Learning Strategies and Coaching: Pathways to Self- Determination

1. Learning Strategies and Coaching: Pathways to Self-Determination David R. Parker, Ph.D. (CRG) Postsecondary Disability Specialist/ADD&Life Coach www.childrensresourcegroup.com (317) 575-9111 ext. 146

2. Overview of Strand • Day 1: Strategy Instruction • Important outcomes • How/why we teach strategies • Strategies mindset • Share/learn/practice some strategies • Day 2: ADD Coaching • An emerging postsecondary service • Coaching mindset • Practice coaching techniques • Comparing strategies and coaching • Day 3: Self-Determination • What is self-determination? • Why SD matters in college students • Whitney’s case study • Is it the type of service, or how we deliver it, that influences SD?

3. Important Outcomes • “Self-determination is the ability to identify and achieve goals, based on a foundation of knowing and valuing yourself.” - Field & Hoffman (1994, p. 164) • Let’s identify some important outcomes of our work with students: • Institutional mission • Mission of our office

4. Strategy Instruction • “Learning strategies are used by students to help them understand information and solve problems. A learning strategy is a person's approach to learning and using information. Students who do not know or use good learning strategies often learn passively and ultimately fail in school. Learning strategy instruction focuses on making the students more active learners by teaching them how to learn and how to use what they have learned to solve problems and be successful.” - KU Center for Research on Learning http://www.kucrl.org/sim/strategies.shtml

5. Why Did Strategy Instruction Emerge as a Widespread Model? • Many students, particularly those with LD/ADHD, demonstrate a need for: • more efficient information processing • direct instruction in the “hidden curriculum” • better organizational skills • more effect memory techniques • saliency detection • better self-regulation of attention • metacognitive self-monitoring • flexibility of approach - Ellis, Deshler, Lenz, Schumaker, & Clark(1991); Mastropieri & Scruggs (1991); Wong (1994) • Most strategy instruction research limited to K-12 settings

6. Effective Strategy Instruction

7. Effective Strategy Instruction • Step 1: Explain rationale for the learning strategy • Step 2: Introduce strategy; model and demonstrate • Step 3: Provide guided practice; repeat and provide feedback • Step 4: Provide time for independent use; help build fluency • Step 5: Describe self-evaluation and self-monitoring • Step 6: Encourage generalization of strategy to other learning situations - adapted from Schumaker & Deshler (1992)

8. Tech-Based Strategies

9. Tech-Based Strategies • A recent survey of college students with LD and ADHD and students without disabilities found that both groups reported high threshold levels of comfort and fluency with learning technologies. However, notable differences in specific skills were found. Students with disabilities indicated a lower level of comfort with e-mail and multitasking on a computer (i.e., online literature searches including reading online) than did their peers without disabilities. - Parker & Banerjee (2007) • Academic self-regulationis “the process by which students activate and sustain cognitions, behaviors, and affects that are systematically orientated toward the attainment of academic goals” - Ruban, McCoach, McGuire, & Reid (2003, p. 271) • Types of strategies • Procedural • Metacognitive • Self-regulation

10. Strategies Mindset • Didactic model(we know/tell as we teach the skills) • Tutoring = expertise in content; Strategy Instruction = expertise in how to learn • Same prescribed steps each time: • SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) • Did King Phillip Cry Out “For Goodness Sakes!”? • “Give a person a fish…”

11. What’s In Your Toolbox? • Please name/briefly describe 2-3 strategies you teach students or help them learn from other resources. • Add your name and college/university to the sheet of paper. • Post on wall so we can “compare notes” and learn from each others’ expertise.

12. Show and Tell • Demonstrate and practice various strategies for college students

13. 3-2-1 Prep Planner Strategy • Skill area: time management • Helps students work backwards from a deadline • Use calendars to plan use of time leading up to a deadline • Can be particularly helpful during mid-terms or finals

14. Professor Flashcard Strategy • Skill area(s): MC test-prep, memorization • Helps students anticipate how they will be tested on factual recall items • Teaches students how to strategically use key wording in MC test items • Provides multi-sensory learning experience

15. Road to Recognition Strategy • Skill area: fully answering short answer/essay tests questions • Helps students with various skills: • deconstruct complex language • organize thoughts in quick pre-writing step • check for complete response to prompt • Also uses a multi-sensory (verbal, visual) approach

16. 2 Column/Reflection Strategy • Skill area: math problem-solving • Helps students activate verbal language to process symbolic, sequential information • Teaches students to associate problem type with problem process/steps • Promotes reflection through interactive media • Khan Academy video