Key Learning Skills

Learning takes place through the active behavior of the learner. It requires the ability of the learners to plan how to meet their targets, follow their plans and improve their performances. Key learning skills refer to a particular set of skills that is commonly needed in a range of activities in learning process. These skills include listening skill, communication skill, note-taking skill and test taking skill.

Listening skill: 

To achieve short term goals, medium term goals and career goals efficiently, learners must be good listeners. The ability to listen carefully allows them to better understand assignments, build rapport with classmates and teachers, work in a team-based environment, answer questions and find underlying meanings in what other say. To demonstrate to the speaker that they are paying attention, they should do these things.

1. Maintain eye contact 

2. Sit still 

3. Nod their head 

4. Lean toward the speaker 

5. Repeat instructions 

6. Ask appropriate questions when the speaker has finished

Communication skill: 

To describe thoughts clearly, concisely and convincingly, learners need good oral communication skill. It is extremely important to develop the ability to converse, to discuss, to argue persuasively and to speak in the classroom.

Note-taking skill: 

It is one of the most effective ways to understand the material being presented in the class. To take notes effectively from the lectures, learners should do these things.

1. Write title and date on the page 

2. Leave a wide margin to add questions, comments and new information later 

3. Skip lines between the subtopics 

4. Highlight key phrases

To take notes from textbooks, they should do these things.

1. Skim the whole section 

2. Write in their own words 

3. Describe a sequence of events 

4. Enlist main topics and the subtopics in outline form 

5. Make graphical organizer if necessary 

6. Categorize detail 

7. Write a summary for each section

To take notes from the classroom discussion, they should do these things.

1. Use a personal form of short hand of symbols and abbreviations of common words 

2. Listen for key words 

3. Use arrows or stars to indicate most important points

Test taking skill: 

It is another effective way to get good performance. Before taking the test, learners must have knowledge about test anticipation. It includes format of the test, time required for the test and worth of the test. To prepare the test, they should do these things.

1. Study difficult and boring subjects first 

2. Schedule study time during their best time of the day 

3. Take regular short breaks 

4. Study where they will be alert (not in bed, or in easy chair or sofa where they can get too comfortable) 

5. Concentrate on remembering the main idea 

6. Ask questions of themselves 

7. Study with a partner to compare notes

Lastly, to post test analysis of the test, they should do these things.

1. Analyze the received grades 

2. Analyze the missing answers 

3. Analyze the type of questions (did they perform better on certain types of questions) 

4. Analyze the time of the test (did they have enough time to finish the test and to review answers).