Meeting The Challenge Learning’s Not Memorizing??

1. Meeting The ChallengeLearning’s Not Memorizing?? Helping Our Students Discover What Learning Is Carolyn Hopper

2. Our concept of LEARNING is not the same concept most of our students have.

3. A Student Success Course is an ideal place to help students discover what learning really is

4. Goals for Session • Participates should be able to explain the learning process to their students. • Participants will analyze how the learning process is modeled in student success courses. • Participants will create models for processing learning for topics they teach and a sample model for a topic in a content area.

5. Modeling the Learning Process James Zull.The Art of Changing the Brain (Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing,2002)

6. 4 Basic Functions of Brain • Getting Information • Making Meaning of Information • Creating New Ideas • Acting on Those Ideas

7. Learner Begins as Receiver of Knowledge

8. Gathering takes place in the sensory cortex

9. GatheringInformation Enters through Senses • Four things that influence this gathering? • Interest • Intent • Basic Background (prior knowledge) • Understanding

10. This is where most of our students stop. They think their job is done And they are really proud.

11. Learning originates in concrete experience. • Learning dependson experience, but alsorequiresreflection, developing abstractions,andactively testing abstractions. James Zull. The Art of Changing the Brain

12. Most of our students think of learning as synonymous with memorizing. • We need to make our expectations clear and model in the classroom how to achieve the kind of learning we expect.

13. Learning is a Biological Change in the Brain • Learning is not easy. • Building new brain connections requires effort.

14. Brain-based or brain compatible learning is based on how research in neuroscience suggests our brain naturally learns best.

15. 4 Basic Functions of Brain • Getting Information • Making Meaning of Information • Creating New Ideas • Acting on Those Ideas

16. Reassemble • Integrate • Examine • Look for Relevance and Meaning • Search for Connections • Make New Ones

17. Analyzing to Make MeaningREFLECTION • Try to make personal • Try to determine connection to past experiences • Try to discover relevance and usefulness • Try to discover what it's like that we already know.

18. Analyzing takes place in theBackIntegrative cortex

19. So what do we do to help students analyze? Bloom Football example

20. Football • Knowledge • Comprehension • Application • Analysis • Synthesis • Evaluation

21. 4 Basic Functions of Brain • Getting Information • Making Meaning of Information • Creating New Ideas • Acting on Those Ideas

22. CreatingConvert comprehension to • Ideas • Hypothesis • Plans

23. Data is just data until the learner begins to work with it • Understanding is not ownership. • When learners convert comprehension to ideas, hypotheses, plans, actions, Control shifts to learner. .

24. Creating Takes Place in the front integrative cortex

25. 4 Basic Functions of Brain • Getting Information • Making Meaning of Information • Creating New Ideas • Acting on Those Ideas

26. Acting Test Ideas • Writing • Speaking • Drawing • Can you think of other ways?

27. Acting Takes Place in the Motor Cortex

28. Action completes the learning cycle • Ideas need to be tested by writing, speaking or other means. • Learner shifts from receiver to producer of knowledge.

29. Learner becomes Producer of Knowledge

30. As Student Success instructors we have a unique opportunity. Most of the topics we teach already follow this model

31. We need to make students aware of the model So that they can transfer it to content areas • Gathering Information • Analyzing Information • Creating New information • Acting on New information

32. Time Management Critical Thinking Goal Setting Memory Principles Taking Notes Textbook Reading Managing Stress Learning Styles Taking Tests Using Resources Campus Safety Balancing Budget GatheringAnalyzingCreatingActing

33. Time Management • Gather Benefits and principles of scheduling, how much time to allow for each class, ways to save time • Analyze • Analyze use of time with log • Create • Create a Master Schedule • Act • Follow Master Schedule Cycle begins again by making adjustment to Master Schedule

34. Critical Thinking • Gather • Information about Blooms Taxonomy • Information about decision making • Analyze • Examples of each level of Bloom’s taxonomy • Decisions you need to make • Create • Test questions at each level • Plan for making decision • Act • Study using questions from higher order skills,find actual questions on tests you have taken • Follow plan for decision

35. Goal Setting • Gather • Why set goals,elements of useful goals, guidelines to follow in setting goals • Analyze • Areas of your life themes that goals might take • Where do you really want to be • Create • You tried to determine what you must do in order to reach your destination • Act • Write useful goals for different areas of your life • Break goals into smaller shorter term goal Take first step Gather information necessary to reach goal.

36. We want to be sure that students can also apply the process to content areas

37. Memory Principles • Gather • Analyze • Create • Act

38. Taking Notes • Gather • Analyze • Create • Act

39. Reading Textbooks • Gather • Analyze • Create • Act

40. Managing Stress • Gather • Analyze • Create • Act

41. Learning Styles • Gather • Analyze • Create • Act

42. Taking Tests • Gather • Analyze • Create • Act

43. Using Resources • Gather • Analyze • Create • Act

44. Campus Safety • Gather • Analyze • Create • Act

45. Balancing Budget • Gather • Analyze • Create • Act

46. Lesson in Content Area • Gather • Analyze • Create • Act

47. Contact information • Dr. Carolyn Hopper • Middle Tennessee State University • chopper@mtsu.edu • http://www.mtsu.edu/~studskl/ Practicing College Learning Strategies, 4th ed Houghton Mifflin,2007. (Cengage) (5th edition coming out in time for fall classes) To preorder a complimentary copy, request one at end of session.