Three Learning Principles Dr. Michele DiPietro Executive Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Kennesaw State University Former President, The Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education mdipietr@kennesaw.edu http://cetl.kennesaw.edu

“It’s not teaching that causes learning “It’s not teaching that causes learning. Attempts by the learner to perform cause learning, dependent upon the quality of feedback and opportunities to use it.” — Grant Wiggins, “Feedback: How Learning Occurs” “Teachers possess the power to create conditions that can help students learn a great deal – or keep them from learning much at all. Teaching is the intentional act of creating such conditions.” — Parker Palmer, “The Courage to Teach”

3 Learning Principles Students’ motivation determines, directs, and sustains what they do to learn. Goal-directed practice coupled with targeted feedback enhances the quality of students’ learning. To become self-directed learners, students must learn to monitor and adjust their approaches to learning.

3. Students’ motivation determines, direct, and sustains what they do to learn Goals: novelty, flexibility, control, structured complexity career .

Effects of value, self-efficacy, & environment on motivation

5. Goal-directed practice coupled with targeted feedback enhances the quality of students’ learning

Students overestimate their strengths 7. To become self-directed learners, students must learn to monitor and adjust their approaches to learning. Students don’t! (Carey & Flower 1989; Hinsley et al. 1977) Students don’t! (NRC 2001; Fu & Gray 2004) Students overestimate their strengths (Dunning 2007) 1. Carey and Flowers (1989): half the college students they observed ignored the instructions for a writing assignment and instead used a generic writing-as-knowledge-telling strategy from high school. 1.Hinsley, Hayes, and Simon (1977): students categorized algebra problems after reading only the first few words of the problem. Moreover, once a category was chosen students tended to misread information that did not fit their category (e.g., reading ‘minutes’ as ‘miles’). 2.Dunning (2007): when nursing students were asked about their proficiency in performing several basic procedures (such as inserting an IV), the majority of them overestimated their abilities relative to their actual performance. Replicate in a variety of settings. Problem is diference between declarative and procedural knowledge 3. Chi et al. (1989): experts solve problems much quicker than novices but spend more time planning than novices 3. Carey et al. (1989): less effective writers plan less appropriately 5. NRC (2001): poor problem solvers continue to use a strategy even after it has failed Issues: degree of effectiveness of the old approach, cost of the new approach, activation energy 5. Fu & Gray (2004): people will often continue to use a well-honed strategy that works moderately well rather than switch to a new strategy that would work better Self-explanation effect But students don’t do it! (Chi et al 1989) Students don’t plan, or do it poorly (Chi et al. 1989; Carey et al. 1989)

Intellectual Development by Year Baxter-Magolda (1992)

Mandates from learning science Build/Demonstrate Value and Activate Goals Build Expectancy: Build Self-Efficacy Create a supportive environment Be Explicit—about: Goals Expectations Assessments Teach Self-assessment, Planning, Reflection, Strategy Switching

Strategies Signature Pedagogies and High-Impact Practices Collaborative Learning, Undergraduate Research, Global Learning/Study Abroad, Service Learning/Community Engagement, Writing across the Curriculum… Use technology to solve pedagogical problems Pedagogy drives technology not the other way around Alignment Measurable Goals, Authentic Assessments, Instruction Scaffolding Feedback (Neutral < Sandwich < High Standards) Self-Assessment Embed Reflection (Wrappers)

Institutional Strategies Create a community of educators Treat Teaching Scholarly

Strategies toward Mastery of Skills Be explicit about practice Goals (hint: be more explicit than you think you need to) Rubrics and other grading criteria Set expectations about practice Model target performance Show students what you DON’T want Give frequent, timely, constructive feedback Prioritize feedback Balance strengths and weaknesses Look for patterns of errors and use group or peer feedback for efficiency Require students to say how they used your feedback in subsequent work

Strategies for Motivation Value Connect to students’ interests, real-world tasks, present and future academic and professional lives Show enthusiasm for discipline Expectancies Educational alignment Appropriate level of challenge Early success opportunities Educate students about their attributions Give study strategies Both: flexibility and control, reflection

Strategies for Metacognition Assess task: check students’ understanding of the task, provide grading criteria upfront. Evaluate own’s strengths and weaknesses: self-assessment, early assessments. Plan: model good planning, make planning the point of the assignment Monitor performance: give heuristics for self correction, require reflection and annotation of students’ own work, use peer review/reader response Reflect/adjust: require reflection on performance and on study skills (Wrappers) Beliefs: discuss them directly, broaden students’ understanding of ‘learning’ Development Make uncertainty safe Resist a single right answer Incorporate evidence in grading criteria Climate Be mindful of low-ability cues Reduce anonymity, Model inclusivity (language, behavior, attitudes) Use diverse examples Ground rules for interaction