Improving Student Performance by Addressing Student and Teacher Misconceptions about Learning Stephen L. Chew Samford University Cengage Business Educators Conference February 26, 2015

Goals of the Presentation 1)Discuss teacher and student misconceptions about learning 2)Discuss development of a program to help students become more effective learners based on cognitive principles 3)Discuss what faculty should know about how people learn and what they can do to help students learn more effectively 4)Discuss cognitive basis of effective pedagogy

Teacher Beliefs about How People Learn Teaching requires a mental model of how people learn. Determines selection and implementation of teaching methods, and how to adjust to problems. If the model is accurate, the teacher will be effective If it is flawed or simplistic, the teacher will be less effective

Student Beliefs about How People Learn Students also base their study behavior on models of how people (specifically themselves) learn Determines class attendance, assignment completion, study strategies, test preparation and so on The better the model, the better the student learns If the model is flawed or simplistic, it will undermine student learning

A typical college freshman is Inadequately prepared for college work Unaware of the fact because it is contrary to their successful high school experience Likely overconfident in their preparation and abilities for college-level work

How to help students make a successful transition to college Remediation College transition courses First year programs, study skills centers, and other resources –Personal and social adjustment; study “tips”, and time management Teach them how to be more effective learners by correcting misconceptions and teaching them cognitive principles of learning

How to Study Long and Hard and Still Fail… Or How to Get the Most Out of Your Studying I.Beliefs about Learning that Make You Stupid (common misconceptions) II.Metacognition and its consequences III.So how accurate are your beliefs about how people learn? (A quiz) IV.A demonstration of Levels of Processing V.Operationalizing Levels of Processing VI.Applying Levels to studying, note taking, and highlighting and reading

Beliefs about Learning that Make You Stupid Learning is fast 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

Metacognition A student’s awareness of his or her level of understanding of a topic Metacognition 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.

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

Implications for Students Many students have highly practiced poor learning strategies –Studying more won’t help them –Increase overconfidence without learning They need to unlearn highly practiced old strategies and develop new, more effective ones Consider study skills in terms of orienting tasks and level or processing Studying, note taking, reading, writing, listening

Implications for Teachers Teaching skill matters, and matters greatly Pedagogy has a significant impact on learning Consider pedagogy in terms of orienting tasks and level of processing –Design assignments, problem sets, questions, examples to induce deep processing

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: Can I relate this information to my personal experience? Appropriate to Retrieval and Application: How am I expected to use or apply this concept?

How to Get the Most Out of Studying 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?

Cognitive Load Theory (e.g. van Merrienboer & Sweller, 2005) Mental effort is the amount of concentration that a person has available to devote to tasks –Always a limited resource Cognitive Load is the total amount of mental effort a task requires to complete it –A person can do multiple tasks as long as the total cognitive load does not exceed available mental effort If cognitive load exceeds available mental effort, then performance suffers

Take Home Message Described misconceptions that students and faculty have that undermine their learning Described a live and video presentation for making students more effective learners based on cognitive research Attempted to give you a more sophisticated understanding of how people learn –Levels of Processing and orienting tasks –Cognitive Load Regardless of teaching method, teachers must understand cognitive processes to be effective