1. Metacognition: The Key to Acing Courses (and Life)!
Saundra Y. McGuire, Ph.D.
Ret. Assistant Vice Chancellor & Professor of Chemistry
Director Emerita, Center for Academic Success
Louisiana State University

2. What we will cover today
Why university students, especially student leaders, may be inefficient learners
Metacognitive learning strategies that work, and why they work

3. How do I KNOW These Strategies Work?
McGuire, S.Y. & McGuire, S.N. (2015). Teach Students How to Learn: Strategies You Can Incorporate into Any Course to Improve Student Metacognition, Study Skills, and Motivation. Sterling, VA: Stylus

4. Metacognition The ability to: think about your own thinking
be consciously aware of yourself as a problem solver
monitor, plan, and control your mental processing (e.g. “Am I understanding this material, or just memorizing it?”)
accurately judge your level of learning
know what you know and what you don’t know
Flavell, J. H. (1976). Metacognitive aspects of problem solving. In L. B. Resnick (Ed.), The nature of intelligence (pp ). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum

5. Power of Metacognitive Learning Strategies Sydnie’s Story: Intro and emails
First encounter on September 23, 2013
on October 14, 2013
on January 9, 2014
on January 20, 2014
on May 7, 2014
Update on July 26, Cum GPA 3.5
on February 7, Cum GPA 3.6
Fall Sem GPA 4.18

6. Sydnie Landry, BS in Biology, May 2017 Louisiana State University Final Semester GPA: 3.77
Applying to Medical School in Fall 2017
Intended Specialty: Dermatology

7. Sydnie’s Fall 2013 Test Grades
Calculus
64, 100, 97, 96, 90, 93 A in course
Chemistry
65, 95, 90, 70, 96 A in course

8. An Effective Homework Strategy
Study information before looking at the problems/questions
Work example problems (without looking at the solutions) until you get to the answer
Check to see if answer is correct
If answer is not correct, figure out where mistake was made, without consulting solution
Work homework problems/answer questions as if taking a test

9. on January 20, 2014
I started to use the "Get more out of your homework" method. I reviewed my notes right before attempting my homework problems, and tried to work the problems without help from the solutions manual or tutors. If I still could not get the right answer, I'd look at my notes again to get a hint, but not to study the problem and mimic it step by step…

10. Reflection Questions What’s the difference, if any, between
studying and learning?
For which task would you work harder:
A. Make an A on the test
B. Teach the material to the class?

11. To Ace Courses (and everything else!)
Stay in learn mode, not study mode
Study as if you have to teach the material, not just make an A on the test

12. Guardians of the Galaxy
Power of Teaching to Master Learning Clint’s Story: Baby Groot and the Licensure Exam
Guardians of the Galaxy
First encounter on October 29, 2015
on January 18, 2016
Msg on April 14, 2016
Msg on June 11, 2016

13. Use Metacognition to Become an Expert Learner

14. The Story of Two Students
Travis, junior psychology student
47, 52, 82, B in course
Dana, first year physics student
80, 54, 91, 97, 90 (final) A in course

15. A Reading Strategy that Works: SQ5R
Survey (look at intro, summary, bold print, italicized words, etc.)
Question (devise questions survey that you think the reading will answer)
Read (one paragraph at a time)
Recite (summarize in your own words)
Record or wRite (annotate in margins)
Review (summarize the information in your words)
Reflect (other views, remaining questions)

16. Why the Fast and Dramatic Increase?
It’s all about the strategies, and engaging our brains!

17. Counting Vowels in 45 seconds
How accurate are you?
Count all the vowels
in the words on the next slide.

18. Dollar Bill
Dice
Tricycle
Four-leaf Clover
Hand
Six-Pack
Seven-Up
Octopus
Cat Lives
Bowling Pins
Football Team
Dozen Eggs
Unlucky Friday
Valentine’s Day
Quarter Hour

19. How many words or phrases do you remember?

20. Let’s look at the words again…
What are they arranged
according to?

21. Dollar Bill
Dice
Tricycle
Four-leaf Clover
Hand
Six-Pack
Seven-Up
Octopus
Cat Lives
Bowling Pins
Football Team
Dozen Eggs
Unlucky Friday
Valentine’s Day
Quarter Hour

22. NOW, how many words or phrases do you remember?

23. What were two major differences between the 1st and 2nd attempts?

24. 1. We knew what the task was
2. We knew how the information was organized

25. Turning Yourself into an Efficient, Expert Learner
Do “think aloud” exercises
Constantly ask yourself “why” and “what if” questions
Always test your understanding by verbalizing or writing about concepts; practice retrieval of information
Move your activities higher on the Bloom’s taxonomy scale by comparing and contrasting, thinking of analogies, thinking of new pathways, etc.

26. Bloom’s Taxonomy Creating Evaluating Analyzing Applying Understanding
This pyramid depicts the different levels of thinking we use when learning. Notice how each level builds on the foundation that precedes it. It is required that we learn the lower levels before we can effectively use the skills above.
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Creating
Putting elements together to form a coherent or functional whole; reorganizing elements into a new pattern or structure through generating,
planning, or producing.
Making judgments based on criteria and standards through checking and critiquing.
Evaluating
Breaking material into constituent parts, determining how the parts relate to one another and to an overall structure .
Analyzing
Carrying out or using a procedure through executing, or implementing.
Applying
Constructing meaning from oral, written, and graphic messages through interpreting, exemplifying, classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing, and explaining.
Understanding
Retrieving, recognizing, and recalling relevant knowledge from
long-term memory.
Remembering

27. Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating
At what level of Bloom’s did you have to operate to make A’s and B’s in high school?
Remembering
Understanding
Applying
Analyzing
Evaluating
Creating

28. At what level of Bloom’s do you have to operate to make A’s at KSU?
Remembering
Understanding
Applying
Analyzing
Evaluating
Creating

29. How do you move yourself higher on Bloom’s Taxonomy
How do you move yourself higher on Bloom’s Taxonomy? Use the Study Cycle with Intense Study Sessions!

30. *Intense Study Sessions
The Study Cycle
4 Reflect
3 Review
Preview before class – Skim the chapter, note headings and boldface words, review summaries and chapter objectives, and come up with questions you’d like the lecture to answer for you.
Preview
4 Reflect
Attend class – GO TO CLASS! Answer and ask questions and take meaningful notes.
Attend
Review after class – As soon after class as possible, read notes, fill in gaps and note any questions.
Review
Study – Repetition is the key. Ask questions such as ‘why’, ‘how’, and ‘what if’.
Intense Study Sessions* short study sessions per day
Weekend Review – Read notes and material from the week to make connections
Study
Assess your Learning – Periodically perform reality checks
Am I using study methods that are effective?
Do I understand the material enough to teach it to others?
Assess
*Intense Study Sessions 1
Set a Goal
(1-2 min)
Decide what you want to accomplish in your study session 2
Study with Focus
(30-50 min)
Interact with material- organize, concept map, summarize, process, re-read, fill-in notes, reflect, etc. 3
Reward Yourself
(10-15 min)
Take a break– call a friend, play a short game, get a snack 4
Review
(5 min)
Go over what you just studied
Center for Academic Success
B-31 Coates Hall ▪ ▪

31. Effective Metacognitive Strategies
Always solve problems without looking at an example or the solution
Memorize everything you’re told to memorize (e.g. polyatomic ions)
Always ask why, how, and what if questions
Test understanding by giving “mini lectures” on concepts
Spend time on every subject every day
Use the Study Cycle with Intense Study Sessions
Attend tutoring sessions on a regular basis
Aim for 100% mastery, not 90%!

32. Tips to remember... Use daylight hours wisely! 1 day light hour =
about 1 1/2 evening hours.

33. Get the Most from Academic Support Units, Office Hours, and Supplemental Instruction (SI)
Try to understand the concept or work the problem by yourself first
Come prepared to ask questions
Explain the material to the tutor or instructor
Actively participate in SI sessions

34. Which One of the Next Two Slides More Accurately Describes YOUR Actions to Date in Your Courses?

35. Top 5 Reasons Folks Did Not Do Well on Test 1 in Chemistry:
1. Didn’t spend enough time on the material 2. Started the homework too late 3. Didn’t memorize the information I needed to 4. Did not use the book 5. Assumed I understood information that I had read and re-read, but had not applied

36. Top 5 Reasons Folks Made an A on Test 1:
1. Did preview-review for every class 2. Did a little of the homework at a time 3. Used the book and did the suggested problems 4. Made flashcards of the information to be memorized 5. Practiced explaining the information to others

37. Email from an EE Professor at New Mexico State Univ.
Received on 10/22/2013
…At the end of the presentation, they were given a survey to determine their self-assessment of their use of the strategies, and were divided into groups
Group 1: students who did not use the strategies
Group 2: students who used the strategies
The results are shown below:
Use of Strategies
Av. on Exams 1 and 2
Students who did not use strategies
58 and 54
Students who used metacognitive strategies
95 and 80

38. What students said they changed:
I changed my study habits by doing the homework early. I also started reading some of the material before going to the class. The most effective was spending more time on the material.
I started studying for the exam sooner. I also took more time to do the homework. I reviewed/rewrote my notes from class.
I studied for the class as close to everyday as possible
I got together with other classmates and helped them with their weakness and of course they helped me with mine as well.
*class average increased from 65.7% to 80.5%!

39. START Implementing the Strategies TODAY and watch your reading skills, problem solving abilities, learning, and grades soar!

40. The ABCs of Academic Success!
Attitude, Behavior, Commitment

41. that determines your altitude.”
Attitude
“It’s your attitude,
not your aptitude,
that determines your altitude.”
Zig Ziglar

42. Behavior It’s the difference between knowing
and doing that determines success Anonymous

43. It’s not over ‘til it’s over,
Commitment
It’s not over ‘til it’s over,
and only you can determine when it’s over!

44. So, What Can You Do, Starting Now, to Pursue Your 4.0 this semester?
Spend more time studying
(at least 2 hours/week for every hour in class)
Aim for higher learning levels and 100% understanding
Use office hours and study groups productively
Use the Study Cycle & Intense Study Sessions
Use academic support services regularly!

46. Writing Exercise
What behavior will you commit to changing?

47. If you don’t start it within the next 48 hours...
… you probably never will.

48. Fall 2017 Kennesaw State Univ Student Challenge
Average GPA of 3.5!
No attendee with GPA less than 3.0
Commitment to Personal and Group Excellence

49. Final Note
Visit for on-line workshops and information that will teach you more effective study strategies.
I wish you a fantastically successful future!
Dr. Saundra McGuire

50. Coming in January… A Book for Students
McGuire, S.Y. (2018). Teach Yourself How to Learn: Strategies You Can Use to Ace Any Course at Any Level. Sterling, VA: Stylus

51. Geaux Owls!!!