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Teach STEM Students HOW to Learn : Metacognition is the Key!

Teach STEM Students HOW to Learn : Metacognition is the Key!. Saundra Yancy McGuire, Ph.D. Asst. Vice Chancellor for Learning, Teaching, & Retention Professor, Department of Chemistry Past Director, Center for Academic Success Louisiana State University.

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Teach STEM Students HOW to Learn : Metacognition is the Key!

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  1. Teach STEM Students HOW to Learn:Metacognition is the Key! Saundra Yancy McGuire, Ph.D. Asst. Vice Chancellor for Learning, Teaching, & Retention Professor, Department of Chemistry Past Director, Center for Academic Success Louisiana State University

  2. 2004-2005 National College Learning Center AssociationFrank L. Christ Outstanding Learning Center Award

  3. Outline • Examples of Results of Teaching Students Metacognitive Strategies • Definition of Metacognition • Exercise Demonstrating Efficacy of Metacognitive Strategies • Bloom’s Taxonomy & The Study Cycle • Impact of Teaching Metacognitive Strategies During Class Sessions • Conclusion

  4. The Story of Four Students • Robert, first year chemistry student 42, 100, 100, 100 A in course • Dana, first year physics student 80, 54, 91, 97, 90 (final)A in course • Aaron, first year biology student 78, 92A in course • Cici*, first year chemistry student 55, 60, 105**A in course * Learned strategies from chem instructor ** Due to bonus points

  5. Class Average Student 1 Student 2 Student 3 Student 4 Test 1 76 65 67 70 83 Test 2 52 67 65 46 55 Test 3 72 61 68 68 65 Final 78 107 88 88 90 Four Students in Professor Isiah Warner’s Fall 2005 Analytical Chemistry Class Date of Final Exam:December14, 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.

  6. How’d They Do It? They became expert learners by using metacognition! They learned to think about their own thinking, and they studied to LEARN, not just to make the grade!

  7. Metacognition* The ability to: • think about one’s own thinking • be consciously aware of oneself as a problem solver • monitor and control one’s mental processing (e.g. “Am I understanding this material?”) • accurately judge one’s level of learning *term coined by Flavell in 1976

  8. Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., Cocking, R.R. (Eds.), 2000. How people learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

  9. Reflection Questions for Students • What’s the difference, if any, between studying and learning? Which, if either, is more enjoyable? Why? • How many hours per week, outside of class, did you study in high school? • Approximately how many hours per week do you think you will have to study in college?

  10. Approximately how many hours per week did you have to study to make A’s and B’s in high school? • 0 – 4 • 5 – 9 • 10 – 14 • 15 – 19 • 20 – 24 • 25 – 29 • 30 or more

  11. Approximately how many hours per week do you think you’ll have to study to make A’s in college? • 0 – 4 • 5 – 9 • 10 – 14 • 15 – 19 • 20 – 24 • 25 – 29 • 30 or more

  12. Faculty Must Help Students Make the Transition to College Help students identify and close“the gap” current behaviorcurrentgrades efficacious behaviordesired grades

  13. Counting Vowels in 45 seconds How accurate are you?

  14. Dollar Bill Dice Tricycle Four-leaf Clover Hand Six-Pack Seven-Up Octopus Cat Lives Bowling Pins Football Team Dozen Eggs Unlucky Friday Valentine’s Day Quarter Hour

  15. How many words or phrases do you remember?

  16. Let’s look at the words again… What are they arranged according to?

  17. Dollar Bill Dice Tricycle Four-leaf Clover Hand Six-Pack Seven-Up Octopus Cat Lives Bowling Pins Football Team Dozen Eggs Unlucky Friday Valentine’s Day Quarter Hour

  18. NOW, how many words or phrases do you remember?

  19. What were two major differences between the first attempt and the second attempt?

  20. 1. We knew what the task was2. We knew how the information was organized

  21. What we know about learning • Active learning is more lasting than passive learning -- Passive learning is an oxymoron* • Thinking about thinking is important • Metacognition** • The level at which learning occurs is important • Bloom’s Taxonomy*** *Cross, Patricia, “Opening Windows on Learning” League for Innovation in the Community College, June 1998, p. 21. ** Flavell, John, “Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area of cognitive–developmental inquiry.” American Psychologist, Vol 34(10), Oct 1979, 906-911. *** Bloom Benjamin. S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co Inc.

  22. Bloom’s Taxonomy Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Bloom's_Taxonomy

  23. 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. Bloom’s 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

  24. When we teach students about Bloom’s Taxonomy…They GET it!

  25. At what level of Bloom’s did you have to operate to make A’s or B’s in high school? • Knowledge • Comprehension • Application • Analysis • Synthesis • Evaluation

  26. At what level of Bloom’s do you think you’ll need to be to make an A in college? • Knowledge • Comprehension • Application • Analysis • Synthesis • Evaluation

  27. How do we teach students to move higher on Bloom’s Taxonomy?Teach them the Study Cycle* *adapted from Frank Christ’s PLRS system

  28. The Study Cycle • 4Reflect • Preview beforeclass– Skim the chapter, note headings and boldface words, review summaries and chapter objectives, and come up with questions you’d like the lecture to answer for you. Preview Attendclass – GO TO CLASS! Answer and ask questions and take meaningful notes. Attend Review after class– As soon after class as possible, read notes, fill in gaps and note any questions. Review • Study – Repetition is the key. Ask questions such as ‘why’, ‘how’, and ‘what if’. • Intense Study Sessions* - 3-5 short study sessions per day • Weekend Review – Read notes and material from the week to make connections Study • Assess your Learning– Periodically perform reality checks • Am I using study methods that are effective? • Do I understand the material enough to teach it to others? Assess *Intense Study Sessions Center for Academic Success B-31 Coates Hall ▪ 225.578.2872 ▪www.cas.lsu.edu

  29. Further Identifying the “Gap” to Shift the Paradigm • Reflection questions What could I have done differently? • Comparison of successful vs non-successful student behaviors

  30. Reflection Question For which task would you study more? A. Make an A on the test B. Teach the material to the class

  31. Top 5 Reasons Folks Did Not Make an A on First Chemistry Test 1. Didn’t spend enough time on the material 2. Started the homework too late 3. Didn’t memorize the information I needed to 4. Did not use the book 5. Assumed I understood information that I had read and re-read, but had not applied

  32. Top 5 Reasons Folks Made an A on Test 1: 1. Did preview-review for every class 2. Did a little of the homework at a time 3. Used the book and did the suggested problems 4. Made flashcards of the information to be memorized 5. Practiced explaining the information to others

  33. Concept maps facilitate development of higher order thinking skills And there are many different forms of concept maps…

  34. Chapter Map Title of Chapter Primary Headings Subheadings Secondary Subheadings

  35. Compare and Contrast Concept #1 Concept #2 How are they similar? How are they different?

  36. Do you have unprepared students? Gabriel, Kathleen F. (2008) Teaching Unprepared Students. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing

  37. Establish high expectations Emphasize Consistent Contact Determine Students’ Learning Styles Define Student Success Clarify Student Responsibility Establish a Learning Community of Scholars Meet Students Where They Are Interweave Assessment and Teaching Effective Strategies for Teaching Unprepared Students* *Kathleen Gabriel, Stylus Publishing, 2008

  38. LSU Analytical Chemistry Graduate Student’s Cumulative Exam Record 2004 – 2005 9/04 Failed 10/04 Failed 11/04 Failed 12/04 Failed 1/05 Passed 2/05 Failed 3/05 Failed 4/05 Failed 2005 – 2006 10/05 Passed 11/05 Failed 12/05 Passed best in group 1/06 Passed 2/06 Passed 3/06 Failed 4/06 Passed last one! 5/06 N/A Began work with CAS and the Writing Center in October 2005

  39. Dr. Algernon Kelley, December 2009

  40. The Impact of Using Metacognitive Strategies “Without these strategies, I probably would have gotten a C in chemistry. You showed us the first week a way to get an A in the class and I knew that was going to be my only way to achieve that A. I was planning on just studying before the test. But when you stressed how important it was to preview and review and study 2 hours a day or so, I was in shock, but I followed the guideline and got myself an A. So, I would like to thank you, because without these strategies, I probably would have done terribly in Chemistry.” Fall 2009 First semester chemistry student

  41. What happens when we teach metacognitive learning strategies, Bloom’s Taxonomy, and the Study Cycle to an entire class, not just individuals?

  42. The story of General Chemistry I in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011: • what happens when we teach metacognitive strategies to an entire class?* • *Cook, Elzbieta and Saundra McGuire. 2011.“Is less more? How much, when and how to teach learning strategies in General Chemistry courses”. Poster presented at the spring national meeting of the American Chemical Society, Anaheim, CA.

  43. What was done in 2008 and 2009 in General Chemistry I In 2008 and 2009, students lacking math skills (Math ACT score < 24) were allowed to take Gen Chem I. However, they had to • co-enroll in College Algebra • enroll in a 1-credit hour supplemental chemistry course (Chem 1200), in which study and learning strategies, as well as problem solving skills, were taught throughout the semester in a weekly 75 minute review session.

  44. Gen. Chem. I Results for Students with MATH ACT score < 24 Before CHEM 1200 2006 2007 Combined Instructors Cook Combined Instructors Cook 47 53 46 54 47 53 54 46 %ABC %DFW

  45. Performance in Gen Chem I based on Chem 1200 attendance 2008 2009 1200 (≥75% sessions) 1200 (≥75% sessions) No-1200 No-1200 (N = 191; 86%) (N = 157; 64%) A B C D F W ABC DFW 15.71 29.84 32.98 18.32 3.14 − 78.53 21.47 33.05 26.87 15.78 8.96 8.10 7.25 75.69 24.31 12.01 24.20 43.95 12.73 5.10 1.91 80.25 19.75 29.82 25.06 21.55 6.02 8.77 8.77 76.44 23.55

  46. What was done in 2010 and 2011? • No students with ACT math scores < 24 were allowed in Gen Chem I • No Chem 1200 was offered. • But, study and learning strategies were taught in one 50-min class immediately after the results of Exam 1 were announced.

  47. Fall 2010 chain of events… • Aug. 23: 657 students were enrolled at the start of the course • Sept. 25: 632 students took Exam 1: • 123 (19.5%) students failed Exam 1 • 86 students failed Exam 1 but stayed in the course • Sept. 27: 461 students attended McGuire’s talk; 156 did not • Oct. 20: 617 students took Exam 2 • AttendedAbsent • Exam 1 Avg.: 72.35% 70.11% • Improvement on Exam 2: 230 (50%) 55 (35%) • Decline on Exam 2: 127 (27.5%) 70 (45%) • No change on Exam 2: 104 (22.5%) 31 (20%)

  48. Fall 2010 chain of events… Aug. 23: 657 students were enrolled at the start of the semester Sept. 25: 461 students attended McGuire’s talk; 156 did not Oct. 20: 617 students took Exam 2 Attended Absent Exam 1 Avg.:72.35% 70.11% Exam 2 Avg.: 76.01% 68.74% Exam 1 to Exam 2 Change +3.66%-1.37%+ Net change: +5.03% One 50-min presentation on study and learning strategies resulted in an improvement of over 1/2 of a letter grade

  49. Performance in Gen Chem I in 2010 Based on One Learning Strategies Session Attended Absent Exam 1 Avg.: 72.35% 70.11% Exam 2 Avg.: 76.01% 68.74% Final course Avg*.: 82.48%72.61% Final Course Grade: BC Even one 50-min presentation on study and learning strategies may mean an improvement of one full letter grade! Note: 15% of the final course grade was determined by homework; students could also earn ~5% for extra credit activities.

  50. Fall 2011 chain of events… Aug. 22: 718 students were enrolled at the start of the semester Sept. 23: 502 students attended McGuire’s talk; 216 did not Oct. 11: 695 students took Exam 2 Attended Absent Entire Class Exam 1 Avg.:71.65% 70.45% 71.30% Exam 2 Avg.: 77.18% 68.90% 74.74% Exam 1 to Exam 2 Change +5.53%-1.55%+3.34% Net change: +7.08% One 50-min presentation on study and learning strategies resulted in an improvement of over 2/3 of a letter grade

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