Helping Students Learn to Learn: Helping Students to Achieve Higher Level Learning Outcomes

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Helping Students Learn to LearnHelping
Students to AchieveHigher Level Learning Outcomes

• Angela Ho, EDC
• Chan Chi Hung, Learning to Learn Project

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What Deficiencies in Cognitive Learning do
Students Have?

• What can the interview excerpts tell us?

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Deficiencies in Cognitive Learning Demonstrated
by Many Students

• Lacking thinking abilities, resulting in
• Reliance on memorization, frequently without
  understanding, leading to
• Giving quantitative answers which stuff in as
  much information as possible, instead of
  producing quality answers which demonstrate
  understanding

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Students have expressed the need for improving
our thinking process

• To know the aims of learning
• To set learning goals
• Improve our thinking process  
• Skills to answer questions
• Learn to apply in daily life  
• To know more about real world situations
• How to learn efficiently effectively, i.e. less
  time to learn more, less effort to get more
  returns  
• Learn the different ways for learning different
  subjects e.g. ICT, IT  
• (Perceived needs for Learning to Learn, ENGL,
  2001)

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For the Success of Your Study

• Addressing the issues of
• Deficiency in higher order thinking abilities
• Reliance on memorization of information
• Answers which resemble a laundry list which
  shows little understanding

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What is Learning?

• What is a Good Answer?

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Underpinning theories

• Conceptions of learningQuantitative conception
  increase in knowledgeQualitative conception
  achieve genuine understanding
• Approaches to learning Concept deep approach VS
  surface approachInstrument Study Process
  Questionnaire (SPQ)
• SOLO taxonomy

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SOLO Taxonomy (Biggs Collins, 1982)(Structure
of the Observed Learning Outcomes)

• Extended abstract
• Relational
• Multistructural
• Unistructural
• Prestructural

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Low level answers and High level answers

• Unrelated DetailsReproduce as many points as
  possible from the notes or the textbook whether
  with understanding or not.
• Relational UnderstandingThe answer should be
  able to give a meaningful explanation of the
  topic, showing how things are related and
  applied.
• Extended ideasThe answer contains original ideas
  of the student in addition to showing a deep
  understanding of the topic.

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Improving to Higher Level Answers

• Unrelated Details
• ?
• Relational Understanding
• ?
• Extended Ideas

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Improving from Unrelated Details to Relational
Understanding (p.5)
  Unrelated Details Relational Understanding Improving from Unrelated details to Relational Understanding
Quantity of information As much as possible adequate Spend more time on thinking. Do NOT simply memorise
Relevance of information Irrelevant info also included relevant - Think about meaning - Clarify relationship - Organise into a meaningful structure - Avoid listing facts as unconnected points
Organization of information - lack structure- lack linkage - not addressing key issue - coherent structure - show relationship - focus on question asked - Think about meaning - Clarify relationship - Organise into a meaningful structure - Avoid listing facts as unconnected points
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Improving from Relational Understanding to
Extended Ideas (p.6)
  Relational Understanding Extended Ideas Improving from Relational Understanding to Extended Ideas
Understanding Understand the topic Able to relate to other topics - Relate to previous knowledge - Relate theories to experience - try to form own conceptual framework for Integrating knowledge - read widely - discuss with others - reflect on past experience - brainstorm ideas
Coverage What has been taught Go beyond what has been taught - Relate to previous knowledge - Relate theories to experience - try to form own conceptual framework for Integrating knowledge - read widely - discuss with others - reflect on past experience - brainstorm ideas
Structure of the answer Similar to what is taught Develop new structure - Relate to previous knowledge - Relate theories to experience - try to form own conceptual framework for Integrating knowledge - read widely - discuss with others - reflect on past experience - brainstorm ideas
Problem solving Able to solve similar problems Able to solve new problems - Relate to previous knowledge - Relate theories to experience - try to form own conceptual framework for Integrating knowledge - read widely - discuss with others - reflect on past experience - brainstorm ideas
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Think in this way !

• Relational Understanding
• Contrast
• Compare
• Analyze
• Explain
• Relate
• Apply

• Extended Ideas
• Reflect
• Generalize
• Recommended
• Hypothesize
• Theorize

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To achieve Relational Understanding Think in
this way!
Thinking task Do this How well am I doing? Example on page
Compare Show how things are alike or not alike 5 4 3 2 1 12
Contrast Show the important difference between things 5 4 3 2 1 11
Explain Give the meaning of a topic 5 4 3 2 1 14
Analyze Examine in detail the elements of a topic how they relate to each other 5 4 3 2 1 13
Relate Show the ideas are connected to each other 5 4 3 2 1 15
Apply Make use of specific knowledge or concepts to deal with a problem 5 4 3 2 1 16
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To achieve Extended Ideas Think in this way!
Thinking task Do this How well am I doing? Example on page
Theorize Form general principles of an art or science 5 4 3 2 1 /
Generalize Draw a general conclusion from a collection of facts 5 4 3 2 1 18
Hypothesize Propose an idea which can be used as a starting point for further study 5 4 3 2 1 20
Recommend Suggest on what is the best thing to do based on critical evaluation of available information 5 4 3 2 1 19
Reflect Show new understanding value of something by studying past experience 5 4 3 2 1 17
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Examples of Good Answers --How the Thinking
Tasks are done?

• Description of the thinking task
• The question
• What students commonly do (characteristics of
  mediocre / poor answers)
• An example of good work with annotation

Recommend(p.20) Suggest what is appropriate to do based on a critical evaluation of available information
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What do students say about For the success of
your study?

• This is the first booklet Ive come across which
  is so systematically written to tell me what to
  do in my learning.
• In the past, I tried my best to put in everything
  which I thought the teacher wanted. Now I realise
  that I need to select and organise.
• Teachers asked me to elaborate but I didnt know
  how to. Now the thinking tasks have inspired me
  what to do.
• I started to realise why those classmates who
  explained their steps in calculation got better
  results than me. I used to focus on calculating
  the answer only.

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Helping students to achieve higher level learning
Simple things teachers can do

• Three scenarios
• Briefing students on grading criteria for
  assignments
• Providing feedback on students work
• Engaging students in self-evaluation of their
  learning

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Briefing students on grading criteria for
assignments

• Engage students in discussing
• What determines the grade of an answer?
• the three levels of learning outcomes
• Examples of the three levels of answers given
  with teachers comments
• Examples of the three levels of answers given
  for students discussion and comments
• Emphasis on thinking the thinking tasks
• Complete Table 5.2
• Study Examples of Good answers

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Providing feedback on students work

• Distribute for discussion, good answers with
  comments highlighting how the answers demonstrate
  thinking and understanding.
• Build a bank of good examples with comments for
• your subject
• the programme

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Engaging students in self-evaluation of their
learning

• Completing self-evaluation checklists on the
  performance of thinking tasks
• Reflection on development as a learner by
  comparing pre- and post- tests of
• Thinking about learning (p.1 and p.9 of
  handbook)
• Study Process Questionnaire