The method
- Define a specific task: explain an idea to someone, find a document or produce a small result. Describe your starting point and the conditions in which you want to succeed. Avoid a goal so broad that no activity can reveal progress toward it.
- Choose material suited to the task and check its level, language and format. Prepare a short activity requiring you to use the ideas encountered. Record questions rather than collecting more courses to address every uncertainty at once.
- Repeat the task after the activity and compare your outputs. Describe what you did independently, with help or not yet. Select the next activity from that record so the plan becomes a series of explainable choices rather than a link collection.
Fictional worked example
A fictional learner wants to explain a chart. Initially they read the title but confuse two units. After a focused activity, they produce an annotated explanation and retain a question about the source. The notebook records that specific change, not an overall grade or qualification.
The record to keep
Keep the goal, initial output, chosen material and subsequent result. These records help discuss progress without reducing it to time spent in front of a screen.
Your record, step by step
For your own situation, record the following information. Check a field when it is documented; missing information still needs verification. The boxes are a reminder within this page.
This checklist does not validate your project. No entries are sent or saved.
Fictional worked case. A fictional learning goal is to find and cite a source. It concerns an observable task, not the number of videos watched.
| Element | Observation in the case | Interpretation or next check |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Learner finds a page but omits its author | Describe the precise difficulty |
| Exercise | Find author, title and date on two selected pages | Keep an actually completed example |
| Independent trial | Same task on a third, unprepared page | Separate assistance from actions completed alone |
| Review | Author found; date still uncertain | Prepare practice on missing dates |
What this method can establish
The notebook is neither a standardized test nor certification. Check course and participation-document conditions separately with the provider. A fictional duration guarantees no level of achievement.
Useful questions before you start
How can progress be assessed without an arbitrary score?
Compare the same task using dated evidence. Describe what became independent, where help is still needed and the trial conditions.
Supporting documentation
These references support the method. Each source shows its language and consultation date; an available directory record explains its purpose.
- OpenLearn — How to start a course EN ↗
Documentation consulted on
An editorial method, a fictional example and references for further reading.