ActivitiesMetacognition
INTRODUCTION TO INSTRUCTIONAL
STRATEGIES
2
SESSION LEARNING GOALS
After the session, participants will be able to . . .
• Explain some things that research tells us will improve student learning in our classes
• Identify the six levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
• Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to classify geoscience learning activities
• Describe at least three strategies that can foster metacognition among students
The Montillation of Traxoline
Directions: Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.
It is very important that you learn about traxoline. Traxoline is a new form of zionter. It is montilled in Ceristanna. The Ceristannians gristerlate large amounts of fevon and then brachter it to quasel traxoline. Traxoline may well be one of our most lukized snezlaus in the future because of our zionter lescelidge.
1. What is traxoline?
2. Where is traxoline montilled?
3. Why is it important to know about traxoline?
AVOID SHALLOW LEARNING!
(attributed to Judy Lanier)
1. Students learn key concepts better when they have opportunities to actively monitor their understanding in a variety of activities during class.
2. Students become more successful learners when we challenge them to answer questions that require the use of higher order thinking skills.
3. Knowledge is socially constructed and people learn best in supportive social settings (e.g., in small collaborative groups).
WHAT RESEARCH TELLS US ABOUT STUDENT LEARNING
Learning gains increase if we design lessons with these characteristics.
STRATEGIES THAT SUPPORT STUDENT LEARNING
Provide assessment and feedback opportunities during class:
• Think-Pair-Share
• ConcepTests
• Concept Sketches
• Concept Maps
• Venn Diagrams
• Lecture Tutorials
• Reading Quizzes
• Minute Papers
• Classroom Notebooks
1Based on research findings from Zimmeran, B. J. (1989); Kaatje Kraft, pers. comm.
Create an environment that fosters learning to learn1
• Provide assessments that encourage effort (e.g., allow for revisions)
• Provide visual, graphic and organizational structures to help students “chunk” information (e.g., graphic organizers, concept maps, reading reflections)
• Encourage self-comparison over social comparison (e.g., reflective prompts, exam wrappers)
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY EXERCISE
Teaching and learning goals can be ordered using Bloom’s Taxonomy
KNOWLEDGE SURVEY
Before today:
A. I had never heard of BT
B. I had heard of BT but couldn’t explain much about it.
C. I could have named the six categories of BT.
D. I could have classified exercises into the six BT categories.
E. I could have made up questions representative of the six categories of BT.
Learning goals can be ordered using Bloom’s Taxonomy – but how do you assess student work?
Remembering
Understanding
Applying
Analyzing
Evaluating
Creating
Degrees of correctness
Right/Wrong answers
Open-ended questions can be used for all categories.
ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING GOALS
Variation in form/content of
answers
More complex questions call for more sophisticated guides and responses
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE
Apply Bloom’s Taxonomy to classify the assigned tasks and compare your interpretations with others.
Examine the six activities.
Rank the activities from easiest to most challenging.
Rank the activities using Bloom’s Taxonomy. Compare your interpretations with colleagues.
Exercise Bloom’s Taxonomy Level
1. Observing the Earthquake machine R U Ap An E C
2. Introducing topographic maps R U Ap An E C
3. Oil vs. Coal Venn Diagram R U Ap An E C
4. Carbon Cycle Concept Map R U Ap An E C
5. Groundwater Consulting Case R U Ap An E C
6. Comparing Erosion Sources R U Ap An E C
7. Economic Development & Resource Use R U Ap An E C
8. Avoiding a Hurricane: Stay or Go? R U Ap An E C
9. Groundwater Rubric R U Ap An E C
10. Global Warming Definitions R U Ap An E C
11. Who Cares about Phosphate? R U Ap An E C
12. Agricultural Fact Sheet R U Ap An E C
13. Climate of Change Reading Quiz R U Ap An E C
14. Greenland Ice Data R U Ap An E C
15. This Activity R U Ap An E C
Bloom’s Taxonomy Classification ActivityComplete the table below by circling the abbreviation of the appropriate taxonomy level for your assigned exercises.
Exercise Bloom’s Taxonomy Level
1. Observing the Earthquake machine R U Ap An E C
2. Introducing topographic maps R U Ap An E C
3. Oil vs. Coal Venn Diagram R U Ap An E C
4. Carbon Cycle Concept Map R U Ap An E C
5. Groundwater Consulting Case R U Ap An E C
6. Comparing Erosion Sources R U Ap An E C
7. Economic Development & Resource Use R U Ap An E C
8. Avoiding a Hurricane: Stay or Go? R U Ap An E C
9. Groundwater Rubric R U Ap An E C
10. Global Warming Definitions R U Ap An E C
11. Who Cares about Phosphate? R U Ap An E C
12. Agricultural Fact Sheet R U Ap An E C
13. Climate of Change Reading Quiz R U Ap An E C
14. Greenland Ice Data R U Ap An E C
15. This Activity R U Ap An E C
Bloom’s Taxonomy Classification Activity
Teaching and learning goals can be ordered using Bloom’s Taxonomy
KNOWLEDGE SURVEY
At this moment:
A. I have heard of BT
B. I have heard of BT but can’t explain much about it.
C. I can name the six categories of BT.
D. I can classify exercises into the six BT categories.
E. I could make up questions representative of the six categories of BT.
METACOGNITIONKnowledge surveysReading refl ecti onsMinute papers WrappersMastery Quizzes
KNOWLEDGE SURVEY #2
How confident are you that you could create an activity that provides students an opportunity to assess their metacognition?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Not confident
Very confident
Imagine that the illustration represents a curved tube lying horizontally on a table.
Identify the trajectory a ball would take after it had traveled through the tube.
When looking only at the confidence of people getting 100% vs. 0% right, it was often impossible to tell who was in which group.
DUNNING-KRUGER EFFECT
Williams, Dunning, Kruger, 2013, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, v. 104(6), p.976-994Pacific Standard Magazine, We are all confident idiots, David Dunning, October 27, 2014
IMPORTANCE OF STUDENT REFLECTION
Dunning et al., 2003. Current directions in psychological science, v.12 #3, p.83-87
Low scoring students• overestimated their own
skill level• failed to recognize skill in
others• failed to recognize the
degree of their insufficient knowledge
• recognized their lack of skill, only if they were trained to improve
Students completed a task (e.g., logical reasoning test) and estimated how their score would compare with other students.
Strongest students
underestimated their
performance
Weakest students overestimated their
performance
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE STUDENT LEARNING
Personal Characteristics
of Student (age, gender, academic
rank, experience)
Course Context (tasks, grading policy,
pedagogy, instructional resources)
Course Outcomes(effort, interest, performance)
Student self-regulation of
learning(studying and/or learning behaviors, e.g., planning,
monitoring, reflection)
Student motivations(things that drive
learning, e.g., task value, self-efficacy)
Adapted from Pintrich, P. R., & Zusho, A. (2007).
Instructional Design
Learning Process
Mastery
Problem: We don’t know much about the student experience in geoscience classes.
Planning
Action Reflection
Reg
ulatio
n
Students apply specific strategies and tactics to learn material.
Students determine what they need to learn, establish goals, and decide how they will study (choosing strategies and tactics).
Students continue with strategies and tactics they decided worked and change those that didn’t.
*Reflection includes monitoring (keeping track of thoughts, feelings, and behavior), evaluation (comparing results to goals), and analysis (deciding if the approach used is effective and appropriate).
SELF REGULATED LEARNING CYCLE
Students think about what they did and determine why they did or did not meet their goals.*
HOW DO INSTRUCTORS INFLUENCE STUDENT MOTIVATION AND
PREPARATION? Both HP and LP students rely on instructor provided
resources to define learning tasks and to use as tactic tools
Both HP and LP students look for and perceive instructor cues
HP students view instructor assignments as part of their learning/studying process
LP students rely on explicit instructor direction for study strategies
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN FOR INSTRUCTORS?
Instructors may facilitate learning by providing:
Clear learning objectives
Learning objectives that are linked with assessments
Regular assignments with feedback
Opportunities to explicitly reflect on learning processes
Explicit directions on strategies for studying
STRATEGIES THAT SUPPORT STUDENT LEARNING
Provide opportunities for students to self-evaluate their learning
• Knowledge Surveys• Wrappers• Reading Reflections• Mastery Quizzes• Peer instruction/Think-Pair-Share
1Based on research findings from Zimmerman, B. J. (1989)
Create an environment that fosters learning to learn1
• Encourage self-comparison over social comparison (e.g., reflective prompts, wrappers)
KNOWLEDGE SURVEYS
Students complete a knowledge survey before and after a lesson, module, or part of a course
• Survey questions may focus on content and/or tasks representing different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
KNOWLEDGE SURVEYS EXAMPLES
Continental drift
0. I don’t know what this is.
1. I have heard of this but I can’t describe it.
2. I can give a general description of this.
3. I can give a description of this and how it relates to Pangaea.
4. I can explain this and describe the observations used by Alfred Wegener to describe the assembly of Pangaea.
KNOWLEDGE SURVEYS EXAMPLES
How confident are you that you can complete the following learning objectives?
I can explain Wegener’s continental drift hypothesis and his supporting observations. (Circle the number to indicate your level of confidence.)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I can sketch the features and processes associated with a divergent plate boundary. (Place a mark along the line to indicate your level of confidence.)
Not confident
Very confident
Not confident
Very confident
READING REFLECTION
After completing the reading assignment, write brief responses (i.e., at least several sentences) to 2 out of 3 questions:
1. What is the main point of this reading?
2. What information did you find surprising? Why?
3. What did you find confusing? Why?
K.Wirth, http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/metacognition/activities/27560.html
MINUTE PAPER/MUDDIEST POINT
A short informal writing assignment that typically occurs at the end of a lecture. Write for one minute on the following question:
What is the most important concept that we discussed today?
OR
What was the most confusing point presented in today’s lesson?
OR
What one idea that we talked about today in class most interested you and why?
WHAT ARE WRAPPERS?
A wrapper is an activity that surrounds any pre-existing learning or assessment task and encourages students’ to think about their learning
• Exam Wrapper - short self-monitoring activities that students complete before and/or after an exam
M.C. Lovett, Carnegie Mellon; http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/examwrappers/
EXAM WRAPPER QUESTION TOPICS – BEFORE
1. What are the principal concepts that you expect to see on this exam?
2. As you prepare for the exam, which of the following study strategies do you plan to use?
3. How well do you think you will do on this exam?Not at all well
Very well
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
• Reading the text book
• Reading lecture notes, handouts
• Summarizing notes/book
• Memorizing key terms
• Making lists of important concepts
• Comparing notes & readings to find common topics
• Creating outlines for topics
• Drawing labeled diagrams
• Asking questions of instructor
• Studying with high-performing peers
EXAM WRAPPER QUESTION TOPICS – AFTER
Select some from the following:1. What score do you think you earned on the exam?
2. How much time did you spend in preparation?
3. Proportion of studying alone vs. w/partners
4. Relative time spent on different class materials (book, lecture notes, homework, study guide, online quizzes)
5. Student self-assessment of performance (good/bad, reasons for result)
6. Student identification of particular topics or skills they did poorly on (provide list)
7. Potential changes in preparation for future examshttp://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/examwrappers/
MASTERY/PRACTICE QUIZZES
Low stakes or no stakes online quiz intended for students to practice answering questions on key concepts. • Uses a databank of questions that are selected by
random or semi-random process• Can be taken for no grade or can be taken multiple
times with only highest score to count• Allows students to become familiar with new
vocabulary and concepts • Students can identify challenging or easy concepts,
become more strategic in allotting study time, effort
Examine the map and answer the question that follows. How many plates are present?
a.
b.
c.
d.
CONCEPTESTS AND PEER INSTRUCTION
McConnell et al., 2006, Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 54, #1, p.61-68.
3 (26%)
4 (19%)
5 (44%)
6 (11%)
Examine the map and answer the question that follows. How many plates are present?
CONCEPTESTS AND PEER INSTRUCTION
McConnell et al., 2006, Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 54, #1, p.61-68.
a. 3 (26%; 0%)
b. 4 (19%; 18%)
c. 5 (44%; 75%)
d. 6 (11%; 7%)
Individual responses
Post-discussion responses
KNOWLEDGE SURVEY #2
How confident are you that you could create an activity that provides students an opportunity to assess their metacognition?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Not confident
Very confident
Any Questions?
Introductory Exercise
Higher order learning
Remember Understand Application Analysis Evaluation Creation
Venn diagram
Concept maps
Performance tasks and rubrics
These types of exercises• help students generate more complete answers• target a range of higher reasoning skills• provide instructors with alternative grading options.
A concept map includes:• core concepts -
usually enclosed in circles or boxes
• arrows connecting concepts and propositions or statements that explain the relationship between concepts
A concept map organizes (synthesizes) information
What is a concept map?
http://edmall.gsfc.nasa.gov/WebQuest/sysmapex.gif
Concept Maps• Comprehension – Provide a partially completed concept
map and a list of terms. Difficulty can vary with number of nodes on map and number of blanks.
• Analysis – Create an incorrect concept map. Ask students how map could be improved.
• Evaluation – Supply students with multiple concept maps and have them rank them from best to worst and justify choices.
• Creation – Provide a concept and have students create a concept map from scratch.
ONE QUESTION STYLE, MANY USES
What is . . . ? Who, what, when, where, ...? Describe . . .
What would happen if . . . ? What does . . . illustrate about . . .? What is analogous to . . . ?
How could . . . be used to . . . ? What is another example of . . . ?
How does . . . affect . . . ? What are the differences (similarities) between . . . ? How does . . compare or contrast with . .?What is a solution for the problem of . . . ? How would you plan a new . . ? How does X relate to Y?
Why is . . . important? What is the best . . . , and why? Do you agree/disagree that . . . ?
OPEN-ENDED QUESTION STEMS
King, A., 1995, Teaching of Psychology, v. 22, p. 13-17.
Bloom’s Level Question Stems
1. Remembering
2. Understanding
3. Applying
4. Analyzing
5. Evaluating
6. Creating