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Metacognition The Key to Increasing the Number
of African American Scientists!

• Saundra Y. McGuire, Ph.D., Director
• Center for Academic Success
• Adj. Professor, Dept. of Chemistry
• Louisiana State University

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2004 National College Learning Center
AssociationFrank L. Christ Outstanding Learning
Center Award 
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The Story of Three LSU Chemistry Students 2003 -
2004

• Robert, freshman chemistry student
• 42, 100, 100, 100
• Michael, senior pre-medical organic student
• 30, 28, 80, 91
• Terrence, junior Bio Engineering student
• GPA 1.67 cum, 3.54 (F 03), 3.8 (S 04)

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Four Analytical Chemistry Students in 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.
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LSU Analytical Chemistry Graduate Students
Cumulative Exam Record
2004 2005 9/04 Failed 10/04 Failed 11/04 Fail
ed 12/04 Failed 1/05 Passed 2/05 Failed 3/05 Faile
d 4/05 Failed
2005 2006 10/05 Passed 11/05 Failed 12/05 P
assed best in group 1/06 Passed 2/06 Passed 3/06 F
ailed 4/06 Passed last one! 5/06 N/A
Began work with CAS in October 2005
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Characteristics of Many ofTodays STEM Students

• Working more hours
• More ADD/ADHD
• Taking non-prescription drugs to increase
  concentration
• Interested in obtaining credentials
• Feel entitled to an A or B if they consistently
  attend class
• Few time management skills
• Few learning skills

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Why dont students know how to learn?

• It wasnt 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

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What did we at the CAS do to improve students
learning and performance?

• We gave them
• Confidence
• Attitude Adjustment
• Strategies involving metacognition

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Reflection Questions

• Whats the difference, if any, between
• studying and learning?
• Which, if either, is more enjoyable? Why?

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Metacognition

• The ability to
• think about thinking
• be consciously aware of oneself as a problem
  solver
• monitor and control ones mental processing
• accurately assess what one
• understands and does not understand

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Metacognition

• an appreciation of what one already knows,
  together with a correct comprehension of the
  learning task and what knowledge and skills it
  requires, combined with the ability to make
  correct inferences about how to apply ones
  strategic knowledge to a particular situation,
  and to do so efficiently and reliably.
• Taylor, 1999

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What We Know About Learning

• Learning is a complex process involving the
  development of conceptual understanding
• Individual learners must actively construct their
  own learning (constructivism)
• New learning is based on prior knowledge
• Active learning is more lasting than passive
  learning
• Thinking about thinking is important
• Metacognition
• The level at which learning occurs is important
  for effective transfer
• Blooms Taxonomy

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Rote Learning

• Involves verbatim memorization
• (which is easily forgotten)
• Cannot be manipulated or applied to novel
  situations
• (e.g. memorizing strong and weak electrolytes,
  quantum numbers, etc.)

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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.)

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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.
Blooms 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
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Example Blooms Levels of Learning Applied
to Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Courtesy of http//www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/br
isas/sunda/litpack/BloomsCriticalThinking_files/v3
_document.htm
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Students Learn When We Teach Them How to Learn!

• Teach them the difference between learning
  (meaningful learning) and memorization (rote
  learning)
• Teach them specific learning strategies
• Implement pedagogical strategies that make them
  use the learning strategies

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Metacognitive Strategies

• Always ask why, how, and what if
• Use SQ5R for reading assignments
• (survey, question, read, recite, review, wRite,
  reflect)
• Test understanding by giving mini lectures on
  concepts
• Move higher on Blooms taxonomy
• Always solve problems more than one way
• Use the Study Cycle with Intense Study Sessions

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The Study Cycle
Phase 1 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

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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 minutes Take a break

• 5 minutes Review what you have just
  studied
• Repeat

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Concept maps facilitate development of higher
order thinking skills
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How Concept Mapping Improves Accuracy of Judgment
of Learning

• It forces students to come to grips with the
  state of their current understanding of a topic
• Students see how other students see the
  concepts
• Students develop a conceptual framework for the
  material

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Concepts Maps
Can Have Many Forms
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Chapter Map
Title of Chapter
Primary Headings
Subheadings
Secondary Subheadings
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Ideas...
(Comments go Here.)
(Comments go Here.)
(Comments go Here.)
Cause and Effect
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Get Creative!
Issue 2
Issue 3
Issue 1
Issue 4
Topic Area
Issue 7
Issue 5
Issue 6
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Compare and Contrast
Concept 1
Concept 2
How are they similar?
How are they different?
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Knowledge of Metacognition Greatly Increases
African American Student Success

• They are less likely to have been cognitively
  challenged in high school
• They are less likely to be encouraged to stick
  with it
• They are more likely to experience the impact of
  a paradigm shift

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Results at LSU
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All STEM Majors vs. LA-STEM Students
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LA-STEM Cohorts vs. LA-STEM Students
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LSU STEM URM vs. LA-STEM URM Performance 2005-2006
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We can significantly increase the number of
African American Scientists!

• We must teach them the learning process and
  strategies
• We must not judge their potential on their
  initial performance
• We must encourage them to persist in the face of
  initial failure
• We must encourage the use of metacognitive tools

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References

• Bruer, John T. , 2000. Schools For Thought A
  Science of Learning in the Classroom. MIT Press.
• Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., Cocking, R.R.
  (Eds.), 2000. How people learn Brain, Mind,
  Experience, and School. Washington, DC
  National Academy Press.
• Halpern, D.F and Hakel, M.D. (Eds.), 2002.
  Applying the Science of Learning to University
  Teaching and Beyond. New York, NY John Wiley and
  Sons, Inc.
• Kameenui and Carnine, 1998. Effective Teaching
  Strategies That Accommodate Diverse Learners.
  Upper Saddle River, NJ Merrill Publishing
• Zull, James (2004). The Art of Changing the
  Brain. Sterling, VA Stylus Publishing.
• Taylor, S. (1999). Better learning through better
  thinking Developing students metacognitive
  abilities. Journal of College Reading and
  Learning, 30(1), 34ff. Retrieved November 9,
  2002, from Expanded Academic Index ASAP.
• http//academic.pg.cc.md.us/wpeirce/MCCCTR/metac
  ognition.htm