1. While looking at Bloom’s taxonomy, I too was looking at what we want to accomplish for student learning in our courses. I generally outline the class objectives in the first slide of power point (PP) lecture notes, and then go in to details in later slides. The students are given the PP prior to class for their review. It is anticipated that they will come to class and ask questions if they don’t understand or if there is something different in the book. The one down fall is that most of the students;  a) don’t open Blackboard and review the slides and b) don’t do the reading, to come to class prepared. They try to get it from their friends.
2. I agree that Bloom’s work can promote independent learning, but if they don’t read the book or notes to get acquainted for the day’s subject matter, and don’t take notes in class, they will not have anything to create, evaluate, analyze etc. and remember, and learn something.
3. The study cycle proposed by McGuire can be useful, but we will have to reinforce the value of it for them to understand that their learning experience is not as laborious as they think.
4. I think that the students need to be shown these techniques early in class through our introduction in future semesters. We must be sure that they take notes to supplement the other information and check that they are doing it. We have to break the cycle of “I want it now and fast” like they do in social media. They think they will learn when they get a real job, but they are in for a rude awakening. They need to commit to true learning and not to get through a class.

Bloom’s Taxonomy is definitely a great strategic way to help learn for students and teachers. I did not expect such successful outcomes, which surprised me for sure. I think it is important to layout what the point of a class in in the very beginning. I make sure to do this in my syllabus, and constantly remind my students this. This creates a great result because it helps everyone focus on the goal and having a goal really helps achieve more. I believe that this not only works for a group of students in a classroom but also just one individual. This book has it all laid out on how to start and finish to successfully learn and so this can be beneficial for a student to grasp on. I like the study cycle because it is very simply planned out. It is very clear and obvious to following instructions on studying makes sense. This is definitely a great guide for students to follow because unfortunately a lot of students do not know how to study and where to start. This gives them a push and initiative on what to do. I think that to meet our goal of increasing retention 5-10% we need to get students to not only learn how to study, but to learn as well. It is crucial to learn something before you study it because learning is more long term and effective while studying without anything learned is something that stays with one for a short period of time.

1. After mapping course objectives to Blooms taxonomy, the surprising thing to me was that I had to re-evaluate exactly what I was looking to accomplish in class.  I also like to write the objectives on the board in the beginning of class and talk about them.  I think it helps everyone in the room focus on what the goals of the day are.
2. Use of Bloom’s model can promote independent learning by students by helping them identify how they are to use new information.
3. McGuire’s Study Cycle seems obvious, but I think we all need reminders on how to do a task appropriately and completely.
4. I think we can meet our retention goal increase of 5-10% starting in the fall by focusing on teaching our students how to learn.  This will set them up for success in any course and they need to learn these skills are early on as possible.

1. Are your students at the associates or baccalaureate level?

I have students at both levels.

2. Do you use different strategies for each level?

I generally use the same strategy for both levels, but I give the bachelor students more additional readings to spark their interest in the subject at a higher level. I do give them key terms in both classes so that they can have a ready reference to the subject matter if they can’t find it quickly in the text or notes. I do use case studies of actual situations to let them see that they must resarch an answer before they say something.

3. What is Metacognition  and what concept from the chapter resonates with you and why?

I believe that metacognition is making the students aware that  they can think for themselves and not rely on their telephones and the internet. They have to learn that the text or power points contain the basic principals of a lecture, but they must learn to take notes to supplement that information. In this manner, if they don’t understand the concept, they can come to class prepared to ask questions. I always state that they should not be afraid to ask questions they may think are “stupid” , since there may be others in the class that have the same question but are afraid to ask. They  have to think of what they are doing not rely on their friends.

4. What other factors might influence student learning?

Students must learn to communicate through the spoken word (face to face) and not rely on the internet, computer or social media. Since they don’t talk to each other it is hard for them to pose a similar or different view of a subject. I just had a situation where half the class got a homework wrong because they copied from one another and did not proof read what they copied. They even copied the misspelled words and dates, and that’s how I caught them. They tried to change the font and that didn’t work. The exercise was to recall the dates and subjects of all the information I issued during the semester (notes, tests, homework, case studies etc.) in chronological order. It was meant to teach them that they have to keep all information at the ready, in case they were called upon to prepare a report, a common occurrence in the business world.

1. Are your students at the associates or baccalaureate level?

Associates Level

2. Do you use different teaching strategies for associate level students than for baccalaureate level students? Why or why not?

If I were teaching both levels – I would probably employ the same teaching strategies. However, for the baccalaureate level students, already exposed the metacognition in the associates level, at the start of each semester, after the first meeting with the students – I would require each one to email me what in their opinion is their learning strategy and why? Then with this information I will help them to continue to excel through strategies that inspires them to be proactive learners.

3. What is metacognition and what concept from the chapter resonates with you and why? (identify the page number)

Metacognition is the process of becoming consciously aware of oneself as a problem solver. This shift in thinking enables the individual to actively seek solutions to any problem they may encounter, rather than relying on others to tell them what to do or to answer their questions.

I was especially drawn to the concept at the top of page 26; “if we do not take the time to discover what our students already know and help them relate what they are learning to their prior knowledge, then they cannot learn in the most effective ways”.

This concept reinforces the principle that learning is effective when new information is absorbed and processed in relation what is already known and understood.

4. What are other factors that might influence student learning?

Some factors that may influence student learning are as follows;

1. Encouraging students to freely express what they “hear” from lectures and as instructors taking the time to listen with intention to their expressions.
2. Help the students to engage with process and apply the information.

5. How can metacognition help us towards our goal of increasing retention 5-10% starting in the fall?

Metacognition can help us, help the students to implement learning strategies that work for them. Students will;

1. Now be aware of the actions (monitor, plan, control) they need to take to improve their learning – they will learn to take responsibility for their learning.
2. Identify ways to organize new information by relating that information to old ideas.
3. Understand the material instead of just memorizing it.

1.     Are your students at the associates or baccalaureate level?

Both of them

2.     Do you use different teaching strategies for associate level students than for baccalaureate level students? Why or why not?

Usually, I don’t differentiate those levels during the teaching process, I track the student responses one to one to better understand their inclinations, strengths, and weaknesses.

3.     What is metacognition and what concept from the chapter resonates with you and why? (identify the page number)

I think metacognition is a reflective approach to frame self-awareness, with a focus on the process of understanding knowledge, seeing from a broader range to understand it as a whole. 

On Page 17 when a student submits something with enthusiasm and after reviewing it turn out to be not that good after all.

4.     What are other factors that might influence student learning?

I often sense when the students are overwhelmed when they are given new information, that causes a sudden stop in the learning process. I feel the need to break that pattern when I see it because the learning process will be compromised otherwise.

5.     How can metacognition help us towards our goal of increasing retention 5-10% starting in the fall?

Using the tools, and or creating a strategy to dissect the problems to identify why they have been assigned, behind this response usually transpires what they really need to learn.

1. Are your students at the associates or baccalaureate level?

Both levels.

2. Do you use different teaching strategies for associate level students than for baccalaureate level students? Why or why not?

Dissimilar nature of courses I teach demands different approaches. My associate level course is more focused on fundamentals, in contrast to the design-intensive course I teach in BTech.

3. What is metacognition and what concept from the chapter resonates with you and why?

Metacognition (MC) is thinking about thinking process, or simply, MC is self-awareness of thought process. Learners with metacognative awareness can better monitor, control, and assess their learning process, and hence become active-learners, and eventually self-learners.

The metacognative exercise on counting vowels was an interesting reminder to show: “we see only what we are looking for”, and easily can miss (or, deliberately filter out) other patterns, or information. Also, there is a line in the chapter that goes like this: “…it is absolutely not about what we say to our students, it’s about how they hear it.” It is very critical to constantly remind ourselves, and our students how open-mindedly we should see, hear, or in general perceive any sort of knowledge.

4. What are other factors that might influence student learning?

I hope forthcoming chapters will help us to get a more intimate knowledge on metacognition and how it impacts learning process in more details.

1. Are your students at the associates or baccalaureate level?  Both
2. Do you use different teaching strategies for associate level students than for baccalaureate level students? Why or why not?  I don’t differentiate between the two levels.  Many of my students are freshman and need the same level of approach.
3. What is metacognition and what concept from the chapter resonates with you and why? (identify the page number)  Metacognition is essentially thinking about thinking.  The topic brings to the foreground the question of how engaged a student is in their own learning processes.  Active learning, as described on page 26, is a concept that is key to guiding students towards taking responsibility for the benefits they get from class, or ‘how much they will get out of it’.  Encouraging students to take a step back, assess their role in learning, and start to question how they learn best, which strategies work for them and which do not, can be an important tool in changing their narrative from passive to active.  Helping students understand how the concepts learned in class can be applied in real life can be critical in starting this process.  I find my students are engaged most when discussing real life applications and what type of job they are looking for.  I also frame the lecture as learning ‘tools’, which I find is helpful when students feel stuck.  Each class the students add to a list of tools they have learned, which is summarized in the presentation, and thus have at their fingertips a toolkit for solving problems.  When they are stuck, first I point out that I am there for questions but that I also use F1 and look up problems online, then I point them to our list of tools and ask which one might help solve the problem.
4. What are other factors that might influence student learning?  As also described on page 26, students relate the information we relay to them back to their own personal experiences.  Hence, each student brings something unique to the learning environment.  Likewise, each student has their own challenges that they bring to the equation.  I’ve had several students that are faced with personal issues that add difficulty to their performance in class in the form of distraction or being absent.  These issues are obviously paramount for the student compared to learning how to draw or read plans, which is what I am trying to teach them in class.  It is important to be empathetic towards these issues, while helping the student find a path forward where they can take care of their personal needs while meeting their goals academically/professionally.
5. How can metacognition help us towards our goal of increasing retention 5-10% starting in the fall?  I found the reading very exciting because I’ve seen in my classroom, especially with freshman, that personal habits and approaches to learning have a significant impact on the student’s performance.  Introducing students to metacognition and these basic strategies could have a tremendous impact in helping students develop the personal tools they need to be successful, especially those that are struggling.

1.     Are your students at the associates or baccalaureate level?

My two courses are freshmen and sophomore level classes and apply to both degrees.

2.     Do you use different teaching strategies for associate level students than for baccalaureate level students? Why or why not?

I use the same teaching strategies for both degree levels because 1) I don’t know the pathway that the students are in 2) many of the students are unsure of the level they want to pursue

3.     What is metacognition and what concept from the chapter resonates with you and why?

Metacognition is “the ability to think about one’s own thinking, be consciously aware of oneself as a problem solver, monitor, plan, and control one’s mental processing, and accurately judge one’s level of learning” (p. 17).  For students to be aware of themselves as a problem solver, monitor, and planner is an imperative skill.  Being self-aware of their learning, learning style allows them to become self-advocates.  They can understand what tools they may need in order to become more successful students and can ask for help, permitting more personal control, responsibility and confidence in their learning process.

4.     What are other factors that might influence student learning?

Other factors that influence student learning can be their socio-economic status, family obligations, race and culture, gender, and previous exposure to the subject matter.

5.     How can metacognition help us towards our goal of increasing retention 5-10% starting in the fall?

It’s important that students become aware of what type of learning and teaching best suits them.  We can provide our students with additional resources to best cater to those learning styles.  Also, students who understand that we want them to succeed will also feel more supported in our classrooms.

Do you use different teaching strategies for associate level students than for baccalaureate level students? Why or why not? The students that take surveying I are typically in their first or second year working towards either an associates or a bachelors degree. Because surveying I is an introductory course most of the students will not have had any prior experience so the playing field is level.

What is metacognition and what concept from the chapter resonates with you and why? Metacognition is being aware of the difference between active learning and passive studying and knowing how to get students to become active learners. (p.26)

What are other factors that might influence student learning?
Access to resources such as the internet from home so that students may check blackboard for assignments and other lecture materials.

How can metacognition help us towards our goal of increasing retention 5-10% starting in the fall?
By using teaching strategies that require active participation in the classroom rather than just lecturing, such as asking the students to paraphrase what you have said. This provides feedback to the teacher and the students that allows them to assess their own strategies.