Enhancing Teaching and Learning through Metacognition Reflections

1. Reflections on Metacognition as a Consistent Theme in Teaching and Learning Programs at IU Bloomington The Role of Metacognition in Teaching Geoscience Carleton College, Northfield, MN Thursday, 20th November 2008 Simon Brassell Geological Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405 simon@indiana.edu

2. Campus Programs • Scholarship of Teaching & Learning: • SOTL presentations & funded programs: discussions, workshops, toolboxes - a forum for pedagogy and student learning • Freshman Learning Program: • FLP - a two-week workshop for tenured faculty on teaching strategies, with an emphasis on large introductory classes

3. SOTL - Presentations • Topics linked to Metacognition: • How do Students use Textbooks? • Jacobs: structured cooperative learning, and evaluation of textbook usage • Dimensions of Teaching • Bernstein: evidence of student learning documented using course portfolios • How People Learn: Cognitive Psychology • Bransford: flexibility and need for training

4. SOTL - Presentations • Topics linked to Metacognition: • The Study Study - A Student Survey • Kurz & Perry: what IU students really do (or don’t) to support their learning • Innovations in Testing - Team Exams • Schlegel: group dynamics in project learning - individuals versus teams • Collaborative Learning - Student Voice • Duffy & Osman: valued practice but sharing opinions rather than reasoning

5. Metacognition • Breadth of Approaches & Challenges: • Understanding Context of Learning • Student habits, activities, and perceptions • Classroom Interventions & Assessments • Impacts on learning - covert and overt • Varied Learning Styles and Motivation • Evolution from novice to expert • Scaffolding to encourage thoughtfulness • Necessity of Reflection for Deep Learning

6. SOTL - Personal Role • Engagement beyond Presentations: • Course Portfolio Initiative • Evidence and reflections on teaching for peer review (Pew project) • Benchmark: snapshot of learning • Enquiry: longitudinal studies focused on assessment of changes in student learning associated with a classroom intervention • Self-Reflection • “The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our students, but in ourselves…”

7. FLP - Components • Focus - Decoding the Disciplines: • Misconceptions & Bottlenecks • Identification of barriers to learning from both student and faculty perspectives • Disciplinary Cultures • Practices that define individual subjects - signature pedagogies, teacher expectations • Modeling Expert Thinking • Deconstructing tasks to identify discrete steps that can lead to understanding

8. FLP - Components • Focus on Decoding the Disciplines: • Practicing lessons with FLP Faculty • Experience as a novice learner • Motivation & Intellectual Development • Development of activities that encourage students to adopt an expert approach • Classroom Assessment Techniques • Approaches to measuring student learning and encouraging self-recognition of conceptual understanding

10. Reflections • Metacognition: A Critical Learning Tool • Learner-Centered, Instructor-Facilitated • Pathways for optimizing student reflection • Evaluation and reinforcement of practices • Pragmatism and Application • Strategies for effective learning • Assessment of development of new skills • Inclusive and Pervasive Challenges • Build scaffolding to develop and reinforce metacognitive skills across learning styles and throughout curricula