Helping students help themselves
Marilla Svinicki
Educational Psychology
The University of Texas at Austin
Where do students need help?
Decreasing their focus on memorization
 Increasing their self-regulation strategies
 Increasing and focusing their own motivation
 Recognizing the need for transfer

Instructional problem:
Emphasis on memorization
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“I studied so hard and thought
I knew everything. How could
I get a C?”
“Could you post all the notes
on the website?”
“What’s the right answer?”
Students don’t have
the same definitions
of learning that we
do.
What does it mean to understand?
Put a concept in your own terms?
 Give your own examples?
 Apply the concept to new situations?

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Understand the structure of a concept and
how it relates to other concepts.
Structural knowledge:
the concept map
Self worth
theory
Needs
theory
Expectancy
Value theory
Noncognitive
theories
Cognitive
theories
Attribution
theory
Goal
theory
Self
determination
theory
Drive
theory
M otivation
Why does structure help?5

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It provides organization to memory, which
reduces cognitive load.
It identifies similar concepts for generalization.
It forms the basis for analogical reasoning.
It allows you to fill in gaps by inference.
It allows you to imagine possible realities you
haven’t directly experienced.
A simple comparative organizer
The stimulus is
presented
The stimulus is
removed
The stimulus is
positive
Positive
reinforcement
Punishment
The stimulus is
negative
Punishment
Negative
reinforcement
Example of a cumulative,
comparative organizer
Statistic
When to use
Unit 1
T-test
Comparison of two Which of two
groups
classes is
smarter?
Comparison of
Which of four
three or more
classes is
groups on one
smarter?
dimension
Comparison of two Which of several
or more groups on methods works
two or more
best for different
dimensions
groups?
Unit 2
One way analysis
of variance
Unit 3
Two way analysis
of variance
Example
A generative chart
Columns
Rows
Column 1
Column 2
father
Row 1
sister
Row 2
Next
generation
Applying this to your own situation.

Is there an example of a structural model
of the content that you use in your course?

How can you encourage students to use
or create their own structural
understanding representations?
Instructional Problem:
Poor student self-regulation
How can we help our students
be better learners?
The GAMES model
G oal-oriented learning
A ctive learning
M eaningful learning
E xplanations and learning
S elf-regulation of learning
Goal-oriented learning

Example of good goals for studying
 Be
able to list, define and give my own
example of the key vocabulary in a chapter.
 Be able to solve the problems highlighted in a
chapter without looking at the solution
beforehand.
 Be able to explain how the statistical test
described in this chapter differs from the one
in the previous chapter.
Active learning

Examples of good active learning strategies for
studying:
 Outlining or creating charts to make connections
 Summarizing or paraphrasing sections of the reading
 Working through problems
 Thinking
 Creating
of examples or questions
mental images, metaphors, analogies
 What’s wrong with highlighting?
 What about in your field?
Meaningful learning

Encourage structural understanding
 Making
outlines
 Using concept maps
 Creating comparative organizers
 Drawing flow charts
 Creating a story line for sequences
Explanations and learning

Using peer learning during and outside of
class time
 Face
to face in class group activities
 Online discussion boards or chat rooms
 Contributor FAQs sites
 Reflective journals or blogs with responses
 Identified Audience summary sheets
Self-regulation of learning

What does it involve?
 Self,
task, strategy knowledge
 Self-monitoring, evaluation and correction

Examples of Self-regulation activities
 Students
hand in a critique of own papers.
 Study plans or phased paper writing
 Selection amongst options
Would GAMES work for your
students and your content?

What do you do already that helps your students
become better learners?

How would you adapt GAMES to your classes?

What special learning strategies are particularly
salient for your discipline? (Can you help my
research team?)
Instructional problem:
Misplaced or lack of motivation
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“Will that be on the test?”
“I need an ‘A’ in this class.
What can I do for extra
credit?”
“Just tell me the right
answer.”
Students are too focused
on grades or not focused
at all.
Motivation: Goal Orientation

Four proposed orientations
 Mastery
“I want to learn”
 Approach “I want to succeed”
 Avoidance “I don’t want to fail”
 Strategic effort “I want the biggest bang for
my buck”
Fostering mastery goals
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7
Clear expectations
Focus on personal improvement
Emphasize learning value of errors
Positive support and useful feedback
De-emphasize comparison with others
Allow some personal control over the process
Develop classroom community
Motivation: Self-efficacy for a task

What is it and what effects does it have?

Encouraging accurate self-efficacy
 Past
success
 Present success
 Persuasion through support
 Mindful analysis of learning
Motivation: Value of a task

Where does value come from?
 Utility
 Interest
 Challenge
 Self-determination
 Societal

influences
Why should students learn your content?
How would this apply to you?
Goal
Clear expectations
Personal improvement
Learning from errors
Support and feedback
Diminish comparisons
Allow personal control
Develop community
Support self-efficacy
Convey value of task
Strategy
Instructional problem:
Transfer failure

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“Didn’t you learn how to
do this last semester?”
“That stuff is from the
previous chapter. Do I
have to remember it
now?”
Students fail to make use
of what they already
know, and they forget
everything after the test.
Useful learning theory

Cognitive learning theory
 The
 The
 The

value of activating prior knowledge
need to overcome “situated” learning
need to create a “transfer” mindset
Teaching strategies
 Building on what students know
 Providing lots of varied practice
 Emphasizing mindful learning
 Build in activities that point forward
How would this apply to you?

How do you help students connect?
 What
previously learned content/skills would
be important to remind students of in your
class?
 How do you make the connection between
the present and future uses of content?
A quick review
1.
2.
3.
4.
Foster structural understanding instead
of memorization.
Help students learn to self-regulate.
Cultivate student motivation.
Encourage students to think about
transfer while they’re learning.
Readings about learning
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Bransford, J., Brown, A. and Cocking, R. (1999) How
People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School.
Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Halpern, D. and Hakel, M. (2002) Applying the science of
learning to university teaching and beyond. New
Directions for Teaching and Learning no. 89 San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publisher.
Halpern, D. and Associates (1994) Changing College
Classrooms. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publisher.
Svinicki, M. (2004) Learning and Motivation in
Postsecondary Classrooms. Bolton, MA: Anker Press.