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Kaatje van der Hoeven KraftMesa Community College

David McConnellNorth Carolina State University

Helping Students Learn How to Learn

This material is based on work supported by NSF DUE Award #: 1022980 & 1022917 Any opinions, findings, and conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF

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3. Metacognitive strategies - use of planning, monitoring, and regulation of learning and the ability to continue studying despite difficulties or distractions and how to apply the appropriate strategies for a given problem or task.

2. Expectancy - a student’s belief that their efforts will result in positive gains in learning and their appraisal of their ability to master tasks.

1. Value - perception that class activities/content will help achieve a personal goal and that the task is important and useful.

Aspects of Motivation

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Factors that influence learning

Personal Characteristics of

Student (age, gender, academic

rank, experience)

Course Context (tasks, grading policy,

pedagogy, instructional resources)

Course Outcomes(effort, interest, performance)

Student self-regulation of

learning(studying and/or learning behaviors, e.g., planning,

monitoring, reflection)

Student motivations(things that drive

learning, e.g., task value, self-efficacy)

adapted from Pintrich, P. R., & Zusho, A. (2007). Student Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning in the College Classroom. In R. P. Perry & J. C. Smart (Eds.), The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: An Evidence-Based Perspective (pp. 731-810). Dordrecht: Springer.

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Forethought, Planning, Goal

Setting

Monitoring, Acting

Regulation, Control

Reflection, Reaction

Zimmerman, B. J. (2001). Theories of Self-Regulated Learners and academic achievement. An overview and analysis. In B. J. Zimmeran & D. H. Schunk (Eds.), Self-regulated learning and academic achievement: Theoretical Perspectives (2nd ed., pp. 1-38). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Opportunities to Think about Learning: Learning how to learn

Self-regulation cycle: • How can we

structure courses to provide opportunities for students to engage in these steps?

• Role of Instructor vs. role of student?

Self-regulation cycle

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Forethought, Planning, Goal

Setting

Monitoring, Acting

Regulation, Control

Reflection, Reaction

Zimmerman, B. J. (2001). Theories of Self-Regulated Learners and academic achievement. An overview and analysis. In B. J. Zimmerman & D. H. Schunk (Eds.), Self-regulated learning and academic achievement: Theoretical Perspectives (2nd ed., pp. 1-38). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Opportunities to Think about Learning

Engage students in thinking about what they know and need to do.• Target goal setting (clear

goals, moderate difficulty)• Initial situational and

topical interest• Perceptions of task

(relevance, utility), prior knowledge

• Ease of learning judgment

Self-regulation cycle

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Forethought, Planning, Goal

Setting

Monitoring, Acting

Regulation, Control

Reflection, Reaction

Zimmerman, B. J. (2001). Theories of Self-Regulated Learners and academic achievement. An overview and analysis. In B. J. Zimmeran & D. H. Schunk (Eds.), Self-regulated learning and academic achievement: Theoretical Perspectives (2nd ed., pp. 1-38). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Opportunities to Think about Learning

Students monitor their learning process to stay engaged in a task• Activation of situational or

topical interest• Anxiety coping strategies• Metacognitive judgments

of learning relative to goals• Study, effort monitoring

Self-regulation cycle

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Forethought, Planning, Goal

Setting

Monitoring, Acting

Regulation, Control

Reflection, Reaction

Zimmerman, B. J. (2001). Theories of Self-Regulated Learners and academic achievement. An overview and analysis. In B. J. Zimmeran & D. H. Schunk (Eds.), Self-regulated learning and academic achievement: Theoretical Perspectives (2nd ed., pp. 1-38). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Opportunities to Think about LearningWhen a student identifies a “problem” they modify their behavior • Application of extrinsic or

intrinsic reward strategies• Rehearsal, elaboration or

organization strategies• Encouragement of

persistence• Regulation of study

environment• Peer help strategies

Self-regulation cycle

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Forethought, Planning, Goal

Setting

Monitoring, Acting

Regulation, Control

Reflection, Reaction

Zimmerman, B. J. (2001). Theories of Self-Regulated Learners and academic achievement. An overview and analysis. In B. J. Zimmeran & D. H. Schunk (Eds.), Self-regulated learning and academic achievement: Theoretical Perspectives (2nd ed., pp. 1-38). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Opportunities to Think about Learning

When students can reflect on what they learned or can improve upon next time, it helps to restart the cycle• Assess goal achievement• Success/failure attributions• Judgments of efficacy, effort• Time/study adjustments• Help seeking

Self-regulation cycle

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Low Effort: Pause + Think/Pair/Share

Experimental Group: Three 2-minute pauses per lecture, student discussion of lecture content with peer.

Control Group: No pauses for discussion in lecture.

Ruhl, Hughes, and Schloss., 1987. Teacher Education and Special Education, v.10 #1, p.14-18

Students completed a free recall exercise after lecture

• Experimental Group – number of facts recalled: 22.97*

• Control Group – number of facts recalled: 16.63

Forethought, Planning,

Goal Setting

Monitoring, Acting

Regulation, Control

Reflection, Reaction

Blue

• Students examined a list of these 22 random items for one minute and tried to remember as many as possible.

Gold

• Students examined a list of these 22 organized items for one minute and tried to remember as many as possible.

Does the way we organize information make a difference?

Low Effort: Build graphic organizers

Forethought, Planning,

Goal Setting

Monitoring, Acting

Regulation, Control

Reflection, Reaction

Using labeled sketches or other graphic organizers (e.g., concept maps) can make it easier to recall related information

Concept Map of Earth’s Structure

“Chunking” of information is similar to expert thought patterns

Low Effort: Build graphic organizers

Review material for initial study period

Put material away and on a blank piece of paper practice retrieval by recalling and writing down as much information as possible.

WHAT IS RETRIEVAL PRACTICE?

http://animaltheory.blogspot.com/2012/02/labrador-retrievers.html

Review material and practice retrieval again

Do it the first time during or within a few hours of original lesson

Repeat retrieval process at regular intervals prior to exam (e.g., weekly)

Low Effort: Retrieval Practice

Forethought, Planning,

Goal Setting

Monitoring, Acting

Regulation, Control

Reflection, Reaction

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Research on learning shows that retrieval practice is the most effective study method: Students don’t know this

Read once

Read 4 separate

times

Read, make concept

map

Read, try retrieval, repeat

Low Effort: Retrieval Practice

Simple reflection exercises during or following lecture will improve later recall of information.

The more practice that students get at retrieval, the more they will recall later in test situations

Karpicke, J.D., and Blunt, J.R., 2011, Science Express, January 20, p.1-7.

Long-term Memory – Remember to repeat

NORMAL FORGETTING CURVE

2 tests for Group 1

Day 0 = Initial studying of material The more time that passes before attempting retrieval, the more we forget

• Thinking or talking about an event immediately after it occurs enhances memory of the event

• Reviewing material at fixed, spaced intervals enhances memory (after class reflection, online quizzes, recitations, tutorials, study groups, etc.)

Roediger & Karpicke, 2006, Perspectives in Psychological Science, v. 1, p.181-210.

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Moderate Effort: Reading Reflections

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Moderate Effort: Reading Reflections

Forethought, Planning,

Goal Setting

Monitoring, Acting

Regulation, Control

Reflection, Reaction

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1: As part of/after taking an exam, students describe how prepared they feel for the test, how they studied, etc…

2: After they receive their exam back, ask them to respond to their initial ideas and what (if anything) they’ll change for a future exam.

3: Discuss as a class, and remind them of those key ideas prior to the next exam

Moderate Effort: Exam Wrappers

Forethought, Planning,

Goal Setting

Monitoring, Acting

Regulation, Control

Reflection, Reaction

18Instructor feedback is critical

Moderate Effort: Exam Wrappers

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Moderate Effort: Learning Journals

Forethought, Planning,

Goal Setting

Monitoring, Acting

Regulation, Control

Reflection, Reaction

Students participate in reading reflections AND activities that explicitly tie learning practices to research-based strategies.

How do you know when you know something? (How do you know when you have learned something thoroughly?)

Think about two classes you have taken in the past. Consider a class that resulted in a lot of new learning, and one where you didn’t learn much at all. You may have received the same grade in these classes.

Why did you think you learned a lot in one class and relatively little in the other?

Exam PreparationIf you have been following along with the learning journal and completing reading assignments on schedule, you will be well on your way to doing well on the exam. If you can answer “Yes” to nearly all of the questions below, then you are off to a good start:I have completed my reading and learning journal tasks as they are assigned so I will not end up cramming at the last minute. Yes No

I have identified the material I need to study and scheduled time to review it over several days. Yes No

I use the headings and subheadings in lecture notes and textbook chapters to organize information and predict exam questions. Yes No

Reflecting on Your LearningIn recent years, neuroscientists, cognitive scientists and educational psychologists have made a series of discoveries about how the human brain learns. One of these is summarized below. Read this summary and answer the questions that follow.http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2011/110120KarpickeScience.html

Using complete sentences, describe how you could use retrieval practice in this class to enhance your learning?

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Committed Effort: Classroom Notebooks

Forethought, Planning,

Goal Setting

Monitoring, Acting

Regulation, Control

Reflection, Reaction

• Ongoing effort throughout the semester includes:• All class activities• Reflective prompts at the

beginning and end of each topic

• Consistent organizational structure• Periodically collected and graded

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Instructor support for learning about learning

Provide opportunities for students to self-evaluate their own learning• Provide models (coping are better than expert):

• Think-Pair-Share

• Provide opportunities for self-evaluation• Think-Pair-Share• Reflective Prompts• Exam Wrappers• Learning Journals• Classroom notebook

Based on research findings from Zimmeran, B. J. (1989). A social cognitive view of self-regulated academic learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81(3), 329-339.

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Create an environment that fosters learning to learn• Reward effort over ability

• Provide assessments that encourage effort (e.g., allow for revisions)

• Encourage self-comparison over social comparison• Reflective Prompts• Exam Wrappers

• Provide visual, graphic and organizational structures• Graphic organizers, concept maps, etc…• Reading reflections

• BE EXPLICIT: how do these activities support their ability to learn?

Based on research findings from Zimmeran, B. J. (1989). A social cognitive view of self-regulated academic learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81(3), 329-339.

Instructor support for learning about learning

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Encourage behavior that fosters learning to learn• Provide an environment that encourages

questioning and help-seeking• Think-pair-share• Reading Reflections• Exam wrappers

• Encourage goal setting (proximal vs. distal)• Exam wrappers• Learning journals• Classroom Notebooks

Based on research findings from Zimmeran, B. J. (1989). A social cognitive view of self-regulated academic learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81(3), 329-339.

Instructor support for learning about learning