Unit 3: Learning and Memory
7.1 Application and Reflection:
In this activity you will finalise your plan for a language learning activity and try it out in your own care setting.
In Activity 3 of Unit 3 you explored how language learning can help to preserve memories, and in Activity 5 of this unit you learnt about co-creation and different ways of co-creating with learners.
In your Application and Reflection task, you will consider how you could use language learning activities to help preserve your learner/s memories, and in which you and your learner take turns in leading the activity.
Step A
Develop an idea for a language learning activity for either a small group or for working with just one senior learner, which you would like to try out in your care setting. If you have the opportunity to work with a small group, it will be useful to try out a language session with more than one learner.
As topics for the activity you could, for example, consider:
- talking about family members, friends or a favourite person
- comparing past and present (food and drink, music, shopping)
In your planning you should focus on:
- how your activity can help preserve memories and support co-creation with the senior learners in their small group, for example by talking about a memory they might have in common.
- suitable resources/materials you want to use for the activity.
In addition, consider the following aspects in your planning:
- you might want to apply strategies for learning you encountered in Activity 4 of this unit,
- you could try out an energiser for learning in your activity as encountered in Activity 4,
- you could take turns with your senior learners in leading the activity.
Importantly, remember to focus on:
- revision and consolidation of prior learning, which will enhance your learners confidence and motivation
- provide memory aides for your learners, these could be multi-sensory, i.e. images, objects to touch, put into a specific order, label etc.
Once you have a rough plan for your activity, have a look at our model answer, to help you finalise your planning.
Step B
Now try out your activity with your learner/s. You might want to gather some feedback from your learner/s about the lesson as well, which you can bring to the course and share with your fellow students.
Step C
Once you have tried out your activity/lesson idea in your care setting, write a reflective account of 300 words, explaining what you did with your learner/s and why, highlighting the successes and challenges you encountered when applying what you have learned in terms of language learning, memory/ies, social cohesion and co-creation.
These questions might help you write your account:
- What was the activity you had planned?
- Why had you planned this particular activity?
- Which materials and energisers did you try out? Why these?
- On reflection, how did the activity work? What went well, what did not go as planned?What would you do differently next time and why?
- What was your learner/s' feedback?
- What are the next steps for your learner/s?
- How will you provide further opportunities to practise and reinforce the new language?
To help you with your reflective account, have a look at our model answer.
Step D
Now go to the Forum (opens in a new tab) and post your reflective account. To help your fellow students imagine your activity and how you approached it, please attach the teaching template you completed in Step A of this activity.
Then read and comment constructively on a least one post by a fellow student.
Step E
A) Once you have tried out your language learning activity and shared it with your peers, it will be useful to think about what you have learned from sharing your experience and ideas with your fellow students. You might want to note down some key points in your Reflective Learning Log. Some aspects for reflection you may want to consider:
- Is there any teaching idea you want to try out in your own setting?
- What aspects of your fellow students' teaching worked well?
- Where did your peers see problem areas, and why did they think this was problematic?
- Where do the group's reflections coincide with yours, and where do they not?
- Were there any posts you particularly agreed or disagreed with and why?
B)This final step in activity 7.1 is specifically designed for you to contribute to the collaborative research project between The Open University and Lingo Flamingo.
In your Reflective Learning Log, make notes capturing your reflections during the study and application of content of this unit on the following aspects, which will be particularly important for the research project:
- your own learning journey applying the skills you are learning in this course in your care context, in particular:
- your motivation and confidence as you go through the course
- whether your relationships with your learners are changing due to the language learning
- any impact this learning has on your opinion of good care practice
- any views colleagues, your learners and/or families have shared regarding
- the language learning activities
- your observations on you senior learner(s)’ learning journey (the individual as well as the group), particularly:
- on their motivation for participating in this learning
- the impact the learning has on their overall confidence and participation in the sessions and the learning group (if there is one)
- aspects of how they learn and engage (for example you could share some
- relevant incidents during the language learning sessions and other examples)
Please note: This part of the application and reflection is NOT assessed and is primarily a tool for you to feed into our research whilst encouraging you to think more closely about your own learning journey and the wider impact of the language learning activities. Your tutors will read your entry and provide some brief comments, although the main focus here are your own insights and reflections.