare all the materials and although it takes the students some weeks to get used to this new way of learning, nobody wants to return to the previous methods. And the measurable success in the classes tells us, that we are on the right track…

Learn to learn - solutions Thank you for your attention!