‘Being a student’ workshop

Succeeding at school is not only about knowledge. Students also need to learn to listen, understand an instruction, get started on a task, organise their things, manage their time, stay focused, memorise, ask for help, cooperate and persevere. These skills are rarely made explicit.

The ‘Success can be learned — Being a student’ workshop makes them visible, trains them and helps students transfer them to the classroom. The approach is playful, concrete and metacognitive: students experiment, understand how they work and gradually build their own learner’s toolbox.

What being a student involves

Getting into learning: understanding what is expected and getting started.
Organising and planning: materials, workspace, the steps of a task, managing time.
Paying attention and memorising: resisting distractions, discovering memorisation strategies.
Understanding: rephrasing an instruction, spotting the key information.
Persevering and managing emotions: accepting mistakes, trying another strategy, calming down.
Communicating and cooperating: listening, speaking up, working with others.

A typical session

1
Ritual and goal
The skill of the day is stated clearly: ‘Today we are going to learn to…’
2
Situation or challenge
A game, a problem or an experiment that calls on the skill.
3
Observation
The orthopedagogue observes spontaneous strategies, obstacles and level of independence.
4
Input and practice
Suitable strategies and tools are presented, then tried out.
5
Transfer
The strategy is reused in a situation close to class or homework.
6
Reflection and self-assessment
How did I do it? What helped me? Which strategy will I reuse?

A 10-session progression

Session 1 — Starting point: what kind of student am I?
Session 2 — Understanding what being a student means
Session 3 — Getting organised to learn
Session 4 — Planning and managing my time
Session 5 — Steering my attention
Session 6 — Learning to memorise better
Session 7 — Understanding instructions and choosing a strategy
Session 8 — Facing mistakes and difficulty
Session 9 — Working with others and communicating
Session 10 — My student toolbox

Tools and real-life practice

Organising the school bag and exercise books, planning homework, attention and concentration games, simple breathing techniques, mind maps, roadmaps and checklists. Practice situations close to class — instructions, group work, short presentations, preparing for a test — help students know when and how to reuse what they have learned.

Even in a small group, particular attention is paid to how each student works, with time for self-reflection to better understand their learner profile.

Assessment and follow-up

Assessment is formative. An individual grid observes the different aspects of being a student at the start, middle and end. Signs of progress: more independence, better organisation, getting started more easily, better-chosen strategies, less resistance to learning and a stronger sense of competence. Reviews can be held with partners to adjust the goals.