Using Metacognition to Effect an
Extreme Academic Makeover
Different Strokes for Different Folks
Saundra Y. McGuire, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Academic Success
Adj. Professor, Department of Chemistry
Louisiana State University
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled,
but a fire to be ignited." -Plutarch
NCLCA
Award
2004 National College Learning Center Association
Frank L. Christ Outstanding Learning Center Award
The General Approach
 Providing Data on the Impact of Using
Metacognitive Strategies
 Reflecting on the “gap”
 Defining metacognition
 Discussing Levels of Learning
(Bloom’s Taxonomy)
 Presenting Metacognitive Strategies
 Discussing Motivational Strategies
Before and After
Travis, junior psychology student
47, 52, 82, 86
Robert, freshman chemistry student
42, 100, 100, 100
Michael, senior pre-med organic student
30, 28, 80, 91
Miriam, freshman calculus student
37.5, 83, 93
Charles, junior mathematics major
GPA 1.8 cum, 4.0 (S 08)
More Before and After
Chemistry 2001
Test 1
Test 2
Test 3
Final
Class
Average Student 1 Student 2 Student 3 Student 4
76
65
67
70
83
52
67
65
46
55
72
61
68
68
65
78
107
88
88
90
Date of Final Exam:
December 14, 2005
Meeting with Student No. 1:
December 12, 2005
Meeting with Student Nos. 2 & 4:
December 2, 2005
Meeting with Student No. 3:
December 8, 2005
The final was worth 100 points with a 10 bonus question.
Al’s Cumulative Exam Record
Pursuing Ph.D. in Chemistry
2004 – 2005
9/04
2005 – 2006
Failed
10/05 Passed
10/04 Failed
11/04 Failed
12/04 Failed
11/05 Failed
Began work
with CAS in
October 2005
12/05 Passed best in group
1/06
Passed
1/05
Passed
2/06
Passed
2/05
Failed
3/06
Failed
3/05
Failed
4/06
Passed last one!
4/05
Failed
5/06
N/A
Presidential Recognition
White House Oval Office
November 16, 2007
Reflection
What is the difference between…
studying
Work
Short-term
Have to…
Difficult
What
and
learning?
Fun
Long-term
Want to…
Enjoyable
Why? How? What if?
Which is more enjoyable?
Metacognition
Metacognition
The ability to:
think about thinking
be consciously aware of oneself as a
problem solver
to monitor and control one’s mental
processing
Learning Levels:
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Making decisions and supporting views; requires understanding of values and judging the
validity of ideas or quality of work based on a set of criteria and profound understanding of the
discipline. Key Ideas: Judge, Critique, Justify, Recommend, Criticize, Assess, Disprove, Rate, Resolve
Evaluation
Synthesis
Analysis
Combining information to form a unique product, requires creativity and originality. Key Ideas:
Create, new thesis or concept, Design, Hypothesize, Invent, Develop, Compose, Estimate, Theorize,
Elaborate, Test Improve, Invent, Originate
Identifying components; determining arrangement, logic, and semantics. Key Ideas: Analyze,
Categorize, Compare, Contrast, Separate, Dissect, Simplify, Theme, Motive, Inference
Application
Using information to solve problems; transferring abstract or theoretical ideas to
practical situations. Identifying connections and relationships and how they apply. Key Ideas:
What if? Use, Compute, Solve, Demonstrate, Apply, Construct, Build, Experiment with, Solve
Comprehension
Knowledge
Restating in your own words; paraphrasing, summarizing, translating. Key Ideas:
Why, How, Explain, Summarize, Paraphrase, Describe, Illustrate, Compare, Contrast,
Interpret, Classify, Outline, Map, Rephrase, Infer
Memorizing information verbatim, but not necessarily understanding the material.
Key Ideas: What, Remember, List, Label, State, Define, Choose, Find, Label, Select,
Match
This pyramid depicts the different levels of thinking we use when learning.
Notice how each level builds on the foundation that precedes it. It is
required that we learn the lower levels before we can effectively use the
skills above.
Creating
Making judgments based on
criteria and standards through
checking and critiquing.
Evaluating
Applying
Understanding
Retrieving, recognizing,
and recalling relevant
knowledge from
long-term memory.
Constructing meaning from
oral, written, and graphic
messages through
interpreting, exemplifying,
classifying, summarizing,
inferring, comparing, and
explaining.
High School
Carrying out or using a
procedure through executing,
or implementing.
Breaking material into
constituent parts,
determining how the
parts relate to one
another and to an
overall structure .
Undergraduate
Analyzing
Putting elements together to
form a coherent or functional
whole; reorganizing elements
into a new pattern or structure
through generating,
planning, or producing.
Graduate School
Bloom’s
Taxonomy
Remembering
http://www.odu.edu/educ/llschult/blooms_taxonomy.htm
Example
~ Bloom’s Levels of Learning ~
Applied to Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Evaluation
Judge whether Goldilocks was good or bad. Defend
your opinion.
Synthesis
Propose how the story would be different if it were
Goldilocks and the Three Fish.
Analysis
Compare this story to reality. What events could not
really happen.
Application
Demonstrate what Goldilocks would use if she came
to your house.
Comprehension
Explain why Goldilocks liked Baby Bear’s chair the
best.
Knowledge
List the items used by Goldilocks while she was in the
Bears’ house.
Courtesy of http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/brisas/sunda/litpack/BloomsCriticalThinking_files/v3_document.htm
Counting
Vowels
How ACCURATE are you?
The Study Cycle (Part I-III)
A “Work-Out System” for your Brain
Step 1
I
10 min
Step 2
Class
Time
Step 3
10 min
Preview
Attend &
Participate
Review
II
Intense Study Sessions
20-75 minutes
III
Weekly Review
Intense Study Session
(Part II)
(The “Power Hour” )
2 minutes
Set a goal for the next 60 minutes
50 minutes
Study with ACTION and FOCUS
Read your text, highlight, fill in your notes with more
detail, create mnemonics, create maps, predict test
questions, practice recall…
10 minutes
5 minutes
Take a break
Review what you have just studied
Now begin your next study session with another goal!
Work in 2-4 sessions each day. (Make them shorter if necessary)
Time and Big Rocks*
Is this jar full?
What if we fill it to
the top with small rocks…
would it be full?
What if we fill it to
the top with sand…
would it be full?
What if we fill it to
the top with water…
would it be full?
The question is this:
What is the “moral of the story” when it comes to time management?
*from Stephen Covey
Time Tools
Semester Calendar
Weekly Planning
Master To Do List
Approaches for Different Groups*
 Underrepresented Minority and Women Students
More emphasis on confidence and self-efficacy
Added emphasis on higher level learning skills
 High Performing Students (including minority students)
More emphasis on need to reflect and change behaviors
 Graduate and Professional Students
Emphasis on higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy and
critical reading and thinking
*Many exceptions to these generalizations!
Final Note
Please visit our website at
www.cas.lsu.edu
We have on-line workshops and
information that teach more effective
learning strategies. We wish your
students an enjoyable learning journey!
Dr. Saundra McGuire
Resources
Bruer, John T. , 2000. Schools For Thought: A Science of Learning in the
Classroom. MIT Press.
Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., Cocking, R.R. (Eds.), 2000. How people learn:
Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington, DC: National Academy
Press.
Cromley, Jennifer, 2000. Learning to Think, Learning to Learn: What the
Science of Thinking and Learning Has to Offer Adult Education. Washington,
DC: National Institute for Literacy.
Ellis, David, 2006. Becoming a Master Student*. New York: Houghton-Mifflin.
Taylor, S. (1999). Better learning through better thinking: Developing students’
metacognitive abilities. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 30(1), 34ff.
Retrieved November 9, 2002, from Expanded Academic Index ASAP.
http://academic.pg.cc.md.us/~wpeirce/MCCCTR/metacognition.htm
Zull, James (2004). The Art of Changing the Brain. Sterling, VA: Stylus
Publishing.