Increasing Awareness

From time to time, PathwayConnect presents you with an optional way of helping others learn more about the program. The optional activity below does not count for a grade but is a great way to reflect on your experience and inspire others to consider the blessings of PathwayConnect.

Optional Activity: Bring a Friend

PathwayConnect combines gospel principles with learning Math, Writing, and many other important life principles. It not only focuses on the learning of secular subjects but teaches students that all learning is interconnected. The weekly gatherings are structured to help students discuss and teach one another lessons they have learned over the past week. Gatherings are a great place to help your friends and family know what PathwayConnect is all about. Consider inviting one of them to a gathering this semester. This can be an opportunity for them to feel the spirit of this program and maybe even join it someday!

For more great ideas on sharing PathwayConnect, please visit byupathway.org/invite.

Things You Will Learn this Week

The Learning Model
Learning Strategies
Multiplication and Division
How to write a body paragraph

Things You Need to Know This Week

This week you will begin tracking your expenses for the next four weeks in preparation for the unit on personal financial management.
In your gathering, you will discuss learning strategies. Be sure to review this week’s Gathering Agenda before your gathering.

Introduction

In week three, you learned about magnifying your learning stewardship by inviting the assurance of the Holy Ghost, cultivating a desire to act, and finding relevance in your learning. You also explored how the growth mindset and embracing mistakes can help you learn. In this lesson, you will be practicing learning strategies in the context of the Learning Model that you were introduced to during week two.

The Learning Model

In week two you learned about the three steps of the learning model which are (1) prepare, (2) teach one another, and (3) ponder and prove.

Prepare: complete assignments early, engage in pre-class discussions, and ring questions to share. Teach One Another: listen and respond, respect others, and invite the Spirit. Ponder and Prove: reflect individually, reflect in groups, record learning, and test understanding.

W04 The Learning Model Accessible Version

You also learned that the PathwayConnect courses are designed around the Learning Model. You are invited to come to each weekly gathering prepared to learn by studying assigned readings, completing required homework, and participating in online discussions. During your gathering, online discussions, and teach-a-friend activities, you will teach each other what you've learned—honing and refining your own understanding in the process. Later, you'll internalize your learning through review, reflection, and application.

Watch the following video and think about how the Learning Model can help you be a more effective steward of your own learning.

(01:54 mins, The Learning Model Transcript)

Principles of the Learning Model

The Learning Model operates on five principles that invite you to consecrate your learning to the Lord. By following the principles of the Learning Model, you can grow spiritually. President Nelson said that, “Most importantly, PathwayConnect encourages each of you students to grow spiritually as you participate in courses taught within the framework of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

The five principles of the Learning Model are (1) to exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, (2) teach by the Spirit, (3) to lay hold on the word of God, (4) to act and take responsibility for their own learning, and (5) to love, serve, and teach one another.

This week, you will explore each of these principles and learn strategies that will help you apply them to your studies. Think about President Nelson’s message here and pray about applying this in your life this week.

Lesson Purpose: Learn by the Holy Ghost and Apply Learning Strategies

President Russell Nelson

“…what will your seeking open for you? What wisdom do you lack? What do you feel an urgent need to know or understand? Follow the example of the Prophet Joseph. Find a quiet place where you can regularly go. Humble yourself before God. Pour out your heart to your Heavenly Father. Turn to Him for answers and for comfort.

Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take. As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will “grow into the principle of revelation” (Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives, May 2018).

Principle 1: Exercise Faith

Learners and teachers exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as a principle of action and power.

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “faith is not only the principle of action, but of power also, in all intelligent beings” (Lectures on Faith, p. 3). To exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is to accept Him as our Savior and live in accordance with His will through repentance and obedience to His commandments. Learning to act in accordance with one’s faith in Christ is fundamental to enjoying deep, life-changing learning. Learners and teachers who “look unto [the Savior] in every thought” build their faith and capacity to learn while minimizing fear of opportunities to teach (D&C 6:36).

Tip: Exercising Faith

The power we access by acting in faith that is focused on the Savior allows us to exceed our natural limits and learn beyond our natural capabilities.

This enabling power is manifest through the bestowal of spiritual gifts, accelerated learning, enhancement of natural abilities, discernment, and personal revelation.

Application Ideas:

Cultivate a Growth Mindset: To have a growth mindset you have to be willing to act in faith. If you believe that God can exalt you then you also have to believe that He can help you learn math, or whatever subject you’re struggling with.
See more than your grade: The Learning Model helps you see beyond grades to the bigger picture. Exercising faith helps you be grateful for feedback even if it means losing points, or having to do something over again.
Be willing to change: The Learning Model helps you see how your current way of thinking and acting might be limiting your ability to learn and apply concepts.

Principle 2: Teach by the Spirit

Learners and teachers understand that true teaching is done by and with the Holy Ghost.

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have been commanded to receive the Holy Ghost. No matter what subject we study, whether spiritual or temporal, the Holy Ghost may instruct us as to the truths contained therein.

Tip: Spiritual Instruction

Through instruction by the Spirit, our learning can be tailor made for our personal development.

We recognize that as we keep the commandments of God we will receive the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Ghost in all our learning and teaching.

Application Ideas:

Learn to recognize and act on promptings from the Holy Ghost: Study this learning strategy below and how the Spirit speaks to you.
Pray before you study: Nephi advises us to “pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul” (2 Nephi 32:9). Consider praying for your instructor and classmates and how you can help them learn.
Look for connections: The Holy Ghost will often illuminate your intellect and help you find connections between what you are studying and other aspects of your life. When this happens recognize that the Holy Ghost is helping you learn.

Principle 3: Lay hold on the word of God

Learners and teachers lay hold upon the word of God—as found in the holy scriptures and in the words of the prophets—in all disciplines.

Laying hold upon the word of God in the scriptures and in the words of the prophets signifies our faith in, the priority of, and the importance of the word of God. The word of God is the anchor. It is the standard against which, and the lens through which, all things in every discipline are measured and evaluated.

Tip: Seeking Excellence

We seek excellence in our academic disciplines as we strive to understand them in the light of the restored gospel.

Learners and teachers seek to master the learning and knowledge of their respective disciplines, but they do not “lay hold” on that knowledge if it conflicts with the word of God. When learners and teachers use the word of God in this way, they are able to “lay hold upon every good thing” (Moroni 7:25).

Application Ideas:

Make studying the gospel a priority: Your prayers asking God to help you study is going to feel hollow if you have skipped your scripture study. Making gospel study a priority demonstrates your faith in Christ and His power to help you learn.
Watch BYU-Pathway Worldwide Devotionals: These devotionals are made especially for you. They include messages from Church and school leaders to help you be successful in your studies and in life.

Principle 4: Take Action

Learners and teachers act for themselves and accept responsibility for learning and teaching.

Tip: Learning by Faith

Learning by faith does not come without effort and sacrifice.

Teachers and students are expected to act in accordance with their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; these actions include diligent effort and preparation, participation, reflection and prayer, and maintaining a proper attitude toward learning. When learners and teachers exercise agency by acting in accordance with correct principles, they open their hearts to the Holy Ghost and invite His teaching—thereby accessing the power of the Savior’s Atonement.

Application Ideas:

Make your brain work hard: Practice the learning strategy discussed below to increase your learning.
Use distributed learning: As you’ll learn in the section on learning strategies, spacing out your learning will help you remember what you have learned.
Be responsible: This is your education. Don’t wait, give up, or shuffle along. If you don’t understand something ask for help. If you’ve got a scheduling conflict work it out. Be proactive and take responsibility for your own learning.

Principle 5: Love, serve, and teach

Learners and teachers love, serve, and teach one another.

At a Glance

At BYU-Pathway Worldwide, students teach to learn and learn to teach.

Teaching is an essential learning component. When students teach diligently, they receive deeper insight and are instructed more perfectly (see D&C 88:78). When learners and teachers view one another charitably, they create safe learning environments where all can stretch and stumble without fear. All learners—students and faculty—serve others through diligent preparation, cooperative effort, and teaching one another; thus charity replaces competition.

Application Ideas:

Learn to ask good questions: Asking and answering questions is at the foundation of all learning. As you are learning or teaching remember to ask “so what?” How does what I’m learning or doing matter? Asking questions invites us to think more deeply and challenges our assumptions.
Teach to learn: Teaching identifies gaps in your learning and helps you solidify concepts and principles in your mind. Teaching others also demonstrates your love for them.
Be kind: The Holy Ghost won’t be able to teach us if we have unkind thoughts or feelings towards ourselves or others. On the other hand reaching out in love and kindness to others is one of the most powerful ways to invite the Spirit and develop charity.

Learning Strategies

There are many learning strategies you can use to improve your learning. In this section we will cover some of the most powerful ways you can increase your learning as you apply the Learning Model to your studies.

Recognize and Act on Promptings from the Holy Ghost

Both in this lesson and in last week’s lesson we talked about the importance of learning by faith and learning by and through the Holy Ghost. You can’t do these steps, however, if you don’t know how to recognize the promptings from the Holy Ghost. In speaking about the Holy Ghost, President Nelson stated, “In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost. My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation.”

The Holy Ghost’s influence is sometimes called “light” in the scriptures. Elder Bednar teaches receiving and perceiving the light of God in a video series called Patterns of Light. In this section, you will study each video to improve your ability to recognize the influence of the Holy Ghost and increase your capacity to receive revelation.

(02:33 mins, The Light of Christ Transcript)

Ponder and Record

The first video centers on the properties of light and how the Light of Christ affects all men and women everywhere. As you watch this video, please consider the following questions and record some of your thoughts in your Learning Journal:

What is the Light of Christ?
How does the Light of Christ pull us together and influence us to be good?
How can we lose the Light of Christ?

(02:12 mins, Discerning Light Transcript)

Ponder and Record

The second video helps you recognize divine light and recognizing it in your own thoughts. As you watch this video, please consider the following questions and record some of your thoughts in your Learning Journal:

Why does the Holy Ghost use our memories and past experiences in His promptings?
How can you know if inspiration is coming from God or your own thoughts?
How does the Light of Christ lead us to seek the Holy Ghost and the Spirit of Revelation?

(03:03 mins, Spirit of Revelation Transcript)

Ponder and Record

In the third video, Elder Bednar explains the patterns of light by which God communicates with us and how they lead to the spirit of revelation. As you watch this video, please consider the following questions and record some of your thoughts in your Learning Journal:

Why doesn’t God use the pattern receiving revelation all at once (like a light being turned on) more frequently? Have you received revelation in this way? What was it like?
Conversely, why does the Lord usually give us gradual revelation (like a sunrise or a foggy day)? Have you received revelation this way? How did it feel?
What is the Spirit of Revelation?
What promptings and feelings have you received as you’ve studied in PathwayConnect?

President Boyd K. Packer taught: “The voice of the Spirit is described in the scriptures as being neither ‘loud’ nor ‘harsh.’ It is ‘not a voice of thunder, neither…of a great tumultuous noise.’ But rather, ‘a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper,’ and it can ‘pierce even to the very soul’ and ‘cause [the heart] to burn.’ (3 Ne. 11:3; Hel. 5:30; D&C 85:6–7.) Remember, Elijah found the voice of the Lord was not in the wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but was a ‘still small voice.’ (1 Kgs. 19:12.)…The Spirit does not get our attention by shouting or shaking us with a heavy hand. Rather, it whispers. It caresses so gently that if we are preoccupied we may not feel it at all. Occasionally, it will press just firmly enough for us to pay heed. And most of the time, if we do not heed the gentle feeling, the Spirit will withdraw and wait until we come seeking and listening.”

Ponder and Record

What role do you feel the Spirit could play in your educational journey?
How might the Holy Ghost help you in your efforts in this and future courses?
Can you think of a way the Spirit is already helping you in your educational journey?

Make Your Brain Work Hard

Last week, you learned that your brain grows when you try challenging tasks. In this section, you’ll learn two specific types of activities that can provide the ideal level of difficulty for growing your intelligence.

Forget to Learn

We are usually focused on remembering things rather than forgetting, but forgetting actually plays two important roles in learning. First, it helps us focus by keeping irrelevant information from distracting us, and second, it helps form stronger neural pathways (memories) by making our minds work harder to retrieve them.

First, let’s look at how forgetting helps us focus. Imagine what life would be like if you remembered everything all the time. The noise created by all of these memories recalled all at once would likely overwhelm your ability to function. American psychologist William James observed, “If we remembered everything, we should on most occasions be as ill off as if we remembered nothing.” Forgetting allows you to focus by filtering out competing memories and routines.

The second way forgetting helps is by forcing your brain to work harder to retrieve memories. When a memory is harder to remember, it forces your brain to work harder, thereby strengthening the neural pathways of that memory.

Use Active Learning Techniques

Not all forms of study are equal. To make your brain work hard, you need to use active learning techniques. An active learning technique requires you to produce something. Active learning techniques include: writing, speaking, discussing, teaching, memorizing, summarizing, questioning, debating, sharing, planning, presenting, collaborating, adapting, and group work. Each of these techniques makes your brain work hard to reproduce what you have learned. It also helps you identify gaps in your learning when you cannot explain how something works.

Tip: Active Learning

An active learning technique requires you to produce something.

On the flip side, passive learning techniques like reading, listening, remembering, and watching videos create an illusion of learning. An illusion of learning happens when your brain isn’t working hard enough to learn. Imagine if you went to the gym to get bigger muscles but when you sat down on the bench press you decided not to put any weights on the bar. Your muscles would not grow because they aren’t being challenged. Your brain is much the same. When it is not being challenged, it tends to “check out,”—meaning it is not really paying attention. Passive learning techniques encourage your brain to check out because what you are studying seems familiar.

For example, pretend for a moment that you have already finished reading this lesson and enough time has passed that you're starting to forget parts of it. If you read your notes, it is likely that your brain will begin to tune out the information because it seems familiar. On the other hand, if you were to cover up your notes and make yourself recite what you have learned, then your brain is going to pay attention because suddenly it is being asked to produce something.

Ponder and Record

As you review and reflect on the material above, please consider the following questions and record some of your thoughts in your Learning Journal:

Why do we keep asking you to write down what you are learning?
What active learning techniques will you start to use?
When have you experienced the illusion of learning?

Use Distributed Learning

Purposeful “forgetting” and carefully selected methods of study are not the only keys to successful learning. Knowing when and where to study is also a beneficial habit to develop. The learning strategy of distributed learning encourages you to space out your learning rather than studying everything in one setting.

Think about it this way: Is it better to brush your teeth a little bit each day, or only for an hour on Sunday? It is pretty obvious that brushing your teeth every day is better than once a week. Learning is the same way. Similarly, you might be able to get through an exam by studying for long hours just before the exam, but it’s doubtful that you will effectively remember what you’ve studied.

Here is another example—if you only engaged in the gospel on Sunday, would you have sufficient power to resist Satan’s temptations the rest of the week? Could you become like God if you only practiced living the gospel one day a week? Once a week is certainly better than nothing, but it’s not enough to incorporate the gospel into your daily life to become more like God.

Tip: Apply Your Learning

If you don’t apply your learning in your everyday life, you won’t fully benefit from it. Distributed learning helps you to apply your learning into your life by spacing it out.

The principle of distributed learning is pretty simple, but there is also a biological reason for why it works. As you learned in the previous section, if you wait to allow your brain to forget just the right amount of information before you review your notes, it strengthens your learning because your brain has to work harder to retrieve the memory. Additionally, when you review the things you have learned, you add new information and make more connections to things that you have previously studied.

So how much time should you wait before you review the material? Here are some general guidelines:

Do an initial review a few hours after you have learned something.
Sleep on it and review it the next day.
After two to three days, review the material again.
To maintain the knowledge, review it every other week.
To incorporate the knowledge into your daily life, find ways to practice it daily.

Ponder and Record

As you review and reflect on the material above, please consider the following questions and record some of your thoughts in your Learning Journal:

When have you been guilty of cramming? Why did you procrastinate your learning? What was the effect of cramming or procrastinating?
How could you create a schedule to make sure you space out your learning?

Create Clues

There are two aspects to memory. One is how well you remember something (how well is it learned). The other is how easy it is to recall. The strategies for making your brain work hard to learn and distributed learning primarily focus on helping you learn the material well. The strategy of creating clues helps your memory by making associations between things you regularly see or use each day.

Tip: Studying

The environment you study in creates mental clues that can help you remember what you have learned.

The first method of creating clues relates to varying your study habits. For example, imagine that yesterday you were studying the Learning Model while you were riding the bus. The next day when you get on the bus, it could trigger that memory (in other words, “help you remember”) about what you have learned. Or perhaps, you were listening to Beethoven while you were studying your math lesson. When you heard a Beethoven song again, you remembered what you studied in your lesson. The idea is that your brain records context clues from your environment while you are learning. So if you vary your learning environment, you’ll create more triggers to help you remember your learning.

Don’t get carried away, however, creating clues is a great way to help you remember things but if you have too much going on, your brain won’t know what to focus on. These distractions can keep you from focusing on your learning. Examples of bad distractions include TV, social media, email, and a loud environment. To eliminate bad distractions, turn off the TV, close your email, put your phone on airplane mode, and find a quiet place where you can study that invites the Holy Ghost to teach you.

The second way to create clues is to create a reminder that will help you remember what you’ve learned. Examples of reminders include the following:

Taking notes in your Learning Journal
Using hints like writing down the first letters of each word of a scripture you’re trying to memorize
Or setting a reminder on your phone to finish studying for your quiz.

These strong reminders are very effective in creating habits and learning things that are not easy to associate with things that you are already familiar with.

Ponder and Record

As you review and reflect on the material above, please consider the following questions and record some of your thoughts in your Learning Journal:

How does Satan place triggers in media and advertising to tempt you?
How can you vary your study habits to create more contextual triggers?
When should you use a strong hint or clue to create a reminder?

Learn to Ask Good Questions

Another helpful Learning Strategy is to learn to ask good questions. Asking and answering questions is at the foundation of all learning. The Savior asked questions to help learners to think deeply about the truths He taught. Learning to ask inspired questions will make learning a more meaningful experience.

Good questions force you to probe deeper into a topic and find relevance. Nephi taught that we should “liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning” (1 Nephi 19:23). Essentially, Nephi was asking “so what?” What is the significance of what you are reading? How does it apply to your life? What will you do differently because of what you have learned?

Ponder and Record

As you review and reflect on the material above, please consider the following questions and record some of your thoughts in your Learning Journal:

How often do you review what you have read? If you don’t often review your reading, what benefits do you think you can gain from reviewing?
Do you often ask yourself deep questions about your scripture reading or your school reading? Have you ever felt revelation come from the Holy Ghost as you ask yourself deep questions during your reading?
Answer the questions from President Nelson’s quote at the beginning of this lesson: “What will your seeking open for you? What wisdom do you lack? What do you feel an urgent need to know or understand?”

Teach to Learn

Teaching to learn is another important Learning Strategy. Teaching is also an essential component in the Learning Model because it invites the Spirit. It creates a culture of learning and teaching in our families and classes. (It’s also an excellent active learning technique!) Teaching is not merely reciting what you have learned. You have to think about how to effectively teach so that others can learn as well. In Teaching in the Savior’s Way, it states “A true gospel teacher is not satisfied when learners simply listen to what he or she has to say. Learning the gospel is an act of faith and effort. When you prepare to teach, instead of thinking, “What will I do to teach?” ask yourself, “What will my class members need from me to learn effectively? How will I help them discover the gospel for themselves? How will I inspire them to act?” These principles are not meant just for gospel teaching, they are equally applicable to other topics.

When you learn with the mindset that you will be teaching others about your studies, you can focus more effectively on the content of your studies because you need to think about how you can explain it to someone else. This process helps you think about the learning process and how to ask good questions. It also helps you discover areas of misunderstanding in your learning and how to learn that more effectively in order to teach others. Teaching is an active learning process that you can practice when you are a lead student for the weekly gatherings.

Ponder and Record

As you review and reflect on the material above, please consider the following questions and record some of your thoughts in your Learning Journal:

Why is teaching a requirement for disciples of Christ?
How will teaching what you learn to others increase your knowledge?

Want to learn more about these topics?

Below are some of the resources used in this lesson.

Revelation for the Church,
Revelation for Our Lives,
by President Russell M.
Nelson, May 2018 Ensign

How We Learn book cover.

How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why it Happens by Benedict Carey

Make it Stick book cover.

Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel

Mark as done once you have completed all the reading and ponder activities on this page.