National Teaching and Learning
Change Programme
Improving teaching and learning in Adult Learning

Themes | Planning learning and reviewing progress | What is a learning plan? | What does a learning plan look like?

Themes

• Introduction
• Assessment
• Improving teaching and learning
• Planning learning and reviewing progress
  • Getting personal
  • What the process looks like
  • Identifying personal learning goals
  • What is a learning plan?
    • Making it work
    • Who needs a plan?
    • What does a learning plan look like?
    • Your anxieties addressed
  • Reviewing progress: why it's important
  • Celebrating achievement
• E-learning and e-assessment

What does a learning plan look like?

Pauline's learning plan: an example

This is part of learning plan for Pauline, who has joined a dress-making class. The tutor has discussed a realistic timescale for a project with her, but the plan can be adjusted depending on how easy or difficult Pauline finds the work and how much practice she can manage to squeeze in at home, in between looking after her family and working long hours in a busy pharmacy. This plan could easily be set out as a mind map with Pauline's intended learning goal at the centre. As the skirt nears completion, she and her tutor can begin to think: "What next?" She could progress to a more difficult or different project, or consider learning how to make her own pattern block, for example:

Learner: Pauline
Course: Dress-making
Starting point: Can hand sew basic stitches neatly. Able to hem trousers by hand, for example.
Start date: First week of September.
Learning goal: Be able to make a skirt that fits me!

What	When by	How
Be aware of style options and know something about the construction. Have decided on a possible design.	Beg September	Discuss with tutor and other members of the group. Bring in magazines.
Be able to use sewing machine to sew forwards, backwards and oversew raw edges.	Beg October	Memorise names and functions of parts of machine. Practise sewing forwards and backwards evenly on straight-edged and curved-edge fabric until confident. Practise using zigzag function evenly on straight-edged and curved-edged fabric until confident. (Practise at home as well as in class.)
Be familiar with how paper patterns work.	Mid October	Memorise all symbols used on pattern pieces. Practise laying out pattern pieces according to grain of fabric.
Know how to adapt pattern to meet own measurements.	End October	Practise making adjustments at hip line. Practise making adjustments at waist line using darts.