General skills

Watch the self-confidence knowledge clip.

Download the assignments on self-confidence.

There are three assignments to practice the knowledge about confidence in your own abilities:

• Assignment 1.1: Discover your strength in a challenging situation. (5 minutes)
• Assignment 1.2: Turn your brooding thoughts into positive thoughts. (5 minutes)
• Assignment 2: Discover your strength in blooper situations. (8 minutes)

Definition: Making the right decisions and choices to deal with difficult situations.

Watch the dealing with setbacks knowledge clip.

Download the assignments on dealing with setbacks.

Learn to handle setbacks better in the assignments:

• Assignment 1: Mapping your coping strategy. Different ways of coping with setbacks. (5 minutes).
• Assignment 2: Coping in your classroom. Learn from others' coping strategies. (30 minutes).

Definition: A goal is a desired situation. Goal setting is about knowing exactly what you think is important in life and what you want to achieve.

Watch the knowledge clip on setting goals.

Download the assignments on goal setting.

Learn to set goals in the assignments:

• Assignment 1: Focus and goal setting. Become aware of the power of goal setting (5 minutes).
• Assignment 2: What dream would you like to turn into reality? Practice goal setting. (10 minutes).

Definition: Creating opportunities and making the most of them.

Watch the knowledge clip on creating and seizing opportunities.

Download the assignments on creating and seizing opportunities.

Learn to create opportunities in the assignments:

• Assignment 1: Brainstorm on paper. Individual assignment to create new opportunities. (20 minutes).
• Assignment 2: Make a personal plan. Create your own opportunities. (15 minutes).

Definition: Teamwork means working in collaboration with others to achieve a goal.

Watch the teamwork knowledge clip.

Download the assignments on teamwork.

Learn to work better in a group through the assignments:

• Assignment 1: Two Truths One Lie. Introductory game at the start of a collaboration. (25 minutes)
• Assignment 2: Working together. Teamwork exercise in which instructing plays a major role. (20 minutes).
• Assignment 3: Word for word. Connecting with the other person. (15 minutes)
• Assignment 4: Collaboration contract. Make agreements about cooperation. (15 minutes)

Also, check out the web page with all tips and useful documents to help yourself and your group learn to work together: the self-help kit Group Work.

Definition: Giving and receiving constructive feedback to and from fellow students.

Watch the knowledge clip on giving and receiving feedback.

Download the feedback assignments.

Short animations on effective peer feedback, created by the VU Education Lab:

• Giving peer feedback
• Receiving peer feedback

Learn to give and receive feedback in the assignments:

• Assignment 1: The rules of good feedback. Practice giving and receiving feedback. (20 minutes).
• Assignment 2: Feedback is a gift. Practice receiving feedback. (15 minutes).

Watch the knowledge clip about reflecting on your own identity.

Download the assignments about reflecting on your own identity.

You can practice reflecting on your own identity with the following three assignments:

• Assignment 1.1: Discover your own identity in conversation with another person. (5 minutes)
• Assignment 1.2: Make a log and chart your thoughts, feelings, behaviour and consequences to gain insight into your identity in relation to another person. (8 minutes)
• Assignment 2: Which elements of your identity do you pay attention to? (3 minutes)

Definition: Meeting people and staying in contact with them to cooperate in fulfilling tasks and achieving goals.

Watch the networking knowledge clip.

Download the assignments on networking.

Master networking in the assignments:

• Assignment 1: Targeted networking. Map out how your network can contribute to reaching your goals. (15 minutes).
• Assignment 2: Elevator Pitch. Learn to introduce yourself using an elevator pitch. (20 minutes).

Definition: Skills to overview, monitor and evaluate one's own thinking and learning.

Watch the self-regulation knowledge clip.

Download the assignments on self-regulation.

Practice your self-regulation in the assignments:

• Assignment 1: Learning scrutinized. How good are your self-regulation skills? (30 minutes).
• Assignment 2: Find focus. Five tips for improving concentration while studying (10 minutes).

Definition: Creating and executing a study planning.

Watch the knowledge clip on planning and predicting.

Download the assignments on planning and predicting.

Learn to plan and predict better in the assignment:

• Assignment 1: Planning. It can be learned. (30 minutes).

Definition: Reflecting on what is going well and what could be improved. Reflecting on the learning process and on the outcome.

Watch the evaluation knowledge clip.

Download the assignments on evaluation.

Learn to evaluate on your learning process more effectively in the assignments:

• Assignment 1: Compare and learn. Understand what you're good at and what you struggle with. (15 minutes).
• Assignment 2: Rank your approach. Get insight into what works for you. (30 minutes).

Definition: Skills to absorb and process knowledge and information. For example: summarizing, creating your own examples, using a mind map.

Watch the knowledge clip on elaboration skills.

Download the assignments on elaboration skills.

Learn to better elaborate the curriculum in the assignments:

• Assignment 1: Strategies. Experiment with new strategies. (10 minutes).
• Assignment 2: Mind-mapping. Studying texts. (30 minutes).

Definition: Organizing the learning material and thus making it comprehensible (e.g. distinguishing main and secondary issues through mind mapping).

Watch the organizational skills knowledge clip.

Download the assignments on organizational skills.

Learn to better organize study material in the assignments:

• Assignment 1: Learn to memorize better. Create visual diagram. (30 minutes).
• Assignment 2: Create tree structure. Create an outline of the information. (30 minutes).

Definition: To repeat and practise learning material.

Watch the repetition skills knowledge clip.

Download the assignments on repetition skills.

Get better at repeating subject matter in the assignments:

• Assignment 1: Question each other. Quiz each other to repeat the material (15 minutes).
• Assignment 2: Make questions. Repeat through your own questions. (15 minutes).

Definitie: Verschillende invalshoeken bekijken en zelfstandig tot weloverwogen afwegingen en beslissingen komen. Niet zomaar alle informatie voor waar aannemen.

Watch the knowledge clip about critical thinking.

Download the critical thinking assignments.

Learn to apply critical thinking skills in the assignment.

• Assignment 1: Working with propositions. How can you learn to think critically? (30 minutes).

Watch the problem-solving skills knowledge clip.

Download the assignments on problem-solving skills.

The two assignments to practise problem-solving skills cover the following topics:

• Assignment 1: Practice different solution strategies and improve your problem-solving skills. (5 minutes)
• Assignment 2: Explore your preferences in problem-solving strategies. (5 minutes)

Definition: Skills to conduct (scientific) research according to the empirical cycle.

Watch the research skills knowledge clip.

Download the assignments on research skills.

Learn to conduct research better in the assignments:

• Assignment 1: Research starts with curiosity. Spark your own curiosity. (15 minutes).
• Assignment 2: Think outside the box. Learn to think critically. (duration depends on the linked assignment).
• Assignment 3. Look for connections. Look for cause-effect relationships and coherence. (10 minutes).