Teaching shouldn't be so hard! On a basic level, the teaching and learning enterprise is built upon two conditional assurances.
- Teachers want to know that if they teach students, then students will work to learn the material.
- Students want to know that if they do the work, then they will be rewarded with good grades.
When these assurances aren't met, then teaching and learning become unnecessarily complicated.
The Metacognitive Toolkit provides tactics educators can use with their instruction to improve student performance and position students for broad academic success.
You've been invited to take a quick tour of this resource. Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
Comments 6
This looks to be an excellent and timely resource as we head into summer planning for next fall and winter classes. This is very well designed and written for quick tips and ideas, useful from the start to the finish of one’s courses.
Look forward to seeing the full document soon.
Author
Thanks Gregory! The resource is complete. (I actually completed last spring, just as COVID was hitting.) I have used it during faculty training and consulting projects. It has been very well received by faculty and has achieved the intended outcomes.
Calibrated questions demonstrate excellent questioning techniques for discussion and assessment. By helping students realize the type of cognitive operation that a question requires, students learn not only the content at a higher level but also the nuanced levels and types of thinking itself.
Author
Very insightful comment! Well-meaning educators press themselves to cover “all” of the content out of a sense of responsibility. As one chemistry professor told me, “I have to cover everything because they may need to know something on the MCAT.” But he changed his tune once he understood that if he could never adequately prepared students for the MCAT. But if he helped students think like a chemist, then they will be able to think their way through future questions and situations they may face. Content is important, but if we teach students how to think, they can learn deeper, better and faster.
Approachable content and straightforward steps faculty can take to help students increase their understanding and application of metacognitive skills for deeper learning. I see application here for tutoring as well.
Author
Thanks Elise! Faculty really like the resource, love the results even more!