Developing a Mindset for Successful Learning

Stephen L. Chew, PhDDepartment of Psychology

Samford Universityslchew@samford.edu Twitter: @SChewPsych

9th Annual Southeast Regional ADHD Conference January 28, 2017

Goals of this Presentation

• Address common misconceptions about how people learn that undermine achievement

• Explain how people learn– Attention, Metacognition, Deep Processing

• Learn strategies for structuring study time and environment to improve learning effectiveness

Student Beliefs about How People Learn

• Students also base their study behavior based on their models of how people (specifically themselves) learn.• It determines their learning and study behaviors

• To the extent that the model is accurate, students will be effective learners

• If the model is flawed, simplistic, or incomplete, it will undermine their learning effectiveness, achievement, and success

• Most students base their learning strategies on untested assumptions, faulty intuitions, and misconceptions

Student and Instructor Views of Student Readiness for College

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Instructors/ 4 yr Instructors/ 2 yr Students

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% Reporting Gaps in College Preparation

Video Series: How to Get the Most Out of Studying

http://www.samford.edu/how-to-study/

How to Get the Most Out of StudyingWebpage: http://www.samford.edu/how-to-study/

• Introductory Video: Developing a Mindset for Successful Learning

• 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?

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

Fixed vs. Growth Mindset(Carol Dweck)

• Student mindset is his or her attitudes, beliefs, and expectations about learning and the whole academic context – The teacher, course, topic, pedagogy, assessment,

curriculum, major, and school• Fixed Mindset: Ability and aptitude is inborn

and unchangeable• Growth Mindset: Ability and aptitude are a

product of effort and practice

Fixed Intelligence Mindset Response

Growth Intelligence Mindset Response

Challenges Avoid Embrace

Obstacles Give up easily Persist

Tasks requiringeffort Fruitless to Try Path to mastery

Criticism Ignore it Learn from it

Success of Others Threatening Inspirational

Fixed vs. Growth Mindset(Carol Dweck)

Student Messages Reflecting MindsetFixed Mindset

• I’m not good at math (or science, or reading…)

• I’ve always been a good writer

• I’m not smart enough to do well in this.

Growth Mindset

Fixed vs. Growth Feedback

Fixed• “I’m not smart enough to do

this.”

• “I’m not good at math”

• “I’m not a science person“• “This paper shows I’m a

good writer”

Growth• “With the right effort and

help, I’m capable of doing this.”

• “I have to work extra hard at math”

• “I can’t let myself fall behind in science.”

• “I put a lot of work into this paper, and it shows.”

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 Nature of Attention

Attention is like a small spotlight in a darkened room. • The focus of attention is so narrow that we

can’t take in a whole scene at once• Anything that draws attention away from the

critical feature hurts attention• Inattentional blindness and Attentional Blink

Inattentional Blindness

We miss most anything outside our focus of attention, and we are unaware that we missed anything

Inattentional Blindness

Attentional Blink

The Cost of Multi-tasking

The Arithmetic of Distracted Studying

Focused Study Takes 30 Minutes

Distracted StudyTakes 90 minutes

Focused Study gives you 60 Minutes (undistracted) free time

Assuming Distracted Study takes three times longer than Focused Study to achieve the same level of learning

30 Minutes

Turns into90 Minutes Which could

be

30 Minutesof Study

60 Minutes Of Free Time

The Importance of Undivided Attention

• There is NO evidence that multi-tasking is as effective as concentrating on one task at a time

• Good study strategies are effortful, and require full concentration

• Even small distractions significantly reduce learning – Resisting temptation is a distraction

• There is no such thing as a momentarydistraction

Email

The Cost of Distractions

Willpower and Focused Attention

• People believe that willpower allows people to resist temptation

• People with high willpower structure their environment to eliminate temptations and distractions

• Create a study environment with fewest possible distractions

Metacognition

• A student’s awareness of his or her level of understanding of a topic– 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

Typical Student Messages Showing Poor Metacognition

• “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 irony of poor metacognition• Students with 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 improve

study strategies are the ones who don’t believe they need to.

Never judge your learning by the number of hours studied or “feeling”

prepared; judge your learning by testing yourself in a meaningful way

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 learn2. Paying close attention to the material as you

study3. Learning in a way that matches your

personal Learning Style?4. The time you spend studying5. What you think about while studying

Read the instructions for the demonstration to yourselves and do

your best to follow them.

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?

These are orienting tasks that cause you to think in deep or shallow ways, regardless of your intention

Shallow processing: You are focusing on spelling.

Deep processing: You are relating the words to your own meaningful experiences.

Intention vs. Level of Processing

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Shallow: E Checking Deep: Pleasantness Control

% R

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Level of Processing

Intentional Incidental

Which of the following is the MOST important ingredient for successful learning?

1. The intention and desire to learn2. Paying close attention to the material as you

study3. Learning in a way that matches your

personal Learning Style?4. The time you spend studying5. What you think about while studying

Implications for Learning• Learning strategy has a huge impact on

learning• Intention and motivation to learn are not

sufficient– Good intentions cannot overcome bad study

strategies• Attention and amount of study is necessary,

but not sufficient

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

Deep Processing during Note Taking

• Note-taking is NOT about writing down everything the professor says.

• Good note taking does three things: 1) Makes you pay attention and think about

material2) Helps you process information at a deep level to

determine what is critical 3) It creates a personal set of retrieval cues for

critical information

Deep Processing during Reading and Highlighting Text

• Highlight for connected, conceptual understanding– Don’t just highlight key terms– Read first, select key phrases to highlight that

captures meaning.

Note taking and highlighting only help when you use them for review

Nuthall’s “Rule of Three”

For long-term learning to occur:A student needed to encounter, on at least three different occasions, the complete set of information she or he needed to understand a concept. Nuthall(2007, p. 63)• Students must possess all the information needed

to understand a concept. • The information must be encountered on at least

three different occasions. • The information must be fully interpreted and

integrated into working memory on each occasion.

Concept Maps

• Concept Mapping: a graphical representation of a topic with concepts as nodes that are linked together to represent connections

• The value is in the effort and reflection as much as the map itself

Question Generation

• Generate at least three questions over each lecture or each topic you read about

• Aim for higher order questions– How, Why, What if…

• Getting answers is good, but even asking the questions aids learning.

• Easier to do than concept mapping

Practicing Recall and Application

• Close your book and notes and write down or say what you can recall

• Explain it to a classmate or friend• Apply concepts to a novel situation• Try to answer questions about the material

from the book or from other sources• Double check to see what you might have

missed

Other Good Strategies

• Work through examples– If possible, generate your own personal ones– Don’t just memorize them

• Try to anticipate what you might be asked, or use old exams or websites for questions.

• Recall and apply information in a way that matches what your teacher expects you to know.

The Importance of Retrieval Context in Learning

• All new learning is context specific• For best recall, a student should recall

information in the same context the student learned it

• Thus, students should study by retrieving and applying information in the same manner that they will be tested

Intense Study Sessions (ISS)1) Set a Goal (1-2 min)

• Decide what you want to accomplish in your study session

2) Study with Focus (30-50 min)• Eliminate all distractions and temptations• Use deep processing

3) Reward Yourself (3-5 min)• Take a break– call a friend, play a short game, get a

snack4) Review (5 min)

• Go over what you just studied• Recall without looking

Accommodations• Common accommodations for students with ADHD

– Extended testing time– Quiet testing– Note taker

• No evidence that any of these accommodations help learning or performance– Accommodations must be used effectively– Not taking notes can hurt learning

• Students should work to find ways to learn without the accommodations

• Be organized– Use a daily assignment calendar and journal

– Use phone or computer for automatic reminders

– Use a notebook organizing system

– Have a set place for studying/work

• Use word processing rather than handwriting lengthy assignments

• Record lectures for later review

Selected Strategies for College Students with ADHD

(Barkley, 2017)

• Schedule harder classes during peak-performance times each day

• Request test settings that are free of distractions– Use “time off the clock” strategy with extra

time• Engage in brief exercise before exams

– Exercise regularly

Selected Strategies for College Students with ADHD

(Barkley, 2017)

• Make use of all resources– Identify the ADHD or disability specialist in

your school– Use other students as fallback resources– Schedule regular faculty review meetings

• Limit or eliminate caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, or marijuana use

• Manage internet use– possibly have different computers for work and play

Selected Strategies for College Students with ADHD

(Barkley, 2017)

For Further Reading

10 Principles of Successful Learning1. Your level of understanding is a direct result of how hard you

prepare. 2. There are effective and ineffective ways to prepare. 3. You have to master the basics before moving on to more complex

skills. 4. Overconfidence should be avoided at all costs5. Effective preparation requires your total focus; no distractions6. Successful learning requires planning ahead 7. Feedback helps you get better8. Recognize and take advantage of prime learning opportunities 9. Improvement involves dealing with challenges, difficulty, and

uncertainty 10. Find the pleasure or value in what you are studying in order to do

your best

Take Home Message• Described common misconceptions that

undermine learning• Described cognitive principles of learning

– Metacognition, attention, deep processing

• Discussed how to put these principles into practice

• Gave you a resource for further information about effective study skills

Thank you! Questions?

Stephen L. Chewslchew@Samford.edu