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MetaLearning:Facilitating Student Success in the 21st

CenturySt. Cloud State University ~ 2013

Stephen Carroll, PhD

Notes You Can Use

Summary Reflections: ASAP –

before sleepingWhat’s worth reviewing &

remembering?

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Review Summary within 24 hours

Notes on what’s being presentedThought

s & feelings

that arise

Summary:

Date, Course, Page #

This makes sense!

Q: How does this connect with … ?

Framing our Problem: A Vision of Students TodayA Vision of Students Today

The Problem:Students’ existing ways of learning are based on 19th century paradigms and technologies that are ill-suited to our present worldThey know very little about how to learn in ways that will create success in college and they do “know” is wrong, leading to inefficient and ineffective learningReduced performance caused by the inaptness of their learning habits creates motivation and engagement problems that further reduce their academic performance—and learningSuccess in the 21st century demands rapid adaptation (learning)

Average number of jobs a person will hold skyrocketingNumber of years spent per job is plummeting

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A Big Problem: Passive Learning

20-70% FAIL to complete college

20-50% complete college but with a

MEDIOCRE EDUCATION

10-20% EXCELLCurrent Practice:

One Solution: Teach MetaLearningTeach students how to learn for the 21st century

Teach them to learn for themselvesTeach them all the learning skills we want them to have

Metalearning is based on current research in cognitive science, neurobiology and learning theorySeven years worth of data and experience show that it makes a significant difference in students’ learning It’s especially effective in making students more self-motivated and more self-directed learners

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Teacher/Coach

One Solution: Teach MetaLearning

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Meta-Learner:?

Teacher/Coach

•

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Own Learning/Development

Meta-Learner:?

Own Knowing/BeliefsOwn Thinking

Own Performance

Own Caring/Values

Teacher/Coach

• One Who Takes Charge of their…

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Teacher/Coach

One Solution: Teach MetaLearning

10-20% FAIL to complete college

10-20% complete college but with a

MEDIOCRE EDUCATION

30-60% EXCELL

If we can help students Learn how to learn:

MetaLearning’s PromiseThis is no panacea; it will be difficult at first. It will take you and your students a while to unlearn old habits and to develop new ones. (It takes ~21 days to break in a new habit, so you need to supervise their development for a month or two.)

The payoff is that your students will learn more, learn faster and retain what they learn longer—thus, your performance as faculty will increase as well.

Start with one day—the first day of class, perhaps.

Objectives for TodayHave you experience metalearningMotivate you to try metalearning techniques with your studentsProvide you with theories, resources, tools and inspiration to help you develop your own metalearning lessonsProvide tools so you can prove it works

MetaLearning: 6 Steps to Changing Learning Habits1. Help students discover self-motivations

for learning2. Align their definitions of learning with

ours (redefine learning)3. Teach students how learning works and

derive principles they can use to guide themselves

4. Derive strategies and tactics from principles (application)

5. Practice often to develop effective learning habits

6. Maintain those habits

Step 1: Priming Students for Self-Directed Learning

Start with the foundation and the goalChoice Point:

Do you want to watch videos and discuss?Or

Do the activity yourselves?

Part 1: Building Self-Motivated Learners

Self-Directed Learning Videos

Videos online throughmetalearninghabits.org

learninghabits.wordpress.com

and on YouTube Youtube.com/user/learninghabits/videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwu8QqhrOP8

Fostering Self-Directed LearningKey Take-Aways:

Get students to recognize that they have goals of their own and that these goals will require them to change who they are and how they thinkGet students to commit publically to their own learning goals for your course so that these goals can be used to guide and regulate classroom activities and behaviorShow students how their current learning habits prevent them from attaining their goals

Fostering Self-Directed LearningPlaces responsibility for learning on the studentConnects students’ learning to their own goalsHelps them develop a self-directed and self-sustaining metalearning practice Herbert Simon: “Learning takes place in the mind of the student and nowhere else, and the effectiveness of teachers lies in what they can induce students to do.

-”What we Know about Learning, Journal of Engineering Education

Step 2 Aligning Definitions of LearningWhat is learning? What does it mean to learn something? How can you tell when you’ve learned something?

Part 2: Defining Learning

Typical Answers - UnderstandingKnowing somethingUnderstanding somethingBeing able to teach somethingGetting itEureka! Making a connection to something newInsightDiscoveryEnlightenment

Knowing that (vs. knowing how)MemorizingBeing able to recallRemembering somethingUnderstanding the principlesSeeing the logicBeing able to extrapolateSeeing how it worksEpiphany

Part 2: Defining Learning

Typical Answers - SkillsBeing able to do somethingKnowing howFacilityDoing itMastering a procedure

or processIncreasing level of proficiencyFollowing correct

proceduresBeing able to use what I knowBeing able to apply something in a new situationAcquiring the knack of somethingGains in craftsmanshipGetting better at somethingPart 2: Defining Learning

Typical Answers - AffectiveLearning to like somethingGetting engagedBeing inspiredBeing motivatedFinding joyWanting to do moreWanting to practiceLooking for chances to use what I knowLearning to love

somethingLearning to see the beauty or complexity or artistry in somethingLearning to appreciate somethingGaining confidenceBecoming more interested in somethingPart 2: Defining Learning

Typical Answers - HabitsBeing able to do something without paying a lot of attention

Doing things automatically

Integrating what I know into my life

Using what I know as a matter of course

Knowing when to use what I've learned

Ability to improvise based on what I already know

Part 2: Defining Learning

Learning is Forming New HabitsFueled by attitudes and desires (emotion)Supported by skills and understanding

Part 2: Defining Learning

Therefore

Teaching ≠We want to move away from the learning-as-acquisition-of-facts and teaching-as-Sherwin-Williams model toward defining learning as durable habit formation and teaching as developing and mentoring self-directed learners.

Defining LearningHow we define learning affects how we teach and shapes how students learn in our classes far more than what we say about our goals.

Part 2: Defining Learning

Try this experimentRank your course learning objectives using Bloom’s taxonomy.

Try this experiment

Then ask your students to use a list of verbs correlated with that taxonomy to evaluate where your teaching focuses.

Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy of LearningLower-Order Cognitive Tasks

Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy of LearningHigher-Order Cognitive Tasks

A Cross-lateral Neurobic

Cross-lateral ActivityCross-lateral activity opens up

the corpus callosumGets more of your brain involvedBalances the loadAids memoryMakes learning easier

Write your summaries3-5 sentences in 3 minutes

The ART of Learning

Acquire new material

Retain new material

Transfer use of new material

R

A

T

Acquire

Retain

Transfer

The ART of Learning.The A in ART is for Acquisition

Mnemonic: Actively Build Connections

Part 3: How Learning Works

Part 3: How Learning Works

Learning IS making connections:Neurons that fire together wire together

2 pyramidal neurons forming a synapsePart 3: How Learning Works

Ideas are patterns of neural firing

Part 3: How Learning Works

More complex ideas are more complex patterns—made up of smaller patterns

Part 3: How Learning Works

Learning IS Making ConnectionsLearning has the physical and metaphorical structure of an analogy. Therefore we must teach analogically, not de novo.“Nothing we learn can stand in isolation; we can sustain new learning only to the degree we can relate it to what we already know.” (Sci Am Mind, July 2010.)

A Basic Brain—not very fold-eyPart 3: How Learning Works

Learning Changes the Brain

A Better Brain—more fold-ey

Part 3: How Learning Works

Learning Increases Brain PlasticityTherefore we need our students to regularly experience sustained, challenging learning tasksThe more they learn, the better learners they will becomeAnalogy; Like working a muscle or learning a foreign language

New Brain Cells FormingPart 3: How Learning Works

Learning Hard Stuff Grows Your Brain

Learning Builds and Maintains Healthy Neurons

Part 3: How Learning Works

Learning works best when it is difficult

Therefore, we must teach our students to seek challengeAlways prefer the difficult over the routine or the easyOptimal learning occurs in “flow state”—midway between boredom and anxietyAnalogy: crosswords and sudokus

Difficulty Increases Engagement

Based on Flow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (2002)

Some Mantras for Learning

Fat sausagesFoldey lobesHairy neurons

Part 3: How Learning Works

Fat, Foldey, and Hairy

The ART of Learning

Habits of Acquisition • Note-Taking• Reading strategies• Paying attention/active

learning• Not multitasking

(microbreaks)Part 3: How Learning Works

Counting Vowels?

The ART of LearningR is RETAIN (Acronym)REview, Test, Analyze, INtegrate.

Part 3: How Learning Works

Part 3: How Learning Works

Retention is controlled by Repetition and Chemistry

Review/RepetitionThe importance of review within certain windowsHow to make review happen in the classroom

Daily review at start of classDaily summaries at end of class

Review summaries offline on a regular basisRepeated review is necessary for habit formation and transfer

Classroom mantras

Key Influences on Brain ChemistryEmotionsHow much and what kind of sleep you’re getting

How much and what kind of exercise you’re getting

Hydration and nutrition (including caffeine and alcohol)

Physical cycles and rhythms

Part 3: How Learning Works

Managing Emotions: Your Amygdalas

Amygdalas

Part 3: How Learning Works

Fear response

Part 3: How Learning Works

Key Factors Shaping RetentionStrong emotionRepetition and reinforcementSleep (then review)ExerciseHydration and nutritionRichness of the learning and studying environments

Part 3: How Learning Works

The ART of LearningT is for Transfer (Bus transfer, job transfer)

Part 3: How Learning Works

Transfer is taking what you know and applying it to what you don’t know

Teaching for TransferTransfer is about pattern recognition and Changing setIt is the most difficult part of learning… and the least practiced!Students need to practice as much as possible

Part 3: How Learning Works

Principles derived from neurobiology: 1)Learning ONLY works when it is active

and conscious.2)Learning actively connects new ideas to

old information. 3)Learning IS making connections/patterns.4)Involving multiple senses enhances

learning

Part 3: How Learning Works

Principles derived from neurobiology: 5) Learning works best if it requires real effort

(if it is difficult). 6) Learning depends on managing emotions

well. Positive emotions (especially self-motivation) accelerate learning by reducing resistance (electrically and metaphorically). Negative emotions (esp. fear and stress) block learning and recall.

Part 3: How Learning Works

Principles derived from neurobiology: 7) Varying your modes of learning (rich

learning environment) increases activity, helps reinforce neural pathway development and moves what was learned to long-term memory.

8) Active repetition is the best way to create durable learning. (Moving things from short-term to long-term memory requires reinforcement within 24 hours.)

Part 3: How Learning Works

Write your summaries3-5 sentences in 4 minutes

Break Time!

Neurobic: While on your break, use only your non-dominant hand.

Practice in Teams

Make a team of 4-5 peoplePick one of the principles we just derivedMake a plan for teaching this to your studentsMake a plan to change one aspect of your teaching practice to reflect this principle.

Step 4: Strategies and TacticsManage the learning environment and emotions to maximize your learning.

Reduce fear and stressMake students’ studying as active as possible (but don’t multi-task—that reduces performance) Build bridges between what they’re learning and what they know and love.

Build in rewards and positive feedback loops: celebrate successes (even small ones).

Part 4: Application

Strategies and TacticsExercise regularly—Moving blood and oxygen to your brain

helps it work more effectively. (Making new brain cells is a huge metabolic load on the body.)

The chemicals your body makes when you exercise help you make connections more easily.

And taking your mind off of the mental work you’re doing helps you solve the problems you’re working on. (Eureka!)

Part 4: Application

Strategies and TacticsMake sure you are properly hydrated and nourished. If what you eat comes through a car window or

if the label lists ingredients with numbers, it isn’t food.

Hard mental work is equally taxing to the body as hard physical work—you have to nourish it to sustain peak performance.

Water is key. Even a modest amount of dehydration decreases your reasoning ability by 20%. (Don’t overdo it—over-hydration also adversely affects cognition.)

Caffeine, nicotine and alcoholPart 4: Application

Strategies and TacticsPay attention to your daily cycles and rhythms—you’re more awake and better able to learn at certain times than at others. Arrange your day so that you study during these times. Attention Cycle: Take breaks every 20

minutes so that you remain active and don’t go on autopilot. Do something physical and bilateral on your break.

Study Cycle: Take a major break every 2 hours. Spend ten minutes on a different kind of task. Make sure you get up and move around. (Put an alarm on your phone to help you remember.)

Part 4: Application

Strategies and TacticsGet enough sleep—New research shows that mental

performance drops off quite sharply if you don’t get at least six hours of sleep per night regularly. You cannot learn some things without this amount of sleep: long-chain reasoning problems, persistence, etc.

Teenagers need 9-10 hours of sleep for optimum brain performance.

You’ll perform better on the test if you are well-rested than if you have stayed up most of the night reviewing the material one more time.

Part 4: Application

Strategies and TacticsSleep Cycle: 90 minutes. Minimum of 6 hours for optimum

performance. (9-10 hours for teenagers.)

If you must do with less, you want to wake in the REM period at the end of the cycle, not a deep part of the cycle. The less sleep you get, the more important it is when you wake up.

Part 4: Application

Sleep cycles: ~ 90 minutes/cycle

Chart shows 7 hours of sleep

1 2 73

REM

If you wake up in these troughs, you’ll be tired and groggy all day. You’ll perform significantly less well on cognitive tasks.

If you wake up in one of these peaks, you’ll feel rested and perform well.

Part 4: Application

Strategies and TacticsSleep Cycles

Plot your cycle so that you know how it works.Your period of maximum fatigue will fall 12 hours after the deepest period of sleep. Use the information-sorting function of sleep to help you solve problems. Focus on the problem you want to solve repeatedly as you fall asleep. Review in the morning. (Keep paper by the bed.)Lucid dreaming can also help you study.Adjust bedtime to the type of test you’re taking.

Part 4: Application

Strategies and TacticsInformation Transfer Cycle

Summarize materials before you sleep to mark them as important.Review materials within 24 hours to move to long-term memory.

Part 4: Application

Step 5: PracticeNote-takingReading strategiesFinding analogiesSeeking difficultyClassroom mantras

Part 5: Practice

Stages of Change Modelbased on the Transtheoretical Model developed by James O. Prochaska

Part 6: Maintain

Stages of Change Modelbased on the Transtheoretical Model developed by James O. Prochaska

1. Dean’s List (Top 10% of each class)• Juniors: ~40% of my students make this list• Seniors: ~45%

2. Elected to honor societies: More than 3 times the rate of the general population.

3. Campus Leadership Positions: Significantly over-represented in peer tutoring, EMT group, editor of Santa Clara Review, etc.

The quality of the work my students do now is better in every way than the work my students did before I started using these methods.

Evidence that MetaLearning Works

More EvidenceA recently completed study of 6 years’ worth of data showed correlations between MetaLearning and increased learning proficiency in relation to 4 aspects of the course: • Instructional approach• Integration of class topics, activities, readings

and assignments• Course activities which required them to read with a

critical point of view that displayed depth of thought and is mindful of the rhetorical situation

• Course activities which required them to analyze the rhetorical opportunities and constraints offered by different modes of presentation

Learning Assessment for CoursesThe Student Assessment of theirLearning Gains (SALG)

Free Tools at www.salgsite.org

Thank You!

Don’t forget to write your summaries!

Stephen: step.carroll@gmail.com

Inspiration

What Teachers Make