Let+Me+Learn


 * Introducing** Let Me Learn to Students Lesson Plans
 * Objective**: Students will understand the basic concepts of the Let Me Learn theoretical base and how participating in this work will affect their ability to monitor and positively impact their own learning and enable them to describe what they need to help them learn.
 * Materials**: none (unless you decide to do drawings or other activities)


 * These are suggested topics for introducing your students to the ideas behind Let Me Learn. You should pre-read this lesson plan and decide which steps you want to use with your students.

Check-in question ideas (choose 1):
 * Where do you learn best?
 * What does learning look like?
 * What memory do you have of a successful learning experience?
 * How do you feel you learn best?
 * What part of school is most frustrating for you?
 * What was the best assignment you ever did?

From the check-in, choose one or more of the following topics/ideas to discuss as a whole group. You can also incorporate activities (like drawing instead of talking, graphic organizers, lists, brainstorming, V-charts (like Ruth did with us), chalk talk, or journal writing in place of talking – this can add some interesting action to the lesson if your group isn’t into talking all that much).

§ What are your greatest successes in school? Why are those assignments do-able for you? What assignments are most frustrating for you? Why? § What is something you know how to do well? How did you learn it? § Where do I learn best?
 * What is learning?
 * What happens in the brain (physiological stuff, neurons firing, new neural connections forming, etc) vs. what happens in the mind (thinking stuff, categorizing, etc)? Where does learning take place (in school, at home, at the mall?) [Notice that LEARNING HAPPENS EVERYWHERE!]
 * What are you thinking, feeling and doing when you do this activity? Why did you learn it so well? What made it work for you?
 * Ask students to think about a successful learning memory and describe where it took place … the main idea being that school is NOT the only place where learning can happen.

Be sure to include somewhere a discussion of the basic tenants of the Let Me Learn program … that we are looking at learning by explaining the processes that go on in your brain/mind when you learn. No one is smarter or better, but everyone has a “team” working in their head. This program will help students understand how their team works and we’ll discuss together how we can use this information to be most successful in school.

Also … before the students take the inventory, you might want to practice with using the continuum … maybe with fun questions like “how often do I do what my parents tell me to do?” //Never ever … almost never … sometimes … almost always … always

Also: Please remember the Learning Bulletin Boards that Ruth spoke about; each advisory should have one!//