Teach Students How to Learn

1. Metacognition is the key to unlocking student potential

"If you teach students how to learn, and give them simple, straightforward strategies to use, they can significantly increase their learning and performance."

Metacognition defined. Metacognition is thinking about one's own thinking. It involves:

• Being consciously aware of oneself as a problem solver
• Monitoring, planning, and controlling one's mental processing
• Accurately judging one's level of learning

Power of metacognition. When students employ metacognition:

• They become proactive learners rather than passive recipients of information
• They can accurately assess their understanding and identify gaps in knowledge
• They develop the ability to teach themselves, leading to dramatic improvements in performance

Implementing metacognition. Faculty can introduce metacognition by:

• Explaining the concept and its benefits to students
• Providing specific metacognitive strategies for learning course material
• Encouraging students to reflect on their learning processes and outcomes

2. Bloom's Taxonomy provides a framework for deeper learning

"I hope it is clear at this point that a fixed mindset can spell disaster, whether a student is judged as 'gifted' or 'slow.'"

Understanding Bloom's Taxonomy. Bloom's Taxonomy is a hierarchical model of learning objectives:

1. Remembering
2. Understanding
3. Applying
4. Analyzing
5. Evaluating
6. Creating

Applying Bloom's in education. Faculty can use Bloom's Taxonomy to:

• Design assignments and assessments that target higher-order thinking skills
• Help students understand the depth of learning required for success in college
• Encourage students to move beyond memorization to application and analysis

Student benefits. When students understand Bloom's Taxonomy:

• They recognize the difference between surface-level and deep learning
• They set more appropriate learning goals for themselves
• They develop strategies to reach higher levels of cognitive engagement with course material

3. The study cycle and intense study sessions drive academic success

"If you do two or three sessions during the day between classes, and another couple of sessions at night, you will have studied 4–5 hours that day without breaking a sweat."

The study cycle explained. The study cycle consists of five steps:

1. Preview
2. Attend class
3. Review
4. Study
5. Assess

Intense study sessions. These focused learning periods typically include:

• Setting specific goals for the session
• Engaging in active learning tasks for 30-50 minutes
• Taking a short break
• Reviewing what was learned

Benefits of this approach. By implementing the study cycle and intense study sessions:

• Students distribute their learning over time, enhancing retention
• They actively engage with material, leading to deeper understanding
• They regularly assess their progress, allowing for timely adjustments in strategy

4. Active reading strategies dramatically improve comprehension

"When students employ metacognition, they become consciously aware of themselves as problem solvers, which enables them to actively seek solutions to any problems they may encounter, rather than relying on others to tell them what to do or to answer their questions."

Three-step active reading process:

1. Preview the material before reading
2. Develop questions you expect the passage to answer
3. Read one paragraph at a time, paraphrasing as you go

Benefits of active reading:

• Increases engagement with the text
• Improves comprehension and retention of information
• Helps identify areas of confusion or misunderstanding

Additional active reading techniques:

• Highlighting key information
• Taking notes in the margins
• Creating concept maps or outlines
• Summarizing main points after each section

5. Effective homework strategies lead to mastery of course material

"Practice problems, wherever they come from, are your brain's best resource for demonstrating that it can do all the problems without relying on an example as a guide."

Key homework strategies:

• Begin homework as soon as it's assigned
• Treat homework problems as if they were test questions
• Work problems without looking at solutions or examples
• Check answers only after attempting problems independently

Benefits of effective homework practices:

• Deeper understanding of course concepts
• Improved problem-solving skills
• Better preparation for exams
• Identification of areas needing further study

Overcoming common pitfalls:

• Avoid the temptation to look up solutions prematurely
• Don't rely on memorization of problem types
• Seek help from instructors or tutors when truly stuck, not as a first resort

6. Growth mindset and positive self-talk boost motivation and performance

"What you believe and what students believe both have a significant impact on their motivation and performance."

Understanding mindset. Carol Dweck's research identifies two mindsets:

• Fixed mindset: Intelligence is innate and unchangeable
• Growth mindset: Intelligence can be developed through effort and learning

Cultivating a growth mindset. Strategies include:

• Emphasizing effort over innate ability
• Viewing challenges as opportunities for growth
• Embracing mistakes as learning experiences

Power of positive self-talk. Students can improve performance by:

• Monitoring their internal dialogue
• Challenging negative thoughts
• Replacing self-defeating statements with encouraging ones

7. Faculty can empower students through targeted teaching strategies

"Even though learning centers like the LSC at Cornell and the CAS at LSU have existed for decades, I have observed in my 43 years of teaching that the learning strategies taught there still have not reached the mainstream."

Key teaching strategies:

1. Establish clear, high expectations
2. Provide frequent assessments and feedback
3. Introduce metacognitive learning strategies
4. Connect course material to students' interests and goals
5. Encourage active learning in the classroom

Creating a supportive learning environment:

• Express confidence in students' abilities to succeed
• Offer opportunities for early success to build confidence
• Provide scaffolding for challenging tasks

Promoting student responsibility:

• Clarify student responsibilities for learning
• Encourage use of office hours and learning resources
• Foster a classroom community of engaged learners

8. Time management and test preparation are crucial skills for success

"Remember that small chunks of time are just as useful as big chunks where homework is concerned."

Effective time management techniques:

• Use a semester calendar to track major assignments and exams
• Create a weekly schedule allocating time for study, work, and personal activities
• Implement the "Power Hour" concept for focused study sessions

Test preparation strategies:

• Begin preparing well in advance of the exam date
• Create and take practice tests
• Review and analyze past exams to identify areas for improvement
• Use active recall techniques rather than passive review

Managing test anxiety:

• Practice relaxation techniques
• Maintain a positive mindset
• Arrive early to the exam location
• Read all instructions carefully before beginning

9. Learning centers are valuable resources for all students

"Learning center professionals can impact learning at both ends of the performance spectrum, and at all levels in between."

Services offered by learning centers:

• One-on-one tutoring
• Group study sessions
• Workshops on learning strategies and time management
• Writing support
• Test preparation assistance

Benefits of utilizing learning centers:

• Personalized support for academic challenges
• Exposure to new learning techniques
• Opportunities for collaborative learning
• Access to resources beyond the classroom

Overcoming stigma:

• Recognize that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness
• Understand that even high-performing students can benefit from learning center services
• View learning centers as tools for optimizing academic performance, not just remediation

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Last updated: October 5, 2024