Thank you for...

For grandparents day, we had to write a letter to our grandparents for what we are thankful for.

Here is my thank you letter to my grandparents: 

What makes a great learner?

For writing this week one of the tasks we had to do was write an explanation writing for what is a great learner. 
Here is my explanation writing:

What makes a great learner?

A learner develops passion through learning that involves focus and a sense of challenge, they gain knowledge and skill by books, practise, challenges or simply being taught by someone. 

The first characteristic of a great learner is being curious. 

I think it is very important for the learner to be curious. If the learner is not interested/curious at what they are learning, then how do you expect the learner to finish the assignment to a high standard. It is proven that if you enjoy the topic you will put more effort into it, leading the assignment to be in a higher standard. From my experience if there was a topic that I found curious, I would put more effort into the assignment than I would if I found the topic boring. For example you would put more time into a book you found curious rather than a book you found bland & boring. 

Another characteristic of a great learner is being focused.

To be focused on the assignment & not getting distracted every second. If the learner gets distracted and is not focused on his/her work then they won’t be able to learn as much because they are focused on something else rather than their work topic. Being a focused learner means they will be process oriented going through the assignment step by step paying attention to the little details, until the assignment is perfect or in the highest standard they can reach.

To be a great learner you have to give everything a go.

Not everything about being a great learner is just achieving your assignments to a high standard or being good at maths and writing, but is actually giving everything a go. All of the best learners I know of are ready to try new things by giving them a go. For example, what would you know to be interested in studying if you didn't give things a go? How will you know your weakness and strengths for the future if you don’t give things a go? You have to be open to every opportunity as a great learner, ready to start a new adventure in the learning world. 

All together I think being curious, focused & giving things a go are the most important characteristics for being a great learner. Everyone can be a great learner and have these characteristics and more. Just remember you don’t only need to be smart to be a great learner.

Israel