Transcript Slide 1

Improving Student Performance by
Addressing Student and Teacher
Misconceptions about Learning
Stephen L. Chew, PhD
Department of Psychology
Samford University
[email protected] Twitter: @SChewPsych
Palm Beach State College
March 26, 2015
Goals for this Session
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 to improve pedagogy
4) Discuss cognitive basis of effective
pedagogy
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
Teacher 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.
• It determines teacher effectiveness
Student Beliefs about How People
Learn
• Students also base their study behavior
based on their models of how people
(specifically themselves) learn.
– Whether or not they go to class,
– If and how well complete assignments,
– How they study and when material is
mastered
• It determines their learning effectiveness,
achievement, and success
A typical incoming college
student…
• Has graduated from high school with an
average GPA of 3.00 (NAEP, 2009)
• Has probably passed a high school exit or
graduation exam
• Has been tested for scholastic
achievement or aptitude many times
• Probably taken an entrance exam and was
admitted to college
% of Students Deemed Ready for
College by ACT (2013)
70
64
60
50
44
44
40
%
36
30
26
20
10
0
English
Mathematics
Reading
Area
Science
All four areas
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
– Few students enter college believing they will
struggle
As a consequence
• Many students will struggle academically in
their first year of college
– Culture of access vs. culture of completion
• Overconfidence may hinder their recognition
and willingness to try to make the necessary
changes
• Even when willing to change, they do not
know what changes to make (or not make)
• Some percentage of these students will not
succeed in college even though they have
the ability to do so
– A larger percentage will perform poorly as they
adjust to college level study
Typical Student Messages
• “I came into the test really confident that I knew
the material but it didn't show that on the test.”
• “The reason I have stuck with the course this long
is because I believe I have put a lot of effort
towards studying for the exams is just I haven't
tested well.”
• “I felt prepared going in to the first two exams but
scored much lower than I wanted to (and much
lower than the class). To be completely honest, I
have not wanted to come to class because I do
not feel it is worth it if I am not going to do well
anyways.”
The Primary Goal of Teaching
Either
• To present information that students are
solely responsible for learning
Or
• To develop a sophisticated, useful, and
generative level of understanding on the
part of the students
Distinguish between teaching that makes it
easy for students to learn vs. teaching that
makes it easy to make a good grade
How to help students make a
successful transition to college
• Remediation
• Teach them to adjust through college
transition courses, advising, 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
Evolution of a Presentation
• Given many workshops for teachers on
how to teach effectively
• In 2006, I was asked to give a
presentation to Samford’s entire freshman
class on how to study effectively in college
• Focus on what students need to know
about how people learn in order to make
them better learners
The Challenges
• Overcome the negative preconceptions
– “I want you to succeed, and I have information
that will help you meet the academic challenge.”
• Overcome student misconceptions about
learning, e.g. mistaken beliefs and “magic
bullets”
• Present cognitive principles and research to
help students become more effective learners
• Make the presentation engaging, accessible,
and memorable
• Do it in 45 minutes
Specific Goals of the Presentation
• Give students a coherent, research-based
framework that would allow them to
become effective learners in any situation
– More than disconnected study tips, e.g. space
out learning; serial position; study in same
place you will be tested
– Not a recipe for best way to study
• Show them how to apply the framework to
their study
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
Giving the Presentation
(about 5 weeks into Fall Semester)
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
The Importance of Undivided
Attention
• Good study strategies are effortful, and
require full concentration
• Anything that distracts your attention will
detract from your learning
– Just resisting temptations is distracting
• Minimize distractions; Focus on one
task
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.
Self-Rating
What is your best, most accurate judgment of
the percentage of questions that you answered
correctly on this exam? Your answer may range
from 0 to 100%
_____________________% correct
Estimated and Actual Grades for 800
Students: Econ 101
The irony of poor metacognition
• Students who have the poorest
metacognition have no clue how weak
their understanding of a concept is.
• Part of being incompetent is not
understanding just how incompetent you
are.
• So the students who most need to listen
closely to this talk are the ones who
don’t believe they need to.
• (The same holds true for teachers)
So how accurate are your beliefs
about how people learn?
Which of the following is the MOST
important ingredient for successful learning?
1. The intention and desire to learn
2. Paying close attention to the material as
you study
3. Learning in a way that matches your
personal Learning Style?
4. The time you spend studying
5. What you think about while studying
Read the instructions for the
demonstration to yourselves and do
your best to follow them.
Rate each word
• Does the word
contain an E or G?
• Do you find the
word Pleasant?
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
Rate each word
• Does the word
contain an E or G?
• Do you find the
word Pleasant?
Shallow processing: You are
focusing on spelling.
Deep processing: You are
relating the words to your
own meaningful experiences.
These are orienting tasks that cause you
to think in deep or shallow ways,
regardless of your intention
Study Conditions
Back of Room
Group 4: Deep
Warned about Recall
Group 3: Deep
Not Warned
Group 2: Shallow
Warned about Recall
Group 1: Shallow Not
Warned
Front of Room
Be forewarned
you will be
asked to
recall all
the words
Predictions
1. If motivation to learn matters, then
Groups 2 and 4 should recall best
3. If both deep processing and
motivation matter, then Group 4
should recall best
Group 4: Deep
Warned about Recall
Group 3: Deep
Not Warned
Group 2: Shallow
Warned about Recall
Group 1: Shallow Not
Warned
2. If only deep processing matters,
Then Groups 3 and 4 should recall
best
Intention vs. Level of Processing
Intentional
Incidental
80
69
70
68
67
60
% Recall
50
43
40
39
30
20
10
0
Shallow: E Checking
Deep: Pleasantness
Level of Processing
Control
Which of the following is the MOST
important ingredient for successful learning?
1. The intention and desire to learn
2. Paying close attention to the material as
you study
3. Learning in a way that matches your
personal Learning Style?
4. The time you spend studying
5. What you think about while studying
Implications for Learning
• Intention and motivation to learn are not
important
• Attention and amount of study is
necessary, but not sufficient for learning
• Learning strategy has a huge impact on
learning
– Shallow study strategies trump good
intentions
• Deep level of processing is critical for
learning
Implications for Students
• Many students have highly practiced poor
learning strategies
– Studying more won’t help
– 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
These findings are strongly
counterintuitive
• All study is effective, only amount, intensity,
and desire matter
• Motivation automatically improves study
effectiveness
• Effort equals learning
– Learning is hard work, but not all hard work leads
to learning
Implications for Teachers
• Teaching skill matters, and matters greatly
• Pedagogy has a significant impact on
learning, for better or worse
• 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: 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 are principles for deep
processing, but not a recipe
• There is no set recipe for effective
studying or effective teaching
• What constitutes effective study will
depend on the student, the subject, and
the assessment
• What constitutes effective teaching will
depend on the teacher, the students, their
mindset, the subject, and the learning goal
The aftermath
• The presentation was a huge success
• After two years, I was asked to give a
follow up presentation for “at risk” students
• But just how successful was it?
– 2009 Assessment
Method
The assessment employed a two pronged
approach:
• Study 1 involved three sections of
Foundations, a course intended to help
freshmen adjust to college
– For these sections, I attended their class, gave a
pretest, gave my presentation, gave an
immediate posttest, then gave a follow-up survey
two weeks later.
• Study 2 involved other Foundations sections.
– I asked instructors to give a pretest before the
presentation, the students attended my
presentation, then I gave a follow-up survey
several weeks after the presentation.
Results
• Students rated the presentation highly for interest
and value in helping them study (Figure 1)
• In both studies, the presentation had a significant
impact on student understanding that the key
factor in learning is deep processing (Figures 2 &
3)
– But 43% of students maintained a misconception and
correct understanding lowered slightly over time.
• The presentation seemed particularly effective in
reducing rote memorization as a study strategy
and increasing deep processing. (Figure 4)
– “As I study, my main strategy is to memorize the key facts
and the definitions of key terms.” (F(1, 61)=12.49, p=.001)
– “As I study, I try to think about how I might use this
information either on an exam or in my future experience.”
(F(1, 67)=4.43, p=0.039
Fig. 1: Presentation Assessment (Study 2)
7
6
Mean Rating
5
4
3
2
1
0
Fig. 2: Rated Most Important (Study 1)
100
Before
After
Follow-up
93
87
80
60
%
46
40
20
20
20
10
2
4
0
Desire
0 0
Attention
2
4
Learning
Style
5
2
4
Time
Deep
Processing
Fig 3: Rated Most Important (Study 2)
Before
After
60
57
54
50
40
% 30
24
19
20
15
10
10
6
8
6
1
0
Desire
Attention
Learning
Style
Time
Deep
Processing
Fig. 4: Impact on Study Strategies
Before
After
7
6
5.46
5.06
Mean Rating
5
4
4.57
3.84
3
2
1
0
Memorize
Deep Processing
Study Strategy
Conclusions
• The presentation is interesting and effective
at significantly altering student understanding
of learning and their practice.
• It decreases rote memorization and increases
deep processing strategies
• A significant portion of students still maintain
misconceptions about learning
• Any positive impact may lessen with time.
• To address these issues, I created
videotaped modules of the presentation
Development of Video Series
• Have the same helpful tone as presentation
• Contain the same information as my two
presentations
• Serve as a resource for students and
teachers on how to study effectively
• Be as flexible as possible for different uses,
such as online learning
– Five brief modules
• Be worth the time invested in terms of
information learned
– 6-8 minutes each
Creating the Videos
• I examined the videos on studying that
already exist
– Most are either testimonials or selling products
– A depressing, often boring, mix of some correct
information, misconceptions, and simple tips
• Nathan Troost—Ace Videographer
– Visual sense of what works and what is
interesting
– A psych minor and former student of mine
– A good editor for me
• All five filmed in four hours one summer
morning
Video Series: How to Get the Most
Out of Studying
http://www.samford.edu/how-to-study/
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?
Videos posted in August, 2011
• Very well received: In wide use
internationally; from high schools to
medical schools
• Faculty appreciate them; Advanced
students wish they had them sooner;
• But freshmen reaction is mixed
– It isn’t what they want or expect to hear
– Misconceptions are hard to change
So shouldn’t we design
pedagogies that make students
use deep processing all the time?
(What faculty need to know
about learning)
What are the critical factors in
student learning?
• Engagement
• Active learning
• Struggle
– Many faculty take pride in how hard they
make students struggle
– Assumes struggle leads to better learning
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
• 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
Student mental effort must meet the
demands of instructional cognitive load
Available
Mental
Effort
Cognitive Load
of Teaching
Extraneous Load
Teachers
design
instruction
Germane Load
Intrinsic Load
Tasks and concepts
possess difficulty
Must be
less than
Limited
Resource
Name the days of the week out
loud and in order as fast as you
can
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?
Name the Days of the Week as Quickly
as You Can
In Alphabetical Order
1) Friday
2) Monday
3) Saturday
4) Sunday
5) Thursday
6) Tuesday
7) Wednesday
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
• Teachers must monitor, manage and minimize
cognitive load to allow schema development as
well as design activities to promote schema
development
Deep Processing and Cognitive
Load
• Deeper level of processing causes better
learning (good) but also greater cognitive load
(bad)
– All “High Impact” practices have high cognitive load
Shallow Processing
Less Learning
Less Cognitive Load
More Learning
More Cognitive Load
Deep Processing
Cognitive Load of Various Tasks
(adapted from Piolat, Olive & Kellogg, 2004)
Planning
Revising
Translating
Composing a text
Task..
Notetaking from a lecture
Playing Chess (experts)
Playing Chess (novices)
Reading a text
Reading sentences
Intentional learning
Incidental learning
Text Copying
0
100
200
300
Cognitive effort (IRT in ms.)
400
How do we deal with cognitive
load?
• Deliberate Practice leads to automatic
thinking
• Deliberate practice is intentional practice with
the goal of improving a skill.
– Not mindless drill
– The goal must be apparent to the student, or the
student must trust the teacher
• With large amounts of practice, a skill
becomes automatic and no longer requires
metal effort.
• Expertise is based on automatic processing
About Engagement, Active
Learning, and Struggle
• Engagement, active learning, 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
The Complexity of Teaching
• The number of teaching methods is large and
diverse
• No teaching method is without limitations and
pitfalls
• Teaching is a contextual interaction; Teaching
effectiveness involves the dynamic interaction of
multiple factors:
• 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 monitor, manage, and manipulate
multiple, conflicting factors, many of which
are outside the teacher’s control, to achieve
desired learning goals
• Must be knowledgeable about multiple
teaching methods, select appropriately
among them to achieve desired goals, and
make adjustments during teaching.
– There is no pedagogy that can’t go wrong
– There is no pedagogy that a great teacher can’t
figure out how to make successful
Learning Science Resources
Take Home Message
• Students and faculty have misconceptions
about learning that undermine effectiveness
• Described a live and video presentation for
making students more effective learners
• Presented a more sophisticated
understanding of how people learn
• Teaching is a complex interaction of factors
that the teacher must manipulate, manage,
and monitor
– No single best teaching method
– Requires constant monitoring and adjustments