Get Students to Focus on Learning Instead of Grades: Teach them HOW to Learn

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Get Students to Focus on Learning Instead of
Grades Teach them HOW to Learn!

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

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2004 National College Learning Center
AssociationFrank L. Christ Outstanding Learning
Center Award 
The Center for Academic Success
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The Story of Four LSU Students2003 - 2004

• Travis, junior psychology student
• 47, 52, 82, 86
• 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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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.
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Desired outcomes

• We will better 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 critical
  thinking 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

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Think/Pair/Share

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

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Characteristics of Todays Students

• Working more hours
• More diagnosed 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

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Why dont students know how to learn or how to
study?

• 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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Student Misconceptions

• Who would have thought?!?

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Counting Vowels in 30 seconds

• How accurate are you?

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How do our institutions exacerbate the problem?

• Orientation programs that stress fun, recreation,
  and campus organization involvement
• Assisting students in scheduling courses back
  to back with no breaks between
• Others?

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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 putting notes on-line and advising students
  they dont need to purchase the textbook
• By having little ability to teach students
  concrete learning strategies

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So, what can we do to improve student learning?

• Teach students effective learning strategies
• Use pedagogical strategies that require the use
  of learning strategies
• Assess and provide feedback as often as possible
• Help students understand the learning process

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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?

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Experts vs. Novices

• They think differently about problems

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Novices vs. Intelligent Novices

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

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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
• The basic concepts in an area are connected to
  each other

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Turning Students into Intelligent Novices

• Have them determine their learning style
• Have them do think aloud exercises
• Have them ask why and what if
• Have them write exam questions that
• are at the application level (or higher) on
  Blooms taxonomy
• Have them make concept maps of material
• Provide time for them to do metacognitive
• activities in class

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What we know about learning

• Active learning is more lasting than passive
  learning
• Thinking about thinking is important
• Metacognition
• The level at which learning occurs is important
• Blooms Taxonomy

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Metacognition

• The ability to
• think about thinking
• plan and evaluate ones learning
• monitor and control ones mental processing (e.g.
  Am I understanding this material?)
• accurately judge ones level of learning

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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.)

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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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Faculty Must Help Students Learn 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
• Help them determine their learning style

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Learning Strategies Should be Based on Learning
Style
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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

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http//www.cas.lsu.edu
Learning Style Diagnostics

• Brain Dominance
• Personality
• Modality

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Brain Dominance

• 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

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Personality Profile
Modified Myers-Briggs
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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.

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Whats 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

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Learning Style Inventories
www.vark-learn.com www.cas.lsu.edu Many others!
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Strategies that Work

• Learning Style Personality Assessments
• Note taking Systems
• Concept Mapping
• The Study Cycle with Intense Study Sessions
• Time Management Tools
• Test Taking Strategies
• Metacognitive Reflections

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Study Strategies Gold Nugget

• The Study Cycle with
• Intense Study Sessions
• Adapted from method developed by Frank L. Christ

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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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Another Cognitive Science Concept Judgment of
Learning (JOL)

• The ability to
• Realistically evaluate what youve learned and
  what you havent learned
• Devise strategies to test your learning (e.g.
  write about the topic, give a lecture about the
  topic, etc.)
• Use strategies to deepen your learning

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Why Students Do Not Accurately Judge their
Learning

• They base their learning on whats in short term
  memory
• They dont test their learning
• Theyve never engaged in an activity that would
  show them that they are overestimating their
  learning

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Concept maps facilitate development of higher
order thinking skills
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Compare and Contrast
Acids
Bases
How are they similar?
How are they different?
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Create a Chapter Map
Title of Chapter
Primary Headings
Subheadings
Secondary Subheadings
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Get the Most Out of Homework

• Start the problems early--the day they are
  assigned
• Do not flip back to see example problems work
  them yourself!
• Dont give up too soon (lt15 min.)
• Dont spend too much time (gt30 min.)

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Good notes are essential for meaningful learning
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Cornell Note Taking Format
Notes on Taking Notes, 05/18/06
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.
Developed by Walter Pauk
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Motivation
In the academy, the term motivating means
stimulating interest in a subject and, therefore,
the desire to learn it. (Nilson, 57)
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Motivation to Learn Study Hobson 2000 2001
(n412)

• Positive motivation
• Teachers attitudes behaviors 27.1
• Course structure 22.5
• Intrinsic 19.8
• Course content 17.0
• Perform. Measures 10.0
• Vocational/financial 1.4
• Learning environ. 1.1
• Parents/others 1.0

• Negative motivation
• Teachers attitudes behaviors 31.6
• Course structure 25.9
• Learning environ. 12.9
• Course content 10.8
• Intrinsic 10.0
• Perform. measures 7.5
• Parents/others 0.9
• Vocational/financial 0.3

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Motivation Boosters

• Partial credit for partially correct answers
• Letting students use their own problem solving
  method
• Flexible grading scale based on student
  performance
• Demonstrated personal interest in, and belief
  that EVERY student can succeed!

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Motivation Busters

• Multiple choice tests with no opportunity for
  partial credit
• Requiring students to use one problem solving
  method
• Absolute grading scale with no flexibility
• Attitude that most students are not prepared to
  do well, and probably wont!
• Assessment that is not closely tied to what
  students learned

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• The 2004 LSU Dental School First Year Class
• An Amazing Success Story!
• Metacognition Discussion August 13, 2004
• Histology Exam August 23, 2004
• Previous class averages 74 78
• Challenge to class on August 13 84 average
• Reported average on August 24 85!

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Reflection Question

• Who is primarily responsible for student
  learning?
• a) the student
• b) the instructor
• c) the institution

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Our students can significantly increase their
learning!

• We must teach them the learning process and
  strategies
• We must use pedagogical strategies that motivate
  students to learn

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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.
• Hacker, D. J., Dunlosky, J., and Graesser, A.C.
  (1998). Metacognition in Educational Theory and
  Practice. Mahwah, NJ Erlbaum Associates
• 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.