At Honywood we aim to provide our pupils with the skills that they need to become independent learners.  Independent learning does not mean that pupils have to work by themselves but are able to manage and take responsibility for their own learning. Independent learning skills is essential for life after Honywood, colleges, universities and employers will all want a person who is capable of being independent.  We believe that an independent learner is someone who:

a)      Is well motivated and desires to succeed.

b)      Can organise and manage their learning.

c)      Can overcome problems.

d)     Can reflect on their work and consider how to improve.

e)      Knows when they need to seek help and guidance with their work.

 

This section of the website is intended as a guide to help our pupils become more independent. 

Being organised is crucial to become a successful independent learner.  An independent pupil will demonstrate good organisation skills.  If you have problems with basic organisation you should consider looking at the following pages to help you improve your organisation.

Using your homework diary well makes becoming truly independent much easier. 

It is easy to miss deadlines due to having so much work to complete.  However when you leave Honywood you will be expected to meet deadlines.  To make this easier consider the following points:

Managing a large piece of work on your own or in a group can seem daunting at first.  Below are some tips that you may find useful when completing a piece of work. 

There are many different ways to make notes, you may find different methods suitable for different purposes or you may have a preferred way of making notes. 

Mind maps allow you to link lots of pieces of information together and help you to organise your thoughts.  You can use mind maps in class, when linking together research, during revision and in many other situations.  Many people find it easier to remember information on a mind map than a list of bullet points.

 

 

Some people find bullet points extremely useful as they are short and to the point.  Bullet points allow you to easily pick out pieces of information at a later date. Bullet points can be useful if you have a lot of information to take down in a short space of time.