Saundra Y. McGuire, Ph.D., Director Center for Academic Success

1. Metacognition and Learning Styles: Tools for Helping Students Achieve Improved Learning Strategies Saundra Y. McGuire, Ph.D., Director Center for Academic Success Adj. Professor, Department of Chemistry Louisiana State University

2. The Center for Academic Success 2004-2005 National College Learning Center AssociationFrank L. Christ Outstanding Learning Center Award

3. The Story of Five LSU Students • Travis, junior psychology student 47, 52, 82, 86 • Robert, freshman chemistry student 42, 100, 100, 100 • Miriam, freshman calculus student 37.5, 83, 93 • Maryam, freshman art student 57, 87 • Terrence, junior Bio Engineering student GPA 1.67 cum, 3.54 (F 03), 3.8 (S 04)

4. Fall 2005 Date of Final Exam: December 14, 2005 Meeting with Student No. 1: December 12, 2005 Meeting with Student Nos. 2 & 4: December 2, 2005 Meeting with Student No. 3: December 8, 2005 The final was worth 100 points with a 10 bonus question.

5. Desired outcomes • We will understand why students spend little time studying and do not know how to learn • We will have concrete learning strategies that faculty can teach students to increase learning, and we will be committed to trying some of these strategies in our classes • We will have more resources for our students • We will view our students differently • We will see positive changes in our students’ performance and self-perception • We will spend time reflecting on improving our teaching and our students’ learning

6. Overview • Characteristics of today’s learners • Types and levels of learning • Cognitive Science Findings • General Learning Strategies • Concept Mapping Activity • Factors Influencing Student Motivation • Wrap Up

7. Reflection Questions What is the difference, if any, between studying and learning? Which, if either, is more enjoyable? When did you learn the conceptual structure (relationships between basic concepts) of your discipline? When/why/how did you to learn this?

8. Teacher Centered Institutions Vs Learner Centered Institutions Paradigm Shift in Institutional Attitudes About Learning

9. The RSCC Mission Statement “Roane State provides a challenging and nurturing learning environment which encourages and inspires students to meet the high expectations and standards needed for responsible citizenship and to embrace the concept of learning as a lifelong endeavor.” “Roane State’s success can only be measured by the success of its students and by maintaining its demonstrated reputation as a center for higher education excellence.”

10. Working more hours More ADD/ADHD Interested in obtaining credentials Feel entitled to an A or B if they consistently attend class Few time management skills Few learning skills Characteristics of Many of Today’s Students

11. Why don’t students know how to learn or how to study? • It wasn’t necessary in high school - 66% of 2003 entering first year students spent less than six hours per week doing homework in 12th grade. - More than 46% of these students said they graduated from high school with an “A” average. • Students’ confidence level is high - 70% believe their academic ability is above average or in the highest 10 percent among people their age Higher Education Research Institute Study http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/03_press_release.pdf

12. Additional Reasons • High Stakes Testing in high school forces teachers to “teach to the test” • Students think everything they need is on the web and can be looked up • Technological advances make it easier to function with less knowledge • Misconceptions that interfere with learning

13. Student Misconceptions Who would have thought?!?

14. How might the institution exacerbate the problem? • Orientation programs that stress fun, recreation, and campus organization involvement • Helping students to schedule courses “back to back” with no breaks between • Very large introductory classes • Providing limited or no access to learning strategies information

15. How do some faculty members further add to the problem? • By assigning homework and giving tests that require little, if any, higher order thinking • By assessing learning too infrequently • By providing limited feedback to students • By putting notes on-line and advising students they don’t need to purchase the textbook • By having little ability to teach students concrete learning strategies

16. Faculty Must Help Students Learn How to Learn! • Teach them the difference between learning (meaningful learning) and memorization (rote learning); help them understand the process • Assess and provide feedback soon and often • Help them determine their learning style • Teach them specific learning strategies • Implement pedagogical strategies that make them use the learning strategies

17. Rote Learning • Involves verbatim memorization (which is easily forgotten) • Cannot be manipulated or applied to novel situations (e.g. remembering phone numbers, dates, names, etc.)

18. Meaningful Learning • Learning that is tied and related to previous knowledge and integrated with previous learning • Can be manipulated, applied to novel situations, and used in problem solving tasks (e.g. comparing and contrasting the Arrhenius and B-L definitions of acids and bases.)

19. This pyramid depicts the different levels of thinking we use when learning. Notice how each level builds on the foundation that precedes it. It is required that we learn the lower levels before we can effectively use the skills above. Bloom’s Taxonomy Evaluation Graduate School Making decisions and supporting views; requires understanding of values. Combining information to form a unique product; requires creativity and originality. Synthesis Identifying components; determining arrangement, logic, and semantics. Analysis Undergraduate Using information to solve problems; transferring abstract or theoretical ideas to practical situations. Identifying connections and relationships and how they apply. Application Restating in your own words; paraphrasing, summarizing, translating. Comprehension High School Memorizing verbatim information. Being able to remember, but not necessarily fully understanding the material. Knowledge Louisiana State University  Center for Academic Success  B-31 Coates Hall  225-578-2872  www.cas.lsu.edu

20. Example~ Bloom’s Levels of Learning ~Applied toGoldilocks and the Three Bears Courtesy of http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/brisas/sunda/litpack/BloomsCriticalThinking_files/v3_document.htm

21. Counting Vowels in 30 seconds How accurate are you?

22. Cognitive Science: The Science of the Mind Questions • How do humans process information? • How do people increase their knowledge? • What factors influence learning? • What types of learning facilitate transfer of information learned to new settings? • How can we change teaching to improve learning?

23. Keys to Learning Based on Cognitive Science Findings • Deep factual and procedural knowledge of a discipline is required to solve complex problems • Learning is a continuous process; repetition is the key • New knowledge must be tied to existing knowledge • Learning should involve both sides of the brain and several learning styles

24. Experts vs. Novices They think differently about problems

25. Novices vs. Intelligent Novices • Intelligent novices learn new domains more quickly than other novices • The metacognitive skills make the difference

26. What intelligent novices know • Learning is different from memorization • Solving problems without looking at the solution is different from using the solution as a model • Comprehension of reading material must be tested while the reading is in progress • Knowledge is not “handed out” by the instructor; it is constructed by the learner

27. Turn Students into Expert Learners: Metacognition and Learning Styles are the Keys!

28. Metacognition • thinking about thinking • being consciously aware of yourself as a problem solver • Planning, monitoring, and controlling your mental processing

29. The Study Cycle Phase 1:Read or preview chapter(s) to be covered in class… before class. Phase 2: GO TO CLASS! Listen actively, take notes, participate in class. Phase 3:Review and process class notes as soon after class as possible. Phase 4: Implement Intense Study Sessions. Repeat

30. Intense Study Sessions • 2-5 minutes:Set Goals • 20-50 minutes:STUDY with FOCUS and ACTION(Read your text, create flash cards, create maps and/or outlines, work problems -without peeking at the answers, quiz yourself…)Achieve your goal! • 5 minutesTake a break • 5 minutesReview what you have just studied • Repeat • *Once a week review the entire week’s notes and problems

31. Active Learning Strategies • Get Involved • Ask Questions • Recite and Write • Review • Reflect (megacognate?)

32. Good notes are essential for meaningful learning

33. Cornell Note Taking Format Notes on Taking Notes, 08/04/08 Recall Column: Uses of notes • identify major points • identify minor points There are 4 Kinds of Notes: • Running Text • Formal Outline • Informal Outline • Cornell Note system Reduce ideas and facts to concise summaries and cues for reciting, reviewing and reflecting over here.

34. Getting the Most Out of Homework:Effective Strategy for Problem Solving • Start the problems early--the day they are assigned • Do not flip back to see example problems; work them yourself! • Don’t give up too soon (<15 min.) • Don’t spend too much time (>30 min.)

35. Concept maps facilitate development of higher order thinking skills

36. Mapping Molar mass Colligative properties grams Fp. Dep; b.p. elev. formula moles Symbols + subscripts

37. Compare and Contrast Acids Bases How are they similar? How are they different?

38. Create a Chapter Map Title of Chapter Primary Headings Subheadings Secondary Subheadings

39. Time for a Break!

40. Learning Strategies Should be Based on Learning Style

41. Learning Styles • Influence how we take in information from the outside world • Influence how we process information • Influence how we interact with others • Influence our motivation for learning different subjects • Influence our frustration level with learning tasks

42. http://www.cas.lsu.edu Learning Style Diagnostics • Brain Dominance • Personality • Modality

43. Hemispheric Preference • Left Brain vs. Right Brain • Right Brain: visual, intuitive, holistic, abstract, spatial and main ideas; use charts, maps, time lines, graphs, or visualization as study tools • Left Brain: verbal, logical, linear, concrete, time oriented, and details; use outlines, lecture notes, or the Cornell note taking format as study tools • Some students will be “balanced”

44. Personality Profile Modified Myers-Briggs

45. Modality (Sensory Preference) • Visual: prefers pictures, symbols, charts, graphs, concept maps, etc. • Aural or auditory: prefers hearing lectures, reading notes out loud, etc. • Read/write: prefers flashcards, notes, lists, outlines, etc. • Kinesthetic: prefers direct experience, mapping, charting, experiments, visualizing action, etc.

46. What’s YOUR Style? • Left or right brain dominant? • Personality Type Extrovert or Introvert? Sensing or Intuitive? Thinking or Feeling? Judging or Perceiving? • Modality (Sensory Preference)? Visual, Aural, Read/Write Kinesthetic

47. Learning Style Inventories www.vark-learn.com www.cas.lsu.edu Many others!

48. I Time Management is Life Management

49. Big Rocks Is this jar full? What if we fill it to the top with small rocks… would it be full? What if we fill it to the top with sand… would it be full? What if we fill it to the top with water… would it be full? The question is this: What is the “moral of the story” when it comes to time management?

50. Weekly Master To Do List Date to be completed: Sunday, Oct. 17th The “Master To Do List” Master To Do List: The “Master To Do List” Class #3 Ch. 15 10/13 Ch. 17 10/15 Ch. 18 10/20 Class #4 Homework 10/14 Ch. 3 10/14 Review Ch. 2 10/15 Life: Mom’s Birthday card send 10/15) Class #1 Ch. 4 10/13 Ch. 5 10/13 Ch. 6 10/15 Assignment Due 10/15 Ch. 7 10/19 Studio: pp. 65-96 10/12 Project #1 3 references 10/14 drawings (3) 10/14 model 10/16 Monday, Oct. 11 Class 1, Ch. 4 Review pp. 65-96 Homework Buy card Email Clyde Complete forms Pick up materials Library, 3 references Pay bills