1. Improving Student Learning by Addressing Student and Teacher Misconceptions about How People Learn
Stephen L. Chew
Department of Psychology
Samford University
Birmingham, Alabama
Indiana State University
March 13, 2012

2. Goals of the Presentation
Discuss misconceptions about how people learn can undermine both teaching effectiveness and student performance
Demonstrate how cognitive research can improve teaching and learning
Provide you with accurate and practical information for improving teaching and learning from cognitive research
Explain the complexities of effective teaching and learning

3. Three Kinds of Knowledge for Effective Teaching
Knowledge of
Your Field
Effective
Teaching
Knowledge
Of How People
Learn
Knowledge of How
People Learn
Your Field

4. Beliefs about How People Learn
Teaching requires a mental model of how people learn.
Most teachers cannot articulate their model of learning, but they have one.
Determines which teaching methods are selected, how they are implemented and assessed, and how to adjust if there are problems.
If the model is accurate, the teacher will be effective
If it is flawed or simplistic, the teacher will be less effective

5. Beliefs about How People Learn
Students also base their study behavior based on their models of how people (specifically themselves) learn.
Determines whether or not they go to class, if and how well complete assignments, how they study material, and when material is mastered.
The better the model, the better the student learns
If the model is flawed or simplistic, it will undermine student learning

6. Some Teacher Beliefs that are Related to Poor Teaching Effectiveness
I teach, but it isn’t my responsibility whether students learn
I teach this way because my integrity prevents me from “watering down” the material
Students won’t appreciate my teaching until later
My teaching is good enough; there is no need to improve
Good teachers are born, not made
Teaching well only requires a good knowledge of the material

7. 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

8. A Demonstration of Multi-tasking
Countdown from 10 to 0 out loud as quickly as you can
Say the letter of the alphabet from A to K out loud as quickly as you can
Now alternate the two: Start with 10 – A, and countdown with numbers and up with letters, out loud as fast as you can.

9. When I Began Teaching I Believed:
Even at its best, teaching is no more than an invitation to learn
Whether students learn is not up to me
Teaching quality is measured in terms of how current the information is, the accuracy of the information and how clearly it is explained.
The measure of a good test is that it yields a good spread of scores.
Rigorous teachers give hard assignments and hard exams, and that’s the best way for students to learn.
Really effective teachers get bad evaluations. It means that students had to work hard and learn.
Teachers who get high evaluations are probably more popular than good.

10. Consequences of Traditional Model of Teaching and Learning
Lack of helpful advice to struggling students
Study harder and study longer
You are stupid and lazy
Teaching is still fad driven
Teaching methods change, but teaching does not advance
Lack of a framework to help teachers improve
You can’t fix a component of teaching that you don’t know exists

11. “Enlightened” Beliefs about Teaching and Learning
Passive learning, like lecture and note taking is bad; active learning, like collaboration and discussion, is good.
The teacher as expert is bad; the teacher as facilitator is good.
Sage on the stage vs. the Guide from the side
Multiple choice exams test facts and are easy; essays test understanding and are hard.
Teaching quality is determined by the methods you use (collaborative, active, interactive, etc.)
I use PBL, or clickers, or service learning, so I must be effective

12. Teaching vs. Learning
These beliefs about teaching are based on what the teacher does, and not what the student learns.
Student learning is the sole criterion of effective teaching
What is your evidence of student learning?
Teaching becomes a problem in applied psychology
As complex as any research problem
Mastering teaching takes a lifetime, and there is always more to learn
The scholarship of teaching and learning

13. Put another way
If teaching is nothing more than explaining material well, then it is easy and most anyone can learn to do it.
If teaching is about developing student understanding, then teaching is challenging and you will spend your entire career mastering it.

14. So how accurate are your beliefs about how people learn?

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

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

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

18. Rate each word These are orienting tasks that cause you
Do you find the word Pleasant?
Does the word contain an E or G?
Deep processing: You are
relating the words to your
own meaningful experiences.
Shallow processing: You are
focusing on spelling.
Orienting Task Demonstration
Between Groups:
Divide the class into two groups. Have Group one prepare a two column answer sheet labeled unpleasant and pleasant. Have the other group label theirs E/G yes or no. Read the list at about 2 seconds/word. Then give a recall task. This works intentionally or incidentally.
1. Evening 13. Cold
2. Country 14. Love
3. Salt 15. Bargain
4. Easy 16. War
5. Peace 17. Hate
6. Morning 18. Wet
7. Pretty 19. Rich
8. Expensive 20. Nurse
9. Poor 21. Pepper
10. Doctor 22. Hard
11. City 23. Ugly
12. Dry 24. Hot
Now turn your paper over and write down as many words as you can recall.
Use a show of hands to see how many words each person recalled. Also, ask if people noticed that the words were composed of associates. This finding is very robust, and does not depend on incidental learning.
These are orienting tasks that cause you
to think in deep or shallow ways,
regardless of your intention 18

19. Four different conditions
Be forewarned
you will be
asked to
recall all
the words
Front
Deep Warned
about Recall
Deep
Not Warned
Shallow
Shallow Warned
Right
Left

20. Study Conditions Front Deep Warned about Recall Deep Not Warned
If motivation to learn
matters, the front tables
should recall best
3. If both deep processing
and motivation matter, the
front right should recall best
Front
Deep Warned
about Recall
Deep
Not Warned
Shallow
Shallow Warned
Right
Left
2. If deep processing
matters, The two right
sections should recall best

21. Intention vs. Level of Processing

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

23. Learning Strategies
Intention and motivation to learn are not important
Attention and amount of study is necessary, but not sufficient for learning
Deep level of processing is critical for learning
elaborative, distinctive, personal, appropriate
Students have highly practiced poor learning strategies
Consider your learning activities in terms of level of processing
Assignments, problem sets, questions, examples
Studying, note taking, reading, writing, listening

24. These findings are strongly counterintuitive
The more students study, the more they learn
All study is effective, only amount and intensity matter
Motivation automatically improves study effectiveness
Learning is hard work, but not all hard work leads to learning

25. Achieving Deep Processing while Studying
As you study, follow these principles:
Elaboration: How does this concept relate to other concepts?
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?
These properties lead to development of connected understanding

26. Video Series: How to Get the Most Out of Studying http://www. samford

27. How to Get the Most Out of Studying
Video 1: Beliefs That Make You Fail…Or Succeed
The first video examines common mistaken beliefs students often possess that undermine their learning.
Video 2: What Students Should Understand About How People Learn
The second video introduces a simple but powerful theory of memory, Levels of Processing, that can help students improve their study.
Video 3: Cognitive Principles for Optimizing Learning
The third video operationalizes the concept of level of processing into four principles that students can use to develop effective study strategies.
Video 4: Putting the Principles for Optimizing Learning into Practice
The fourth video applies the principles of deep processing to common study situations, including note taking and highlighting while reading.
Video 5: I Blew the Exam, Now What?
This video addresses what students should and should not do when they earn a bad grade on an exam.

28. So shouldn’t we design pedagogies that make students use deep processing all the time?

29. Cognitive Load Theory
Mental effort is the amount of concentration that a person has available to devote to tasks
Mental effort is 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 at once as long as the total cognitive load does not exceed available mental effort
If cognitive load exceeds available mental effort, then performance suffers

30. Student mental effort must meet the demands of instructional mental load
Students possess
prior knowledge,
learning strategies
and mental effort
Cognitive Load
Extraneous Load
(Minimize)
Teachers
design
instruction
Germane Load
(Optimize)
Available
Mental
Effort
Intrinsic Load
(Manage)
Tasks and concepts
possess difficulty

31. Name the days of the week out loud and in order as fast as you can

32. About this Activity Were you engaged?
Were you engaged in active problem solving?
Were you working hard and struggling?
What was the 4th day in the list?

33. Name the Days of the Week as Quickly as You Can
In Alphabetical Order
Friday
Monday
Saturday
Sunday
Thursday
Tuesday
Wednesday

34. Implications of Cognitive Load Theory
If the cognitive load demanded of students exceeds their available mental effort, then learning will not occur
If the cognitive load demanded of students takes up most or all of available cognitive effort, then there will not be enough mental effort available for learning or schema formation
Deeper level of processing causes greater cognitive load
Teachers must monitor, manage and minimize cognitive load to allow schema development as well as design activities to promote schema development

35. Cognitive Load of Various Tasks (adapted from Piolat, Olive & Kellogg, 2004)

36. About Engagement, Active Learning, and Struggle
Engagement, being “active”, and mental struggle do not always lead to effective learning
Neither does deep processing if cognitive load is too great
Teachers must balance deep processing and cognitive load
Teaching is an interaction of competing forces

37. The Complexity of Teaching
The number of teaching methods is large and diverse
No teaching method is without limitations and pitfalls
Teaching is contextual; teaching effectiveness involves the dynamic interaction of multiple factors
Teaching is a contextual interaction. The best method for any situation depends on:
the outcomes that are desired by
the characteristics of the students by
the characteristics of the instructor by
the curriculum and content
No single best way to teach
An effective teacher must be knowledgeable about multiple teaching methods, select appropriately among them to achieve desired goals, and make adjustments during teaching.

38. Teaching As a Contextual Outcome of Multiple Agents (TACOMA) Model
Characteristics of the Teacher
In-the-Moment
Reflection
Pre-event
Reflection
Topic, Content, and
Learning Goals
Monitor,
Manage,
Manipulate
Manipulate
Monitor
Manipulate
Teaching
Strategies
Learning
Strategies
Characteristics
of the Learner
Form of
Assessment
Level of Student
Understanding
Post-event Reflection
Student-Teacher Rapport
and Classroom Atmosphere

39. Take Home Message for Learning
The measure of effective teaching is student learning
Levels of Processing:
Engagement and active learning aren’t enough
Cognitive Load
Must always consider cognitive load of pedagogy
Must create pedagogy keeping them in balance
Teaching is a complex interaction of factors that the teacher must manipulate, manage, and monitor
No single best teaching method
Requires constant monitoring to keep students on track.

40. Stephen L. Chew slchew@samford.edu
Thank You! Questions?
Stephen L. Chew