A model for effective learning (and living)

This easy acronym is at the heart of all successful activities, like learning.   It stands for:

Knowledge of the world and of yourself.

Plan for how to achieve something such as a goal.

Action taken to realize the plan.   

Monitoring the action in view of the plan.

Evaluate one’s knowledge, plan and action.

This is a kind of feedback loop in that as one evaluates,  one can change any element in KPAME.

In terms of vocabulary learning, by Knowledge of the world what is meant is knowledge about vocabulary and the world.    You need to know about vocabulary learning and English vocabulary in the context of Canada,  or where you currently live and study or work.    You need to know about word frequency.    The second aspect of Knowledge is knowing about yourself in terms of vocabulary.  What words do you know?  What words do you need to know?   How do you currently study vocabulary?  Is it effective?

Goals flow from knowledge.  Good goals are SMART.    This is another acronym meaning Specific,  Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.  

There are many different ways to achieve your goals.  These ways are called strategies.  There are good strategies and there are bad strategies.  A good strategy is effective, and effective for you.  It is important that it fits for you, for your own learning style.   It is effective if it helps you to successfully achieve your goal/s in a way you are comfortable with.

Once you have created some vocabulary learning goals and strategies to achieve these goals,  you need to create a larger Plan that fits these together and includes specific timelines and accountability factors.   

Without Action, a plan is nothing.   This is where you practice your strategies.  Sometimes this is the hardest part of learning or achieving something.    Your language coach can be of great help in pushing you on in this, and maybe providing some feedback.    

Monitoring is often these days  called metacognition.   It is watching your own thinking and behavior.   In terms of KPAME,  it is looking at the whole process to see how well it is working or not working.    A personal journal is a good tool for observing our action after the fact and reflecting on it.

During or after monitoring,  you need to evaluate your action,  your plan, and your knowledge. Look at it all with a critical eye and determine what is good and bad,  strong and weak,  effective and ineffective.   Then you go back and change anything that needs changing.

KPAME is one method of successfully managing independent learning.  If you look at successful learners and successful people,  you will see that in one way or another they are following this model.