; ap ll organizational strategies for basic learning tasks, such as grouping or ordering to-be-learned items from a list or a section of prose. An example of an academic task using. this strategy would be organizing | Declaration of Independence. academic task using this strategy would be outlining assigned chapters inthe textbook, or creating a diagram to | show the relationship among the stress forces in a structural design, = oft] Sh eo en ae eee comprehension ‘monitoring strategies, such as checking for comprehension failures. An example of this strategy would be using self-questioning to check understanding of the material prese at the beginning of a section to guide one’s reading behavior while studying a textbook. affective strategies, such as being alert and relaxed, to help overcome test anxiety. An example of this strategy would be reducing external distractions by studying in a quiet place, or using thought stopping to prevent wl thoughts of doing poorly from directing attention away from the test and toward fears of failure. The Metacurriculum — __ Increasing one’s use of learning s par ete y CRE ae _ students’ ability to be independent, responsible, and effective learners is by tea “content-based curriculum. By using instructional methods that demonstrate, cue, - learning, strategies, we all can implement a learning strategies metacurriculum. — ee ! Bia 3 i ny and reinforce the use of students. ae f ise; misunderstanding or confusion. Explaining how this teaching strategy can be used as an indi ‘strategy by each student and why it is helpful would not take very much time ‘away from Tegular ar instructional activities. As another example, the announcement of a ‘ful s If-manageme | into positive self-talk can introduce students to thi analogy to help make a new concept more meaningful, . Finally, when you use an rationale for using this technique as a teaching strategy and ow sedan ala: crente their own analogies as a learning strategy, seid r | ree) The underlying principle in each of these examples involves See the curriculum for the types of learning that are required and reflecting upon the assumptions concerning learning strategies which form the basis for effective teaching strategies. This process is not very different from what good teachers already do in “7% preparing for their classes. The difference is that instead of focusing only on developing more effective teaching strategies, the teacher is also focusing on the learning strategies implicit in these methods. Making these assumptions explicit and teaching students how to incorporate them into their own study activities is the basic | building block of the metacurriculum. Teaching strategies are the flip-side of effective learning strategies. Clearly, a single exposure would not be sufficient for most students to acquire new learning strategies. | However, repeated exposure to a technique in a variety of contexts over a period of time and by a variety of instructors could contribute to the students’ development and refinement of an effective learning strategies repertoire and a new sense of responsibility for their own learning. dl DOUGLAS COLLEGE | Claire E. Weinstein University of Texas at Austin | For further information, contact the author at The University of Texas at Austin, EDB 352, Austin, Texas 78712. of an a S ould | foreign vocabulary | words into the categories for parts of speech, or creating a chronological listing of the events that led up to the | organizational strategies for complex tasks, such as outlining a passage or creating a hierarchy. ‘An example of an . need in class or using the questions | g one’ ig strategies can have a significant impact on learning and performance. (This is _ articularly true for academically underprepared students.) One way that re instructors can enhance their | hing these skills along with the | ; irri is a metacurriculum in the | sense that it requires an analysis of the regular course curriculum and the learning demands it places on the | {The classroom provides many opportunities for teaching these strategies. For example, when you pause to review and answer student questions before continuing with a lecture, that is a good time to talk about self- review and the role that self-testing can play in both consolidating new learning and pent eee ot | y can be used individual learning : class test is an excellent time to present strategies for test” | preparation as well as for coping with test anxiety. A brief discussion of negative self-talk and how to turn it | you also create th ‘ity to pause and discuss the Reprinted with permission of Center for Teaching Effectiveness, Newsletter, Vol. 6, No. 3, March, 1985. | ( | | SI 4 ide a 4 ST Buca os ee ie : 1 alt, 10 oe | Begin Bane BRE Sts . } lee, 3s soles ae nee riinreet cre eae oy aaa rs ———— + v a - September 4, 1985, Vol. Vil, No. 19 | | INNOVATION ABSTRACTS is a publication of the National institute tor Staff and Organizational Development, EDB 348, The | Se eas Austin, Texas 78712, (512) 471-7545. available to nonconsortium members for $35 per year. Funding in part by the W. K. Kellogg Foundution and Sid W. Richardson Fou (©) The University of Texas at Austin, 1985 Issued weekly when classes are in session during fall and spring terms and mr Further duplication is permitted only by MEMBER institutions for ther own personnel, i RR PRICE ynthly during the summer.