Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “Frontpage Article”
My students just aren’t motivated. If my students had the drive of other students, then they would be much better students. These statements epitomize the most frequent comments I’ve heard from educators (college and high school). While I don’t fully agree with their premise — that motivation alone will solve students’ academic problems, I know it helps. Daniel Pink’s Drive: …
You’ve undoubtedly seen one of the many versions of the Think Global, Act Local bumper stickers. The tagline is a crafty rallying cry that reminds people to consider the health of the entire planet, but to take action in their communities. The simple slogan is brilliant, as it communicates a problem that can seem overwhelming in an empowering way. It’s convincing …
Many college students will face a “day of reckoning.” This is a period in their academic experience when the weight of their academic shortcomings nearly crushes them. That day for some is when their study routine generates C’s instead of A’s. For others it is when they are placed on academic probation, dismissed from a program or worse. These are …
Good habits are painstakingly hard to establish, and bad ones are even harder to break. Recent neuroscience findings have made the process of habit development much clearer, and the prospects of changing habits easier. Trying to change a habit that we can easily observe, such as watching too much T.V., can be challenging. But cognitive habits (or habits of thought) are …
It’s here! Promising pioneering research that may forever change how we view student learning, measure their performance and provide assistance. Recent habit formation studies conducted by researchers at MIT, Duke, Rutgers and other researchers throughout the world have provided a deeper understanding for why students struggle in school. The LearnWell Projects has taken this research that is rooted in cognitive, neurological …
Improving students’ metacognitive skills makes abstract thinking visible. Visible problems are much easier to dissect, diagnose and solve. In essence, by helping students develop their metacognitive skills, we provide them a broadly applicable framework for learning. There is nothing like a useful framework. Frameworks provide structure to abstract ideas and processes. For example, during the home construction process, contractors transform abstract …
Tutors provide a valuable point-of-contact service for their institutions. Tutor reports must extend beyond merely reporting the number of students who receive tutoring, quantity of tutor sessions, and other basic information. Metacognitive peer tutors generate indispensable data that can be used to enhance learning center programs and practices, and to inform institutional instruction. For example, students often feel as if they …
Successful students take ownership of their learning. While some fear that students owning their learning may be too much responsibility, this article shows that it can actually lead to freedom. When I was a freshman college football player, I was placed on the depth chart behind another player who was the coaching staff’s crown jewel recruit. This player heralded from a …
Part two of A Metacognitive Tutoring Model, included an example of locating and clarifying a problem in which the students’ underlying problem was an insufficient understanding of the task. This article shares an additional example of locating and clarifying a students’ note-taking problem. One hallmark outcome of metacognitive tutoring is an increase in students’ knowledge of the critical role that metacognitive …
Part one of A Metacognitive Tutoring Model, provided an overview of the program. This article starts our exploration of key elements of metacognitive tutoring with locating and clarifying problems in student learning. Think about the last time you had a problem with your vehicle. If you’re like most of us, your car stopped making the noise or handling errantly when you …
