Mastering the Learning Process This lesson is going to cover learning and organizational strategies which are important for success at Mines and in the workplace. The strategies taught in this lesson are meant to give you a breadth of knowledge and many strategies to choose from. In your time at Mines or in the workplace you will find some strategies work well in one situation, and then a new situation arises and you need a different strategy.

How Memory Works To increase the effectiveness of studying and learning, you must understand the science behind memory. To increase the effectiveness of your studying and learning, you must understand the basic science behind memory. Biology of Learning Your brain creates neuro pathways when you learn new concepts or need to retain information to retrieve later These pathways become stronger the more you practice and challenge your brain to fire along the same pathway (the more you are forced to recall the information) If your goal is to have stronger memory recall, it is important to not only practice recalling the information but to do so in different learning techniques to challenge your neuro-pathways to be even stronger. This means use different techniques to learn information! The more multisensory techniques you use (repetition, visual, verbal, etc), the more your brain will retrieve information in different ways. We will go over some of these techniques today. Neurons Neurons are the parts of your brain that send and receive electrical signals. Dendrites & Axons Dendrites and Axons grow as branches from frequently activated neurons in your brain. Dendrites bring information to the cell body. Axons take information away from the cell body. The more dendrites and axons you have, the more connected your neurons become. Dendrites increase in size and number in response to learned skills, experience and information. Synapse A synapse is a gap between nerve endings where neurotransmitters carry information across the space separating the axon extensions of one neuron. This information is from the book Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning by Judy Willis, M.D.

Understanding How We Learn Contextual Clues for Memory Recall Your brain is constantly taking in what is around you Using triggers Don’t create rituals for studying; Challenge your brain to recall information Good Habits for Retention of Memory Context When you study, your brain is constantly creating memory based on everything around you – your study environment, noises, smells, etc. You are always taking in this context, naturally. When you recall information, your brain uses triggers based on the entirety of the memory to bring back that information. That’s why a smell can trigger a memory, or a color, or a sound. The same goes for mood. If you are in a negative mental state when you learned a concept, you are more likely to recall it when you are in a negative mental state later. It has often been taught that students should create a ritual for studying – meaning, studying in the same location, with the same techniques. This has been proven not to be true. When a person changes locations, changes recall techniques, and reviews the information many different times, they can increase their memory up to 40% It is believe the reason for this is that you challenge your brain to recall the memories/information in different contexts, which create stronger neuro pathways in the long term. We recommend students try studying in different locations, using different techniques for learning (we will talk about this today), etc. However, if changing your location/timing/techniques adds too much stress to you, then scale it back. This is from the book How We Learn by Mary Roach and This information is from the book Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning by Judy Willis, M.D. Also, an interesting study related to this topic, should students want to know more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141203084059.htm

Understanding How We Learn Space Studying Out Space out studying in shorter chunks, and repeat this over time for the largest return on investment “You’re not spending any more time. You’re not working any harder. But you remember for longer.” – Mary Roach The farther you are from a test, have longer study intervals. The closer you are to a test, have shorter intervals. Pomodoro Method Test Week 5 Week 1: Initial learning – Chapters 1-2 Week 2: Review Chapter 1-2 Add Initial Learning Chapter 3-4 Review SAME material at least 1 more time in week 1 Review SAME material at least 1 more time in week 2 Review SAME material at least 2 more times in week 3 Week 3: Review Ch. 1-4; Initial learning Ch. 5-6 Week 4: Review Ch 1-6 Review SAME material at least 3 more times in week 4 Now we will discuss learning techniques to support greater memory retention. Spacing Things Out Studies show that cramming can work, but only temporarily. A student may remember a small portion of the information the next day, but not in the long term. Studies also show that in regards to learning, people generally have a hard time maintaining productivity for more than 90 minutes straight. Most students actually work better if they can be intensely focused for 30-45 minutes, then take a short break (10-15 minutes), then return to the task at hand. We highly recommend students plan to study at the college level with this in mind. Most importantly – please emphasize that planning on studying for 5-8 hours at a time is not ideal even if they hear of other students doing this. Studies in learning and memory retention absolutely confirm this. We recommend that students plan for 2-3 hours, with intervals of 30-45 minutes and small breaks in those 2-3 hours, then a much longer break. Spacing out studying and repeating concepts over time is much more effective. There are numerous studies that prove this, which have been replicated for hundreds of years (meaning, this is validated research!) The key here is to remember this – “You’re not spending any more time. You’re not working any harder. But you remember for longer.” pg. 66 Techniques: Interval Studying or Spaced study also adds more contextual clues, which helps your brain create memory pathways. The more pathways created for each concept, the better the recall and higher ability that you have mastered this concept. Pomodoro Method – This is a study and time management strategy that puts spaced studying into action. Please explain the Pomodoro Method to the students. For reference, you can read about it here: http://lifehacker.com/productivity-101-a-primer-to-the-pomodoro-technique-1598992730 Example timeline for spaced/interval studying Emphasize as you get closer to the test, you review the SAME material more often. (This is noted on the timeline on the slide). As an example – If you have a test in 1 week, it is recommended that you review the same concepts every 1-2 days in short intervals instead of cramming right before the test. Also emphasize that students must think ahead and strategize in this way. They can’t just sit on the couch and naturally plan their studying like this. Spacing out studying effectively means they need to begin looking at their testing schedule NOW and make a plan We will discuss making a plan to support this type of studying later in this presentation. Please emphasize that students will retain much more information by being very focused for 45 minutes at a time and then taking a break rather than trying to study for hours and hours on end without breaks. It is unreasonable to believe that any person can maintain a large amount of productivity for 5-8 hours at a time (even though the student perception may be that others work that way…). We highly recommend students plan for study periods to be upwards of 2 hours with 30-45 minute intervals of study within those 2 hours. This is from the book How We Learn by Mary Roach and This information is from the book Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning by Judy Willis, M.D.

Understanding How We Learn Testing As Part of Studying Testing means practicing the concepts without any study aids Testing yourself earlier in your study routine will also confirm for you what you don’t know, and allow you time to review this material. When you study, then test yourself, you are more likely to remember the material later. How can you test yourself? More learning techniques! Testing As Part of Studying It is important to incorporate testing into your study habits. Many students will study and the concept will make sense in the moment while they have their study aids with them. Then, they get to a testing environment and feel unprepared without these aids. Students also confuse being unprepared for tests with test anxiety. Often, but not always, the more prepared and confident they are, the less anxious they feel in a testing environment. This is important to remind all students, but especially those who feel anxious about their exams. Testing also challenges your brain to recall the information – the more you practice recalling the information, the faster and easier it will get Testing means practicing the concepts without any study aids, and it can be helpful to make it timed if that is what your test will be like. Testing yourself earlier in your study routine will also confirm for you what you don’t know, and allow you time to review this material. When you study, then test yourself, you are more likely to remember the material later. How can you test yourself? Use practice exams, worksheets, random problems from the book and time yourself to work through them without study aids. Teach another person the same concept (if they know the concept, they can pretend they don’t know it during this exercise) Use online tools on the same concept to get practice problems Also emphasize – the earlier they test themselves, the more time they have to get support from their instructor, peers, tutoring, etc Please emphasize the free tutoring offered by CASA, AMS, the CSI workshops, and other academic support resources on campus Other important study strategies Note taking Doodling Teaching Others Effective Study Groups Tutoring like a Boss This is from the book How We Learn by Mary Roach and This information is from the book Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning by Judy Willis, M.D.

Understanding How We Learn When Reviewing Material The more multi-sensory techniques you use to learn information over time, the more neuro pathways you build. Examples of multi-sensory techniques: Visual Cornell Note-Taking Doodling Verbal/Explanation Teaching Others Study Groups Associations Efficient Repetition Organization Mnemonic Tricks Take a break! A syn-nap The more multi-sensory techniques you use to learn information over time, the more neuro pathways you build. Examples of multi-sensory techniques – give them handout Visual Visual observations Drawing or doodling the concept in your own terms Creating concept maps or your own visual way to organize words Drawing symbols or notes in your textbook, study guides, etc. Writing; re-organizing notes (see also Cornell Note taking method, please give a short explanation of the Cornell Method) Doodling – doodling is part of learning! Doodling (drawing a concept in your own terms), or even just drawing symbols next to concepts helps give your brain more context to remember later. See also the Ted Talk on Doodling from Sunni Brown (link at end of presentation) Verbal/Explanation Talk it out! Practice with a friend or study group TEACH each other the information (even if they know it) Tutor others Also could be good to note here that study groups are sometimes not the most effective way to learn because students get too distracted. However, if students give their study groups structure, such as using these techniques (especially verbal/explanation) then it can really help them work together to master the material. Associations When learning NEW information, intentionally relate it to your previously learned knowledge. Make it relevant to something in your life (such as using metaphors, connecting memories to the new information, etc) This is like…[fill in the blank with a concept already known, a past memory, etc] This can be related to doodling as students can draw concept maps that is essentially making associations in a visual way Efficient Repetition The more times one repeats an action or recalls information the more dendrites sprout to connect new memories to old, and the more efficient the brain becomes in its ability to retrieve that memory or repeat that action. Organization (works with Association) What does it relate to? What does it not relate to? When learning and recalling information, your brain automatically will connect new information to previously known information. Think of it like you have shelves in your brain. When you have an experience, your brain breaks that memory apart and stores it on different shelves. Then, later on, the memory could be triggered at any time when any one of those shelves is recalled. Example – For your birthday one year, your grandma gave you striped blue and green socks. Your brain will store this under the shelf for birthday, another shelf for socks, another shelf for Grandma, etc. In the future, if you see someone wearing striped blue and green socks, you are very likely to recall this memory from your birthday. OR, if you see your grandma, the memory of socks may be triggered, etc. The reason we are teaching these techniques is to emphasize that students need to incorporate these techniques intentionally into their studying. Sitting in front of a textbook will not just magically help you learn the material. Incorporate these techniques into your learning and see what works for you. Take a break! (a syn-nap…connect back to the synapse that was mentioned earlier) Why? After repeated release of neurotransmitters, there needs to be a brain rest, a.k.a. a “syn-nap” (the synapse is part of the neurotransmitter and is a key component in transferring information from one neuron to another) Also helps to maintain positive emotional state Signs that a break is needed is becoming fidgety, distracted, unfocused Please emphasize that students will retain much more information by being very focused for 45 minutes at a time and then taking a break rather than trying to study for hours and hours on end without breaks. It is unreasonable to believe that any person can maintain a large amount of productivity for 5-8 hours at a time (even though the student perception may be that others work that way…). We highly recommend students plan for study periods to be upwards of 2 hours with 30-45 minute intervals of study within those 2 hours.

Understanding How We Learn Things to Avoid Re-writing the same thing over and over Simple memorization and regurgitation Cramming Sticking with the “flash cards” model. Moving on when you don’t understand something Going to class without a clue as to what will be covered Not going to class Not asking for help Avoid these things because sticking to basic techniques and only those techniques do not support memory retention! Try a couple of different ways we have already mentioned to learn material. Most importantly, ask for help and advice if you are not getting something! Things to Avoid: Re-writing the same thing over and over (this isn’t necessarily bad, BUT for the most effective learning and memory recall, they need to use at least one other sensory technique) Simple memorization and regurgitation Cramming Sticking with the boring “flash cards” model (see explanation next to first bullet) Moving on when you don’t understand something There is a negative psychological impact in doing this, which will impact your ability to study and recall information in the future. Remember that exams and finals can be comprehensive Going to class without a clue as to what will be covered Not going to class – There is a benefit in going to class and trying your best even if you feel unprepared.

Time/Priority Management “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey This is really more about managing all of your priorities to accomplish your goal. You must be intentional with your time, study habits, and what you are prioritizing. You don’t have to be a student 100% of your day! But you do need to plan so you can accomplish everything that’s important to you. MEGAN So how does studying and learning relate to time management? “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey This quote is just re-framing how to look at time management. We find that many students now think of “time management” has scheduling every hour of your day. This NOT what we mean here. When we refer to time management for this lesson, and in the context of learning, we are referring to the ability for students to organize themselves to accomplish all of their priorities (especially if they feel pulled in every direction) so they are able to be the best learners possible. Time management plays an important role in your ability to incorporate effective study strategies in your life. It is also important so you can manage yourself through the most stressful portions of the semester. Effective time management, study skills, and organization will also allow you to balance yourself so you aren’t having to be a student 100% of your day. You NEED to have other things going on like a social life, possibly work, and family. Remind students that they are responsible for their learning outside of the classroom. They cannot expect or rely on their instructor to teach them everything from A-Z. The student must master the material, the instructor is there to expand on the concept and connect the dots in the big picture. Students must be intentional with their studying. This means, they need to choose a study strategy, technique, or organization method and do it. It will not just be a natural progression and magically come to them like an epiphany. Many of our students tell us they never had to study in high school. If they are transfer or non-traditional students, it may have also been a while since they have really had to master material at the level we teach at Mines. This is ok, and to be expected. What is important is the student tries their best, and if something isn’t going well, be intentional and purposeful about trying a new strategy to achieve their goal. This is particularly important because each student will find different strategies work better for them than their peers. They will also find that they may have to use different strategies depending on which class they are taking. Encourage students to not be afraid to try, and not be afraid to encounter obstacles with learning or managing their priorities. The important thing is to keep trying, and talk to their peers, instructors, and seek other support if they need more ideas to obtain their goal.

Time/Priority Management Let’s start with the BIG PICTURE – Backwards Planning (see handout) Plan now for the super stressful weeks. What can you do not to mitigate the impact of those weeks? The more you do now to plan your future weeks and semester, the more likely you will be able to handle things when you are very stressed. We have talked about ways to support learning and memory recall. These things cannot happen efficiently if you don’t make a plan! Time management plays an important role in your ability to incorporate effective study strategies in your life This is really more about managing all of your priorities to accomplish your goal. Let’s start with the BIG PICTURE – Backwards Planning (give students handout) In relation to studying, you must first have a big picture idea of your most important deadlines for the semester. Then, you must plan backwards to strategize how to most effectively address all of these deadlines. And write down when to begin every assignment, when to begin studying for a test, etc Then, re-evaluate your plan and make adjustments. Which weeks are incredibly busy? Can you move when you start some deadlines to make those busy weeks less stressful? If you wanted to use interval studying for an exam, would you have the capacity to do so and when would you need to start? Add all of this to your calendar or make adjustments as you need. Backwards Planning in more detail: By far, the steps students miss the most in relation to Backwards Planning is the backwards part…it sounds silly but its true! Backwards Planning is NOT a basic calendar with deadlines on it. The main idea behind backwards planning is to plan ahead by identifying weeks that are more busy than others, start preparing for big deadlines earlier, and most of all, trying to maintain a balanced life as much as possible. The reason this is emphasized is because many times our students attempt to remember deadlines in their heads, or simply look at the syllabus for each class each day. Deadlines sneak up on them, or they don’t anticipate busy weeks ahead of time and then what happens – they get swept up and pulled under and then are in survival mode for the rest of the semester. With Backwards Planning, we want students to plan ahead to make busy weeks not as stressful if at all possible, to not forget deadlines, to allow themselves the opportunity to engage in different learning techniques, go to tutoring, office hours, etc. Without a plan, all of these things eventually get lost in the craziness of the semester. Backwards Planning also shows you where you have weeks where many deadlines are coming together at once. It is important that you strategize now for those weeks. Do not let those weeks come up and pull you under. The more you do now to plan your future weeks and semester, the more likely you will be able to handle things when you are very stressed. Backwards Planning is often the first step to take to add other strategies for your life – learning strategies or organization. You can use Backwards Planning to plan your semester at a time, or just do a month at a time, or a week at a time. We recommend you first start with the whole semester so you can identify those weeks where you have the most deadlines coming at once, and plan for them. Even with a lot of planning, you will still have weeks where you are feeling overwhelmed. Do your best to manage your time, and get back on track where you are not behind in your studying or work. We highly recommend that you make Backwards Planning a required assignment. Have students complete their plan for the semester and use the suggested rubric for grading.

Time/Priority Management After you do backwards planning and set your goals, you will need to incorporate strategic decision making and planning on a daily and weekly basis There are many ways to do this. At a minimum, you will need a basic organization tool that you use daily and week. This could be: Planner (hard copy) Calendar on your wall White board Post-it notes Simple notebook to plan your day(s) Electronic calendar or app To-Do List Personal Kanban Priority Grid Bullet Journal Other methods – what do you use? Implementing the study strategies doesn’t just happen! Beyond knowing you need to use different techniques and do some backwards planning, you can do more to stay organized so you have TIME to study, take breaks, and get involved! After you do backwards planning and know your goals, you will need to incorporate strategic decision making and planning on a daily and weekly basis to make sure you have the time to implement effective study and organization strategies. There are many ways to do this. At a minimum, you will need a basic organization tool that you use daily and week. This could be any of these: Planner (hard copy) Calendar on your wall White board Post-it notes Simple notebook to plan your day(s) Electronic calendar or app To-Do List Personal Kanban Priority Grid (handout) Other methods – what do you use? PEER MENTORS – this is a time to show your own method as well as asking the students what they use or are thinking about using. Show pictures, encourage students to try new things. It is important to emphasize that everyone uses a different method or even a combination of methods to stay organized. If you try to use a planner but end up never looking at it, then obviously it’s not a good method for you. Consider Kanban or a wall calendar or even an app on your phone. Facilitator – please be familiar with all the tools like kanban. There are links on the last slide if you need reference.

Get Started Your task is to complete the following by next class: Backwards Planning for the Semester Pick a time/organization method and use it daily/weekly (planners, Kanban, Priority grid, etc) Pick a study technique and use it daily/weekly (spaced intervals, Cornell method, teaching, Pomodoro, etc) Facilitator: Update this slide to reflect assignments you want the students to complete.

Online Resources: Learning Doodling for Learning Ted Talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/sunni_brown Article: http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1882127,00.html Cornell Method for Notetaking: http://goo.gl/WDMuni Studying, General Article – Teach as part of the learning process: http://goo.gl/LuviDu Article based on the How We Learn book: http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/08/25/how-does-the-brain-learn-best-smart-studying-strategies/ Online tools for better attention and focus: http://99u.com/articles/6969/10-online-tools-for-better-attention-focus http://collegeinfogeek.com/resources/ Time/Priority Management Building Your Own Productivity Style: http://lifehacker.com/5828033/how-to-build-your-own-productivity-style-by-remixing-from-the-best Pomorodo Method: http://pomodorotechnique.com/ http://lifehacker.com/productivity-101-a-primer-to-the-pomodoro-technique-1598992730 http://www.moosti.com/ Personal Kanban: http://goo.gl/vjuE9V http://yeswekanban.net/ Bullet Journal (Kind of like a ‘make your own’ planner): http://www.thelazygeniuscollective.com/blog/how-to-bullet-journal http://bulletjournal.com/get-started/ Getting Things Done Philosophy http://lifehacker.com/productivity-101-a-primer-to-the-getting-things-done-1551880955 Mastering Your To Do List: http://lifehacker.com/5986867/david-allen-explains-how-to-master-your-to-do-list Prioritizing Article: How To Prioritize When Everything Is Important: http://lifehacker.com/5877111/how-to-prioritize-when-everything-is-important Priority Grid: http://www.usgs.gov/humancapital/documents/TimeManagementGrid.pdf Motivation Ted Talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation?language=en All of this information is in a word document as a handout you can give students OR you can email it to them so they can click on the links.