CONCENTRATION

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Using Metacognition to Effect an Extreme Academic
Makeover Different Strokes for Different Folks
Saundra Y. McGuire, Ph.D. Director, Center for
Academic Success Adj. Professor, Department of
Chemistry Louisiana State University
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a
fire to be ignited." -Plutarch
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NCLCA Award
2004 National College Learning Center
AssociationFrank L. Christ Outstanding Learning
Center Award 
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The General Approach

• Providing Data on the Impact of Using
  Metacognitive Strategies
• Reflecting on the gap
• Defining metacognition
• Discussing Levels of Learning
• (Blooms Taxonomy)
• Presenting Metacognitive Strategies
• Discussing Motivational Strategies

Meaningful Learning Rote Learning
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Before and After

• Travis, junior psychology student
• 47, 52, 82, 86
• Robert, freshman chemistry student
• 42, 100, 100, 100
• Michael, senior pre-med organic student
• 30, 28, 80, 91
• Miriam, freshman calculus student
• 37.5, 83, 93
• Charles, junior mathematics major
• GPA 1.8 cum, 4.0 (S 08)

Meaningful Learning Rote Learning
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More Before and After
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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Als Cumulative Exam Record Pursuing Ph.D. in
Chemistry
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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Presidential Recognition White House Oval Office
November 16, 2007
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Reflection
What is the difference between studying
and learning? Which is more
enjoyable?
Work Fun Short-term Long-term Have
to Want to Difficult Enjoyable What Wh
y? How? What if?
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Metacognition
Metacognition

• The ability to
• think about thinking
• be consciously aware of oneself as a problem
  solver
• to monitor and control ones mental processing

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Learning Levels Blooms Taxonomy
Making decisions and supporting views requires
understanding of values and judging the validity
of ideas or quality of work based on a set of
criteria and profound understanding of the
discipline. Key Ideas Judge, Critique, Justify,
Recommend, Criticize, Assess, Disprove, Rate,
Resolve
Evaluation
Combining information to form a unique product,
requires creativity and originality. Key Ideas
Create, new thesis or concept, Design,
Hypothesize, Invent, Develop, Compose, Estimate,
Theorize, Elaborate, Test Improve, Invent,
Originate
Synthesis
Analysis
Identifying components determining arrangement,
logic, and semantics. Key Ideas Analyze,
Categorize, Compare, Contrast, Separate, Dissect,
Simplify, Theme, Motive, Inference
Using information to solve problems transferring
abstract or theoretical ideas to practical
situations. Identifying connections and
relationships and how they apply. Key Ideas
What if? Use, Compute, Solve, Demonstrate, Apply,
Construct, Build, Experiment with, Solve
Application
Meaningful Learning Rote Learning
Restating in your own words paraphrasing,
summarizing, translating. Key Ideas Why, How,
Explain, Summarize, Paraphrase, Describe,
Illustrate, Compare, Contrast, Interpret,
Classify, Outline, Map, Rephrase, Infer
Comprehension
Memorizing information verbatim, but not
necessarily understanding the material. Key
Ideas What, Remember, List, Label, State,
Define, Choose, Find, Label, Select, Match
Knowledge
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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
Creating
Graduate School
Putting elements together to form a coherent or
functional whole reorganizing elements into a
new pattern or structure through
generating, planning, or producing.
Evaluating
Making judgments based on criteria and standards
through checking and critiquing.
Breaking material into constituent parts,
determining how the parts relate to one another
and to an overall structure .
Analyzing
Undergraduate
Carrying out or using a procedure through
executing, or implementing.
Applying
Constructing meaning from oral, written, and
graphic messages through interpreting,
exemplifying, classifying, summarizing,
inferring, comparing, and explaining.
Understanding
High School
Retrieving, recognizing, and recalling relevant
knowledge from long-term memory.
Remembering
http//www.odu.edu/educ/llschult/blooms_taxonomy.h
tm?
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Example Blooms Levels of Learning Applied
to Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Evaluation Judge whether Goldilocks was good or bad. Defend your opinion.
Synthesis Propose how the story would be different if it were Goldilocks and the Three Fish.
Analysis Compare this story to reality. What events could not really happen.
Application Demonstrate what Goldilocks would use if she came to your house.
Comprehension Explain why Goldilocks liked Baby Bears chair the best.
Knowledge List the items used by Goldilocks while she was in the Bears house.
Courtesy of http//www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/br
isas/sunda/litpack/BloomsCriticalThinking_files/v3
_document.htm
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Counting Vowels
How ACCURATE are you? 
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The Study Cycle (Part I-III)
A Work-Out System for your Brain
Step 1
Preview
10 min
Attend Participate
I
Class Time
Step 2
Step 3
Review
10 min
II

• Intense Study Sessions
• 20-75 minutes

III
Weekly Review
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Intense Study Session
(Part II)
(The Power Hour )

• 2 minutes Set a goal for the next 60 minutes
• 50 minutes Study with ACTION and FOCUS
• 10 minutes Take a break
• 5 minutes Review what you have just studied
• Now begin your next study session with another
  goal!

Read your text, highlight, fill in your notes
with more detail, create mnemonics, create maps,
predict test questions, practice recall
Work in 2-4 sessions each day. (Make them
shorter if necessary)
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Time and Big Rocks
from Stephen Covey
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Time Tools
Semester Calendar Weekly Planning Master To Do
List
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Approaches for Different Groups

• Underrepresented Minority and Women Students
• More emphasis on confidence and self-efficacy
• Added emphasis on higher level learning skills
• High Performing Students (including minority
  students)
• More emphasis on need to reflect and change
  behaviors
• Graduate and Professional Students
• Emphasis on higher levels of Blooms taxonomy
  and critical reading and thinking
• Many exceptions to these generalizations!

Meaningful Learning Rote Learning
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Final Note

• Please visit our website at www.cas.lsu.edu
• We have on-line workshops and information that
  teach more effective learning strategies. We
  wish your students an enjoyable learning journey!
• Dr. Saundra McGuire

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Resources

• 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.
• Cromley, Jennifer, 2000. Learning to Think,
  Learning to Learn What the Science of Thinking
  and Learning Has to Offer Adult Education.
  Washington, DC National Institute for Literacy.
• Ellis, David, 2006. Becoming a Master Student.
  New York Houghton-Mifflin.
• 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/met
  acognition.htm
• Zull, James (2004). The Art of Changing the
  Brain. Sterling, VA Stylus Publishing.

Meaningful Learning Rote Learning