Independent Study

As the name suggests independent learning is learning that you do by yourself. This normally means without help from a teacher or from other adults such as parents. It can take place in school or at home. It is important because it means you do not have to depend on other people and so pupils can make more progress whatever year they are in. For the students here, it is also important when they finish at school because employers and universities look for independent learners. They know that independent learners are people who can cope with changing circumstances and make the most of the opportunities that arise.

There are six skills you need to be an effective learner.  They are

• Exploration and investigation
• Problem solving and creative thinking
• Presentation and communication
• Leadership and teamwork
• Evaluation and self-reflection
• Determination and resilience 

Find out more about these skills here [PDF document 845kB]

There are three different types of learner

• Auditory – you learn by listening
• Visual – you learn by listening
• Kinaesthetic – you learn by doing

To become an independent learner you need to know which your preferred learning style is and be prepared to try different approaches.

Your brain is a living thing. It needs to be looked after if it is to learn properly. It needs the right amount of food and water, it needs plenty of rest and it needs exercise. If any of these things is missing you can’t expect to become an effective and independent learner.

Find out more about how your brain works and how to look after it here [PDF document 26kB]

Sometimes we just look at things in one way. De Bono’s thinking hats can help you look at things from lots of different perspectives. Its like putting on a different hat each time you look at a problem. If you are used to looking at something from just one point of view learn more about thinking hats here.

• White – you concentrate on facts and information
• Red – you concentrate on feelings and emotions
• Black – you concentrate on the negative things
• Yellow – you concentrate on the positive things
• Green – you concentrate on alternative approaches to the problem
• Blue – you concentrate on the bigger picture

Any body can wear any of these hats at any time. You can even change hats. Learning to look at things from different points of view is an important skill and one that can broaden your understanding.

There are lots of skills that can be used to help retrieve record and remember information.  Independent learners are comfortable using a range of these.  The most important skills are

• Skimming
• Scanning
• Mind Mapping
• Mnemonics

(Move the mouse pointer over the links for details)

And there are also flow charts which are easy-to-understand diagrams showing how steps in a process fit together. This could be something like a recipe or the steps that you need to follow with a computer program. Each step in the process leads on to the next one. You can even have alternatives to show that there can be different outcomes depending on the choices that you make.

The example shows part of a simple flow chart which helps receptionists route incoming phone calls to the correct department in a company:

Most flow charts are made up of three main types of symbol:

• Elongated circles, which signify the start or end of a process;




• Rectangles, which show instructions or actions;




• Diamonds, which show decisions that must be made

Within each symbol, write down what the symbol represents. This could be the start or finish of the process, the action to be taken, or the decision to be made.

Symbols are connected one to the other by arrows, showing the flow of the process.

Homework is an important part of independent learning. It is set in all years from year 7 through to year 13. The amount that you get will increase as you move through the school and you will need to organise your time effectively so that you can meet the deadlines. To see your current homework timetable click here [PDF document 36kB].

Everybody has their own way of managing homework. However these are guidelines that might help.

• Make sure you record the homework effectively in your planner, noting what you have to do and when it is due in. If you are not sure ask the teacher before you leave the lesson.
• Plan your homework in advance. Rather than looking on a day to day basis. Look at the whole week and be aware of when you have things planned such as cadets or football training that might stop you doing your homework. Be aware of which homework you will be set and when the deadlines are going to be. This should help you spread your work through the week.
• Find a quiet place to work at home and decide which time is best for you to do your homework. Some people like to get it out of the way as soon as they get home, other people like to leave it until they have had something to eat. It doesn’t matter when you decide to do the work but it is best to stick to the same routine.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you are stuck. Talk to people at home about your homework and show them what you have done. Often talking to somebody else will make things clearer.

Exams can often seem stressful. Everybody has been in a situation where they worry about revising or preparing for an exam only to find that their mind goes blank on the day. However preparing for exams is just like preparing for a sports event or any other personal challenge. The more carefully you plan, the more likely you are to succeed. Follow these basic guidelines of you want to do well

• Know your subject. Take time to learn the key things well so that you can remember them without even thinking in the same way that you remember your phone number or the words to your favourite song. This means breaking it down into little bits and going over it as often as you can, every day if possible.
• Make revision an active process. We all learn best by doing so do something with the information you are trying to remember. Staring at the page rarely helps, so pick out key points with a highlighter, draw a mind map, make a list of facts, write a song, draw a picture. The more you do this, the more you will remember
• Know the exam. Check with your teacher exactly what it is that you will need to do. How many papers are there? How long do they last? How many questions do you have to answer? What subjects are likely to come up? The aim is to make sure that nothing is a surprise when you open the paper on the day.
• Learn things in context, not in the abstract. When you are learning facts try to link them to the bigger picture. Think about how you could use them to answer exam questions. Join them to other parts of your learning. If you forget something, you may remember it when you come across something that it is linked to.
• Practise what you will have to do under exam conditions. Near the exam spend time getting used to working in the way you will have to in the hall. Work without music, don’t allow people to disturb you, don’t eat or drink, don’t use a computer. You need to reproduce the conditions that you will have in the hall as closely as you can, so it is familiar to you.
• Prepare well on the day. Make sure you have had a good night’s sleep, don’t stay up too late revising. Have something to eat and drink and try to relax. Last minute revision usually makes you more nervous rather than helping you remember new things. Above all leave yourself plenty of time to get to the exam. There’s nothing worse than arriving at the last minute and being stressed as a result.
• Ignore other people. Be your own boss. Other people always seem to know more than you or will tell you what you have done wrong. Don’t talk to them, especially after the exam. We all focus on the things we’ve got wrong, not the things we’ve got right and this can be very destructive.
• Be confident. Exams are only a problem if you have not prepared properly. If you have done everything you can, as well as you can, there should be no surprises and you should know that you will do well.

Move the mouse pointer over the questions for answers.

• Is is all right to have the TV or music on when you are working?



• I work better under pressure and leave things till the last minute. If I still get them done what’s wrong with that?



• I do lots of things outside school. How can I find time to do homework as well?



• Why does my mind go blank in exams?



• How can I remember important facts?