“Learn,” Education for Better Work (2014), 83–88

“Learn,” Education for Better Work, 83–88

Learn

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Once I am in school, how will I succeed?

Time:Set the timer to 45 minutes for the Learn section.

Read:We have made great progress in planning our education. But once we are actually in school, what will it take to succeed?

Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Week 5	Week 6
What type of work will help me become self-reliant?	What education will qualify me for my work?	How will I pay for my education?	Should I apply for a Perpetual Education Fund loan?	How will I succeed in the classroom?	How will I succeed outside the classroom?

Read:This week, we will find answers to this question and we will take this action:

Read:QUESTION OF THE WEEK—How will I succeed in the classroom?

ACTION OF THE WEEK—Strengthen my obedience to spiritual principles and improve my learning skills and habits.

Why does the Lord counsel us to learn?

Read:The Lord and His prophets have counseled us to seek education and training, gain skills to get good jobs, and work hard.

“Education Is the Key to Opportunity” (No video? Read page 93.)

Discuss:Get into groups of three. Take a few minutes to discuss these questions. Then summarize what you learn as a group.

Why does the Lord want us to gain education and training? Can He help us succeed?
How do education and training help us “magnify the calling” God has given us?

How do I learn by faith?

Read:Read the scripture on the right.

Practice:Choose one principle in the table and read it by yourself. Ask yourself: “How could this change the way I learn?”

PRINCIPLES OF FAITH
Stay worthy. “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land” (Isaiah 1:19); “When we obtain any blessing … it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated” (D&C 130:21).
Seek the Spirit. “The Comforter … shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance” (John 14:26); “Search diligently, pray always, and be believing” (D&C 90:24).
Listen, ponder, believe. “Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer” (D&C 29:1); “Thus sayeth the still small voice” (D&C 85:6); “Wonder not … doubt not, but be believing” (Mormon 9:27).
Act; be engaged. “If any man will do his will, he shall know” (John 7:17); “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded” (1 Nephi 3:7); “Men should be anxiously engaged … and bring to pass much righteousness” (D&C 58:27).

As a group, discuss what you learned. How will you apply these four principles in your life? How will you teach them to your families?

Read:We can learn by faith because we know the truth! God is our Father and we are His children. He wants us to be like Him. The Savior can enable us with His power. The Holy Spirit can increase our understanding and help us remember. Because we know these truths, we can have the faith to be great learners!

How do I learn by study?

Read:In addition to learning by faith, we also must learn by study. Studying involves what we do inside the classroom and how we prepare outside the classroom. For the rest of this meeting we will focus on these keys to success inside the classroom. Next week we will discuss preparation outside the classroom.

Learn by study: inside the classroom

Capture and remember what I learn

Participate actively, contribute in class

Learn and meet expectations

Learn to take tests effectively

How do I take notes to capture what I learn?

Read:We take notes to capture what we see and hear in the classroom. We review those notes to remember what we learned.

Practice:Choose one person to read “Real-Life Education” on page 94. The others in the group should listen and look at the notes below. Do these notes capture what President Eyring said?

1. Write title, speaker name.

2. As they speak, write the key points in this large space; keep it simple.

3. As soon as possible after class, summarize your notes in this space.

4. Decide the most important thing to remember and do.

REAL-LIFE EDUCATION: HENRY B. EYRING
Lord wants me to learn; His grace will help	Conversion brings desire to learn
Lord wants me to learn; His grace will help	The Lord wants us to learn and serve
	His grace helps us learn faster, better
Learning lets me serve	First priority is spiritual learning
Real life is eternal life!!	The Lord knows what we need to do
	Real life is eternal life
	What we learn stays with us
	God wants us to learn, serve
	Pray more about studies, rely on Holy Spirit

Discuss:What did you learn about taking good notes?

Practice:Now, choose one person to read “Learning and Latter-day Saints” on page 95. Listen and take notes in the space below:

At the top, write the title, speaker, and date.
While you listen, record the key points on the right (large space).
After the reading, take two minutes to summarize on the left.
At the bottom, write things you want to change or do better.

Discuss:Compare your notes with other group members. Did you take good notes? How will you practice this to make it a habit?

Read:Let’s remember these things to help us capture what we learn:

Draw lines on our note paper to divide it; follow the steps.
Capture the main ideas; fill in details later.
In your mind, connect new information to something you know already.

How do I remember what I learn?

Read:If we are worthy, the Holy Ghost can help to “bring all things to [our] remembrance” (John 14:26). We can also increase how much we remember by reviewing at specific intervals. Scientists have shown that we can remember nearly all of what we learn if we follow the pattern below:

New information	1 hour later	1 day later	1 week later	1 month later
Read something or learn something in class and take notes	Spend 10 minutes to review your notes	Spend 10 minutes to review again; summarize your notes	Spend 10 minutes to review again	Spend 10 minutes to review again; you should not forget it!

Discuss:How could you change your study habits and schedule to include these reviews? Will you?

How do I participate actively in class?

Discuss:Why is it so important to participate in a class or group? What do you show the teacher when you participate?

Practice:Evaluate how well you participate by answering the following questions.

Mark “x” in one of the four boxes next to each statement to show how you are doing in each of these areas.
In our self-reliance group, I am prepared. I answer questions and participate often.	Never	Sometimes	Often	Always
When I am in a school class, I am prepared. I do my part, answer questions, and do all required activities.	Never	Sometimes	Often	Always
I try to help those in my group or class by listening and by actively studying or working with them.	Never	Sometimes	Often	Always
I study every day; I plan my time and follow my plan; I do assignments on time.	Never	Sometimes	Often	Always
I try to help my teacher or facilitator by listening and by doing more than he or she expects.	Never	Sometimes	Often	Always

Discuss:How will you improve your active participation every day?

How do I take tests effectively?

Read:Taking tests can be difficult. But they are necessary for us to show how well we have learned. They hold us accountable—which is good if we want to succeed!

Discuss:As a group, share your ideas about these questions:

What have you done to take tests effectively?
What fears do you have about tests? How do you overcome them?
How can you change the way you prepare for tests?

Read:Here are some other things we can do to become good test-takers:

Pray with faith! Pray before studying and before the test.
Work hard to prepare; make up your own test ahead of time.
Manage your time during a test; decide how much time you can spend on each question or section as you begin.
Carefully read and reread instructions: what is it they really want?
Complete easiest questions first to gain confidence, then go back to others.
Ask whether you will get negative points for wrong answers; if not, guess.

How can I do what the teacher expects?

Discuss:Why is it important to know and fulfill your teachers’ expectations?

Practice:Turn to another member of the group. One of you will act as a teacher and the other will be the student. The student should ask the teacher the questions below. Teachers can make up the answers. Then switch roles and do it again.

How can I succeed in your class?
What do you want us to learn and do?
How will you evaluate my performance?
What do you value most? Participation, promptness, preparation? Something else?

Discuss:Now that you have practiced this, can you do it with your real teachers? When will you do this?