Developing a Mindset for Successful Learning

Transcription

1 Developing a Mindset for Successful Learning Stephen L. Chew, PhD Department of Psychology Samford University slchew@samford.edu 9th Annual Southeast Regional ADHD Conference January 28, 2017

2 Goals of this Presentation Address common misconceptions about how people learn that undermine achievement Explain how people learn Attention, Metacognition, Deep Processing Learn strategies for structuring study time and environment to improve learning effectiveness

3 Student Beliefs about How People Learn Students also base their study behavior based on their models of how people (specifically themselves) learn. It determines their learning and study behaviors To the extent that the model is accurate, students will be effective learners If the model is flawed, simplistic, or incomplete, it will undermine their learning effectiveness, achievement, and success Most students base their learning strategies on untested assumptions, faulty intuitions, and misconceptions

4 Student and Instructor Views of Student Readiness for College % Reporting Gaps in College Preparation % Instructors/ 4 yr Instructors/ 2 yr Students Respondent

5 Video Series: How to Get the Most Out of Studying

6 How to Get the Most Out of Studying Webpage: Introductory Video: Developing a Mindset for Successful Learning Video 1: Beliefs That Make You Fail Or Succeed Video 2: What Students Should Understand About How People Learn Video 3: Cognitive Principles for Optimizing Learning Video 4: Putting the Principles for Optimizing Learning into Practice Video 5: I Blew the Exam, Now What?

7 Beliefs about Learning that Learning is fast Make You Stupid Being good at a subject is a matter of inborn talent rather than hard work, Knowledge is composed of isolated facts I m really good at multi-tasking, especially during class or studying

8 Fixed vs. Growth Mindset (Carol Dweck) Student mindset is his or her attitudes, beliefs, and expectations about learning and the whole academic context The teacher, course, topic, pedagogy, assessment, curriculum, major, and school Fixed Mindset: Ability and aptitude is inborn and unchangeable Growth Mindset: Ability and aptitude are a product of effort and practice

9 Fixed vs. Growth Mindset (Carol Dweck) Fixed Intelligence Mindset Response Growth Intelligence Mindset Response Challenges Avoid Embrace Obstacles Give up easily Persist Tasks requiring effort Fruitless to Try Path to mastery Criticism Ignore it Learn from it Success of Others Threatening Inspirational

10 Student Messages Reflecting Mindset Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset I m not good at math (or science, or reading ) I ve always been a good writer I m not smart enough to do well in this.

11 Fixed vs. Growth Feedback Fixed I m not smart enough to do this. I m not good at math I m not a science person This paper shows I m a good writer Growth With the right effort and help, I m capable of doing this. I have to work extra hard at math I can t let myself fall behind in science. I put a lot of work into this paper, and it shows.

12 Beliefs about Learning that Learning is fast Make You Stupid Being good at a subject is a matter of inborn talent rather than hard work, Knowledge is composed of isolated facts I m really good at multi-tasking, especially during class or studying

13 The Nature of Attention Attention is like a small spotlight in a darkened room. The focus of attention is so narrow that we can t take in a whole scene at once Anything that draws attention away from the critical feature hurts attention Inattentional blindness and Attentional Blink

14 Inattentional Blindness We miss most anything outside our focus of attention, and we are unaware that we missed anything

15 Inattentional Blindness

16 Attentional Blink

17 The Cost of Multi-tasking

18 The Arithmetic of Distracted Studying Assuming Distracted Study takes three times longer than Focused Study to achieve the same level of learning Focused Study Takes 30 Minutes Distracted Study Takes 90 minutes Focused Study gives you 60 Minutes (undistracted) free time 30 Minutes Turns into 90 Minutes Which could be 30 Minutes of Study 60 Minutes Of Free Time

19 The Importance of Undivided Attention There is NO evidence that multi-tasking is as effective as concentrating on one task at a time Good study strategies are effortful, and require full concentration Even small distractions significantly reduce learning Resisting temptation is a distraction There is no such thing as a momentary distraction

20 The Cost of Distractions

21 Willpower and Focused Attention People believe that willpower allows people to resist temptation People with high willpower structure their environment to eliminate temptations and distractions Create a study environment with fewest possible distractions

22 Metacognition A student s awareness of his or her level of understanding of a topic Distinguishes between stronger and weaker students One of the major tasks for a freshman is developing good metacognition In high school, students spent years developing a metacognitive sense that is likely inadequate or even counterproductive for college.

23 Self-Rating What is your best, most accurate judgment of the percentage of questions that you answered correctly on this exam? Your answer may range from 0 to 100% % correct

24 Estimated and Actual Grades for 800 Students: Econ 101

25 Typical Student Messages Showing Poor Metacognition I came into the test really confident that I knew the material but it didn't show that on the test. The reason I have stuck with the course this long is because I believe I have put a lot of effort towards studying for the exams is just I haven't tested well. I felt prepared going in to the first two exams but scored much lower than I wanted to (and much lower than the class). To be completely honest, I have not wanted to come to class because I do not feel it is worth it if I am not going to do well anyways.

26 The irony of poor metacognition Students with the poorest metacognition have no clue how weak their understanding of a concept is. Part of being incompetent is not understanding just how incompetent you are. So the students who most need to improve study strategies are the ones who don t believe they need to.

27 Never judge your learning by the number of hours studied or feeling prepared; judge your learning by testing yourself in a meaningful way

28 So how accurate are your beliefs about how people learn?

29 Which of the following is the MOST important ingredient for successful learning? 1. The intention and desire to learn 2. Paying close attention to the material as you study 3. Learning in a way that matches your personal Learning Style? 4. The time you spend studying 5. What you think about while studying

30 Read the instructions for the demonstration to yourselves and do your best to follow them.

31 Levels of Processing Shallow processing focuses on spelling, appearance and sound. Rote memorization of facts Flashcards with isolated facts Deep processing focuses on subjective meaning. Relating new information to prior knowledge or other information Making information personally meaningful

32 Rate each word Does the word contain an E or G? Shallow processing: You are focusing on spelling. Do you find the word Pleasant? Deep processing: You are relating the words to your own meaningful experiences. These are orienting tasks that cause you to think in deep or shallow ways, regardless of your intention

33 Intention vs. Level of Processing Intentional Incidental % Recall Shallow: E Checking Deep: Pleasantness Control Level of Processing

34 Which of the following is the MOST important ingredient for successful learning? 1. The intention and desire to learn 2. Paying close attention to the material as you study 3. Learning in a way that matches your personal Learning Style? 4. The time you spend studying 5. What you think about while studying

35 Implications for Learning Learning strategy has a huge impact on learning Intention and motivation to learn are not sufficient Good intentions cannot overcome bad study strategies Attention and amount of study is necessary, but not sufficient

36 Achieving Deep Processing while Studying As you study, follow these principles: Elaboration: How does this concept relate to other concepts? Can I make a story? Distinctiveness: How is this concept different from other concepts? Personal: How can I relate this information to my personal experience? Appropriate to Retrieval and Application: How am I expected to use or apply this concept?

37 These are principles for deep processing, but not a recipe There is no set recipe for effective studying or effective teaching What constitutes effective study will depend on the student, the subject, and the assessment What constitutes effective teaching will depend on the teacher, the students, their mindset, the subject, and the learning goal

38 Deep Processing during Note Taking Note-taking is NOT about writing down everything the professor says. Good note taking does three things: 1) Makes you pay attention and think about material 2) Helps you process information at a deep level to determine what is critical 3) It creates a personal set of retrieval cues for critical information

39 Deep Processing during Reading and Highlighting Text Highlight for connected, conceptual understanding Don t just highlight key terms Read first, select key phrases to highlight that captures meaning. Note taking and highlighting only help when you use them for review

40 Nuthall s Rule of Three For long-term learning to occur: A student needed to encounter, on at least three different occasions, the complete set of information she or he needed to understand a concept. Nuthall (2007, p. 63) Students must possess all the information needed to understand a concept. The information must be encountered on at least three different occasions. The information must be fully interpreted and integrated into working memory on each occasion.

41 Concept Maps Concept Mapping: a graphical representation of a topic with concepts as nodes that are linked together to represent connections The value is in the effort and reflection as much as the map itself

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44 Question Generation Generate at least three questions over each lecture or each topic you read about Aim for higher order questions How, Why, What if Getting answers is good, but even asking the questions aids learning. Easier to do than concept mapping

45 Practicing Recall and Application Close your book and notes and write down or say what you can recall Explain it to a classmate or friend Apply concepts to a novel situation Try to answer questions about the material from the book or from other sources Double check to see what you might have missed

46 Other Good Strategies Work through examples If possible, generate your own personal ones Don t just memorize them Try to anticipate what you might be asked, or use old exams or websites for questions. Recall and apply information in a way that matches what your teacher expects you to know.

47 The Importance of Retrieval Context in Learning All new learning is context specific For best recall, a student should recall information in the same context the student learned it Thus, students should study by retrieving and applying information in the same manner that they will be tested

48 Intense Study Sessions (ISS) 1) Set a Goal (1-2 min) Decide what you want to accomplish in your study session 2) Study with Focus (30-50 min) Eliminate all distractions and temptations Use deep processing 3) Reward Yourself (3-5 min) Take a break call a friend, play a short game, get a snack 4) Review (5 min) Go over what you just studied Recall without looking

49 Accommodations Common accommodations for students with ADHD Extended testing time Quiet testing Note taker No evidence that any of these accommodations help learning or performance Accommodations must be used effectively Not taking notes can hurt learning Students should work to find ways to learn without the accommodations

50 Selected Strategies for College Be organized Students with ADHD (Barkley, 2017) Use a daily assignment calendar and journal Use phone or computer for automatic reminders Use a notebook organizing system Have a set place for studying/work Use word processing rather than handwriting lengthy assignments Record lectures for later review

51 Selected Strategies for College Students with ADHD (Barkley, 2017) Schedule harder classes during peakperformance times each day Request test settings that are free of distractions Use time off the clock strategy with extra time Engage in brief exercise before exams Exercise regularly

52 Selected Strategies for College Students with ADHD (Barkley, 2017) Make use of all resources Identify the ADHD or disability specialist in your school Use other students as fallback resources Schedule regular faculty review meetings Limit or eliminate caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, or marijuana use Manage internet use possibly have different computers for work and play

53 For Further Reading

54 10 Principles of Successful Learning 1. Your level of understanding is a direct result of how hard you prepare. 2. There are effective and ineffective ways to prepare. 3. You have to master the basics before moving on to more complex skills. 4. Overconfidence should be avoided at all costs 5. Effective preparation requires your total focus; no distractions 6. Successful learning requires planning ahead 7. Feedback helps you get better 8. Recognize and take advantage of prime learning opportunities 9. Improvement involves dealing with challenges, difficulty, and uncertainty 10. Find the pleasure or value in what you are studying in order to do your best

55 Take Home Message Described common misconceptions that undermine learning Described cognitive principles of learning Metacognition, attention, deep processing Discussed how to put these principles into practice Gave you a resource for further information about effective study skills

56 Thank you! Questions? Stephen L. Chew