LEARNING HOW TO LEARN

One of my pet peeves about teaching in college is that many of my students do not know much about efficient learning.  They are smart individuals, but their learning techniques can be rather primitive.  They want to learn and understand the material, but in middle school and high school they were able to succeed with little more than memorization and cramming.  When that strategy fails to work in college, they grow frustrated.  They sometimes seem like talented athletes who have never been taught proper form and, therefore, struggle even in matches that they should win easily. 

For that reason, I bribe (er, I mean, “give extra credit to”) my students in hopes that they will spend their summer months learning how to be better learners.  My classes will be so much more successful if they arrive back on campus next fall as efficient learners.  If that happens, I can challenge them to analyze deeper and more complex issues.

Here is an email (slightly edited) that I sent out this past Monday to my students for the coming semester.  I won’t get 100 percent participation from them, but I suspect I will get close to 50 percent.  Nothing ever pleases me more during a semester than when one of my students admits, “I’ve become a much better student because of that book you convinced us to read over the break.” 

**

To:   My Students for the Fall Semester

From:  JH 

I hope your summer break is off to a great start.  I am hoping to travel across the country and also to Europe before I see you in the fall.  It’s a great chance to see the world outside of Virginia.

Chance for Extra Credit 

Several years ago, I read the book Make It Stick – The Science of Successful Learning, by Brown, Roediger, and McDaniel.  As you might imagine, I am deeply interested in how to help students learn more effectively.  I found this book to be quite insightful.  For example, one of the things the authors say frequently is that reading material repeatedly is not really helpful in getting knowledge into your memory. 

According to Make It Stick, it is the mental retrieval of information that really solidifies learning and that is something we work on every day in class.  If you want to learn something, pull it out of your memory over and over, and your knowledge will get stronger and stronger.  As they say in the book, “One of the best habits a learner can instill in herself is regular self-quizzing to recalibrate her understanding of what she does and does not know.”    

They even have a chapter titled “To Learn, Retrieve.”    

I have taken tai chi for about 5 years and my teacher very much follows that same pattern.  The first 20-50 times you do a move in tai chi you get it wrong, but if you are persistent, eventually it becomes easy (or at least doable). With enough practice, what seems impossible becomes fairly easy.

We will do a lot of retrieval in our class this semester.   One of my mottoes is, “We will do it until you can do it.”  I like that thought (write it down). 

** 

This past semester I read Outsmart Your Brain, by Daniel Willingham, another outstanding book about learning.  In fact, the book’s subtitle is, “Why Learning Is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy.”  This book goes into dozens of tips on becoming a better learner.  Although I did not agree with every one of those tips, I certainly believed strongly in a lot of them. 

** 

The semester after I read Make It Stick, I offered my students three bonus points on the first test of the semester if they would read this book during their break.  Several did read it and those students all talked about how useful the information was and how the book helped them to understand what I was trying to accomplish in class.  I have been making this same offer every semester since that time.   

This semester, I am going to add Outsmart Your Brain to this list.  Read either book and you will get three bonus points on our first test.  (You can read both books, if you wish, but the offer is only for a total of three bonus points.) 

Both books are available on Amazon and used copies are fairly cheap.  I honestly believe my previous students have gained much more than three bonus points from the ideas and tips provided by their reading.  I have always been surprised by how very little some smart students understand about the learning process.  In high school, it can be easy to be successful just by using memorization without ever learning how to learn.  In college, or at least in my class, you need to be more efficient. 

Here are some of the things that two students told me about Make It Stick. 

“During high school, often times the material that you study is easy enough to cram in the night before an exam. When I started off at Richmond, I was overwhelmed with the amount of cramming I would have to do in order to make high grades. During my freshman and sophomore year at Richmond I decided to study a couple days in advance. After reading this book and seeing the results of students who study in advance and continue to look over what you learn, by the time of the test I often feel ready to go. This book has definitely had an impact on my semester, as I may be increasing my study times per day but by the day before the test, I don’t feel as stressed out and overwhelmed.” 

“I think reading Make is Stick has reminded me of how to best study and learn material. After being abroad last semester, I was craving work but the book gave me a sense of mind when it came to the best ways to study. I liked it because it didn't just plainly state how to memorize things efficiently. It provides evident and demonstrates why it works better. For example, sometimes when I don't feel like doing my homework or a practice problem, I think about how the more you actually do a problem the better you will know it. It is reinforcement such as that which gives sometimes seemingly repetitive and exhausting work purpose.” 

** 

Okay, I could include dozens of quotes like these, but I am sure you get the point. 

I will make the same deal with you as I have with my classes in the past.  If you read either Make It Stick or Outsmart Your Brain prior to the first test in the coming semester, I will give you three bonus points.  This is not a class requirement.  There is no penalty if you choose not to read one of the books.  I think it is a good offer.  I expect you to tell me the truth.  Don’t ever lie to me.  That is the only way I will get upset with you.  You are my students, and I expect you to be truthful with me.  Read either book and get three extra points on the first test.  

Let me know if you have already read both of these books (that is not likely but it is not impossible) and I will provide you with an alternative book to read.   There are a number of good possibilities. 

**

I am looking forward to having the opportunity of working with you in the fall.  If you and I both do our part of the work with enthusiasm and ambition, you will be amazed by how much you have learned by the end of next semester.  In fact, here are two important promises: 

--You will understand more about the subject matter than you could ever have thought possible.   

--You will be more confident in your ability to succeed in the real world after graduation.   

GETTING MY STUDENTS READY FOR THE FALL – STEP TWO – RETRIEVAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

I wrote a blog posting last week about a short video that I had made to introduce my students to the first step in my fall classes – Guided Readings.  (By the way, these videos were made with the Screen Recording function in PowerPoint.  That is a simple way to make and distribute short videos to your students.)

The idea behind Guided Readings was that students needed assistance in learning the essentials from their textbook so I developed PowerPoint Flash Cards to help them make the most of their readings. 

But – now what?  Even an excellent reading of the textbook is not a complete education.

In the marvelous book, Make It Stick – The Science of Successful Learning, the authors (Brown, Roediger, and McDaniel) stress the importance of retrieval.  The second chapter is even titled, “To Learn, Retrieve.” 

They assert, “Repeated retrieval not only makes memories more durable but produces knowledge that can be retrieved more readily, in more varied settings, and applied to a wider variety of problems.”  Or, as I describe the process, “Bring new knowledge up and make use of it.  Bring it up again and use it creatively.  Bring it up as often as possible and in as many different ways as possible.”  That statement might describe my teaching better than anything else.

So, after Guided Readings, I immediately prescribe a sequenced series of questions designed to see how much of the material I can get the students to retrieve and use in some way.  I write approximately 14 to 20 questions that come directly from the material they have just read.  However, each question requires them to retrieve the new information and make use of it. 

The process is carefully scripted. 

--First, I include all of the retrieval questions for this section of the material. 

--Second, I then repeat those same questions but this time with the answers. 

I refer to this as a, “Wash, Rinse, Repeat” assignment.  I want the students to read the questions and see how many they can answer.  Then, they are directed to scroll down to the answers and immediately check their work.  They are told to note questions that they missed or where they had no answer.

I instruct them to go back to the top of the page and go through the questions again to see how many more they can answer this time.  Hopefully, if they do this entire loop two or three times, they will feel comfortable with all the answers.

--They first used the Guided Readings to pull out the essentials from the textbook. 

--They then use the Retrieval Questions and Answers to help organize, solidify, and expand their knowledge and understanding. 

I like to think that I am developing distance learning for my students using a structure that makes logical sense.

Last week on this blog, I offered to provide a chapter of Guided Readings and many people took me up on that offer. 

This week, if you would like to see an example of Retrieval Questions and Answers, drop me an email at Jhoyle@richmond.edu.  Always glad to share.

Here is the video that I used to explain my Retrieval Questions and Answers to my students.  It is less than 7 minutes.  I hope you will watch it.  

https://youtu.be/vyTOjn0zFVo

 

A QUIZ TO SELF-MEASURE STUDY EFFICIENCY

I want to start this essay with three assertions that I have made previously on this blog.   They are not radical.

(1) – Many students leave high school without a good understanding of how to learn.  Some are fantastic but many rely too heavily on memorization and techniques that do not necessarily work for them.  They struggle in college and do not even know why.  They become frustrated.  If you can provide help you will improve them as students in your class but also throughout their college experience.  That is why I encourage my students to read Make It Stick.

(2) – Many students have trouble determining how well they are studying.  They spend time, but their studies can be rather random and disorganized.   They seem unable to gauge how well they are doing.  They often do not know they have weaknesses until they show up at a test and cannot answer basic questions.   The old saying that, “You don’t know what you don’t know” certainly seems to apply to some students as they prepare for a class.

(3) – Students are most interested in making learning improvements around test dates.   For a few days, a teacher really can grab their attention.  The frustration that can rise after a test provides fertile ground for suggested changes in study habits.  

I gave a test to my introductory students last week.  Some walked out happy while others didn’t.  I wanted to address those students who were not happy.   Within a few hours, I composed a little 8-question quiz to help them judge how well they were working in my class.  I reminded them of every possible technique that they could use to learn the material.   I wanted to show them what excellent preparation might look like so they could measure themselves against that standard.  I provided a grading scale.  

I want to repeat one of those sentences because I think it is so important.  I wonder how often students are provided with this type of guidance. 

“I wanted to show them what excellent preparation might look like so they could measure 

  themselves against that standard.”  

I am always looking to do things that I have never seen done before.   This one counts. 

I replicated this email and the quiz that I sent to my students below.  For better or worse, this is a very personal list of techniques – they are the ones that I use and recommend for my class.   If you want to do something like this, you will have to design your own quiz questions.   But that is not too hard.  Just answer one question—what would perfect preparation look like in your class?—and you will have an outline for your quiz.  Do notice the grading scale at the bottom of the list.

**

To:  My Introductory Accounting Students

Students often get to the end of the semester in this class and seem puzzled.   “I wanted to make an A but I wound up making a B and I’m not sure why I didn’t make the A.   I would have liked that.”   Or, “I wanted to make a B but I finished with a C and I really don’t like having that C.  I wish I had tried harder.”  

After the semester is over, those reflections are useless.   I would really like for you to consider where your work is heading right now.  I developed a quiz to help you score yourself as a measure of what grade you are trying to make in this class.   Take it.   Compute the grade.   See where you seem to be going and whether you like that (since you still have time to improve).  Be honest.   The truth is good for you.

(1) – How many classes have you missed so far this semester?

--If your answer is zero or one, then that is GREAT.   You gain more by being in class than in any other single experience.  There is no substitute for being here, being part of the discussion.

--If your answer is two, then that is GOOD.

--If your answer is more than two, then that needs IMPROVEMENT.

(2) – On the first day of the semester, I suggested that you spend at least one hour getting ready for each upcoming class.  I think for an introductory class that meets three times each week, that is a good goal.  How often do you spend at least one hour getting ready for an upcoming class?

--If your answer is virtually every class (90 percent of the classes), then that is GREAT.   Nothing beats spending the time to get ready for class.   Many students look for short cuts but they are fooling themselves.   Whether it is sports or class, you need to invest serious time in preparation.

--If your answer is most of the time (75 to 90 percent of the classes), then that is GOOD.

--If your answer is less than 75 percent of the time, then that needs IMPROVEMENT.

(3) – On the first day of the semester, I suggested that you spend 30 minutes reviewing each class and getting the knowledge organized.  My recommendation was that you do that within 24 hours after the class.  How often do you spend 30 minutes reviewing each class within 24 hours?

--If your answer is virtually every class (90 percent of the classes), then that is GREAT.   Knowledge seeps out of the brain very quickly if not reinforced and organized.  The book Make It Stick emphasizes that over and over.

--If your answer is most of the time (75 to 90 percent of the classes), then that is GOOD.

--If your answer is less than 75 percent of the time, then that needs IMPROVEMENT.

(4) – How many times have you come to my office to ask a question or get a clarification?  

--If your answer is three times or more, then that is GREAT.  Successful students recognize when they need help and go get it right then.  The material is hard.  You are not in this battle alone.

--If your answer is one or two times, then that is GOOD.

--If your answer is none, then that needs IMPROVEMENT.

(5) – I have sent out a number of email practice problems almost immediately after our class sessions, often with answers attached.   How frequently have you worked those questions within 48 hours of receiving them?

--If your answer is virtually every time (let’s say 90 percent), then that is GREAT.   This gives you a chance for a review immediately after class to make sure you picked up the key points in class. 

--If your answer is most of the time (75 to 90 percent), then that is GOOD.

--If your answer is less than 75 percent of the time, then that needs IMPROVEMENT.

(6) – You have received PowerPoint flash cards as an organized learning tool.   Each chapter has about 90 of those cards with a whole lot of learning activities set up in a logical sequence.   Which of the following best describes your use of the PowerPoint flash cards?

--If your answer is that you went through at least half of the cards for each chapter as the material was being covered, then that is GREAT.   I developed these cards specifically for this course and they should help you learn the material in an efficient manner.  They supplement our class coverage.

--If your answer is that you went through them in the days right before the second test as a review technique, then that is GOOD.

--If your answer is that you largely ignored the Power Point flash cards, then that needs IMPROVEMENT.

(7) – On virtually every page of the textbook, there is a Test Yourself question to help you make sure you comprehended what you had just read.   What percent of those Test Yourself questions did you work as you read the chapter?

--If your answer is that you did 2/3 or more of the Test Yourself questions as you read the chapter, then that is GREAT.   Again, as Make It Stick talks about, reading and then immediately practicing is a great learning technique.

--If your answer is that you did not pay much attention to them while reading but looked at 50 percent or more as a review for the second test, then that is GOOD.

--If your answer is that you did not pay much attention to the Test Yourself question, then that needs IMPROVEMENT.

(8) – I sent out answers to the multiple-choice problems and true-false questions at the end of each textbook chapter.   How much time did you spend answering these questions and checking your answers?

--If your answer is that you worked half or more of those multiple-choice and true-false questions by the time we finished the chapter or shortly thereafter, that is GREAT.   Again, this work gives you another way to check the knowledge you are learning as well as a practice technique.

--If your answer is that you worked half or more of those questions right before the second test, then that is GOOD.

--If you pretty much ignored the end of chapter problems and questions, then that needs IMPROVEMENT.

GRADING.  

Give yourself 2 points for every GREAT answer.

Give yourself 1 point for every GOOD answer.

Give yourself 0 points for every needs IMPROVEMENT answer.

Sum up the points.

If you scored 13 or more points, then I would assume that you are working to make an A.   You might not make it but you are doing the right things.  I am not at all unhappy with your preparation.

If you scored 7 to 12 points on this little quiz, then I would assume that you are working to make a B.   You are definitely working but you are not pushing yourself to an “Outstanding” level.  There is more you can and probably should do.

If you scored 0 to 6 points, you are probably praying that you will make a C.   There is nothing wrong with that but you should be honest with yourself about your goals.

Obviously, this is just guesswork on my part but it does give you a way to measure your effort and your ambition to do well in this course. 

If you want to do better on the third test, move your quiz grade up as quickly as possible.  Shoot to get 13 points.