Learning about Learning at the Community College

by Jim Reynolds and Thomas Morra

from Inquiry, Volume 6, Number 2, Fall 2001, 39-46

© Copyright 2001 Virginia Community College System

Return to Volume 6, Number 2

Abstract
Reynolds and Morra describe a Northern Virginia Community College STD 100 course that assists students in understanding and using knowledge of the learning process and the structure of knowledge.

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, community colleges face many challenges: building a new kind of college that focuses on student learning and not just on instruction (Barr & Tagg, 1995; O’Banion, 1997); realizing the full potential of technology for learning (Spero, 2001); and developing twenty-first century skills in our students (Wilson, Miles, Baker & Schoenberger, 2000). Equally important is the need to develop college students as effective lifelong learners, to acquire the tools, attitudes and insight into the human learning process, a need for learning about learning. Developing their insight into certain metacognitive constructs can assist college students in becoming more effective lifelong learners.

Basic to developing lifelong learning strategies is the understanding of some metacognitive constructs or learning principles, such as 1) knowledge can be viewed as having a structure and 2) the learning process can be described as existing in sequential steps. These two learning principles are incorporated as part of both the content and structure of a Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) Student Development web-based course that focuses on learning about learning in an attempt to develop more effective lifelong learning strategies.

Distinguished educator, researcher and writer K. Patricia Cross in Opening Windows on Learning (1998) touches on the concern about developing lifelong learning when she writes: "Basic to making community colleges into learning colleges for the twenty-first century is the task of providing students with the tools and attitudes for lifelong learning" (p. 15). From a philosophical position, the American philosopher Eric Hoffer also saw the need for learning about learning, expressing throughout In Our Time (1977) his concern about what a good society should contain. Hoffer (1977) explained that, "It is a society in which schools produce not learned but learning people" (p. 29). So what are some of the mental insights college students need to become more effective lifelong learners?

"Thinking about thinking" or "metacognition" is "a crucial component of effective learning because it enables individuals to monitor and regulate their cognitive performance" (Schraw & Graham, 1997, p. 4). Helping community college students understand how they learn and process information is fundamental for igniting their desire to become more effective lifelong learners. "Metacognitive strategies are essential for the twenty-first century because they enable students to cope successfully with new situations" (NCREL, 2001, p. 1). The two learning principles described here would be considered useful metacognitive strategies.

Although the cognitive domain is the focus of this article, the authors understand the influence of other factors. Even though developing insight into metacognitive constructs can be a major component in learning about learning, there are also other factors. Developmental, social, and psychological factors, such as learning style characteristics and motivation, also influence learners. So, metacognitive strategies are only one part of the learning about learning puzzle.

The American Psychological Association, in Learner-Centered Psychological Principles: A Framework for School Redesign and Reform (1997), emphasized a number of cognitive and metacognitive factors. Under the topic of " Strategic Thinking," the APA writes that "learning outcomes can be enhanced if educators assist learners in developing, applying and assessing their strategic learning skills" (p. 7, 1997). Understanding the structure of knowledge and the steps in the learning process will assist in helping students to become more effective lifelong learners.

The Structure of Knowledge

Realizing knowledge has different levels or categories is a useful metacognitive construct in learning about learning. The best-known work in this area is in Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, edited by Benjamin Bloom (1956). Bloom’s six levels, or categories of cognitive learning, start with a basic "knowledge level" which emphasizes memorizing and recalling information and then progresses to the sixth level of "evaluation" where knowledge is judged, appraised and valued (Bloom, 1956). Educators have used Bloom’s cognitive taxonomy to design and create behavioral objectives for courses. The APA (1997) report stated, "Educators can assist learners in acquiring and integrating knowledge by a number of strategies that have been shown to be effective with learners of varying abilities, such as concept mapping and thematic organization or categorizing" (p. 7). A cognitive taxonomy is a good example of how learners can view the classification and structure of learning objectives and goals.

Another approach to structuring knowledge is outlined by Boettcher and Conrad (1999), using what they call a Content Design Model to define different levels of knowledge. This model uses three concentric circles, with the innermost circle of knowledge representing fundamental core concepts and principles; the second outer circle representing the application of the core concepts and principles; and the outermost circle defining the active use of the core concepts. At this third level, the learner is solving problems and analyzing content. "At this level of knowledge, students often can and should customize their own learning and pursue their own paths of inquiry, often using materials of their own choosing" (Boettcher & Conrad, p. 39). The structure of knowledge is a learning principle that can be very helpful in becoming a more effective lifelong learner.

Learning about learning also involves understanding "steps" in the learning process. This learning process views the three basic learning steps as knowing WHAT is to be learned, HOW it is to be learned, and how the learning outcome will be MEASURED. These three critical elements are generally defined as learning objectives, learning strategies, and learning assessments. In the business world, Wick (1993) used the mnemonic S. M. A. R. T. to identify the learning process. The letters identify the following steps:

Select a goal to learn. (Learning objective)

Map out how one will learn. (Learning strategy)

Act on one’s plan. (Work on learning strategies)

Review and evaluate learning. (Measure the learning)

Target next learning goal. (Identify new learning objective)

Wick’s S. M. A. R. T. program corroborates the three steps of learning objectives, learning strategies and learning assessment mentioned earlier.

A similar way to define the learning process is offered by Dunn & Dunn (1993), who suggest the use of Contract Activity Packages (CAPs). Learners use the six major components of a CAP to structure their individual learning processes. The first component of a CAP is a clearly stated learning objective(s), the WHAT to be learned part of the learning process. The next four components deal with learning strategies, or the HOW things are to be learned. The first of these four learning strategies consists of a list of available multisensory resources that can be used to master the required learning objective(s). The second learning strategy is "a series of activities through which the information that has been mastered is used in a creative way" (p. 284). This step and the next one are used to help increase the learner’s ability to retain the material learned. The third learning strategy is "a series of alternative ways in which creative instructional resources developed by one student may be shared with one or more—but no more than six to eight—classmates" (p. 284). The fourth learning strategy is the use of small-group work but is not a mandated strategy for all learners. The last CAP component is the need to assess or MEASURE the learning outcome. Dunn & Dunn (1993) suggest the use of "a pretest, a self-test, and a posttest" (p.285). They recommend that the same test or assessment instrument be used for all three assessment stages.

Contract Activity Packages (CAPs) have been used successfully in higher education to help "students actively participate in the learning process" (Dunham & Lewthwaite, 2000, p. 184). CAPs have also been found to be a useful tool at the graduate course level (Suh, 2000). The CAP is a good example of making the learning process overt to the learner. When learners think about their mental processes (metacognition), then they can monitor and regulate those learning processes. The 1997 APA report suggested that "successful learners can reflect on how they think and learn, set reasonable learning or performance goals, select potentially appropriate learning strategies or methods, and monitor their progress toward these goals" (p. 7).

Theory into Practice

How can educators assist community college students in gaining insight into their metacognitive strategies and skills? The authors’ NVCC Student Development course (STD 100) is a web-based course that tries to assist students in understanding and using knowledge of the learning process and the structure of knowledge (Reynolds & Morra, 2001). One of the early topics in the course is a content session explaining the two metacognitive constructs called "learning principles." The course uses three levels of knowledge, based on the Content Design Model (Boettcher and Conrad, 1999) described earlier. This model describes the first level of knowledge as representing basic core concepts, principles and terminology. The second level is the application level while the third level is the problem-solving level.

The STD 100 web-based course is designed around ten learning topics. The first topic introduces the learner to the communication needs for the course, such as e-mail and an online learning journal. The second topic explains the two major learning principles: the three major steps of the learning process, and the structure of knowledge. These two learning principles are needed by learners to understand their own learning. Students in the course are asked to create learning contracts designed to help them select which learning topics are most useful and what knowledge level is most appropriate for each topic.

For example, a student may select the topics related to Learning Styles that have defined learning objectives and learning outcomes for each of the three knowledge levels. At knowledge level one, students deal with the basic ideas and terminology of learning style characteristics by reading two or more articles on learning styles. At knowledge level two, students use some online Learning Style surveys to identify their own pattern of learning style characteristics. At the third level of knowledge, they use the results from level two to develop new or improved learning strategies and study skills. Giving the student some control over the selection of learning topics and the level of knowledge pursued allows each learner to customize his or her own learning.

Community colleges face many challenges as they enter the twenty-first century. The concern about assisting students in becoming more effective lifelong learners has been a goal of the past and continues to be a need for the future. The authors’ STD 100 course was designed to assist students in developing the structure of knowledge and the steps in the learning process. The ability to understand, control, and direct one’s own learning is essential to be an effective lifelong learner. The hope is that learning experiences empower each learner to become, as Eric Hoffer suggested, not just a learned person but also a learning person.

References

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Barr, R.B., & Tagg, J. 1995. "From Teaching To Learning: A New Paradigm For Undergraduate Education." Change 27(6): 13-25.

Bloom, B.S. (Ed.) 1956. Taxonomy Of Educational Objectives: The Classification Of Educational Goals, Handbook 1, Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay.

Boettcher, J.V., & Conrad, R. 1999. Faculty Guide For Moving Teaching And Learning To The Web. Mission Viejo, CA: League for Innovation in the Community College.

Cross, K.P. 1998. Cross Paper #2: Opening Windows On Learning. Mission Viejo, CA: League for Innovation in the Community College.

Dunham, H.P., & Lewthwaite, B. 2000. "Contract Activity Packages In Higher Education: The Flexible Flyer Of Pedagogy." In R. Dunn, & S. Griggs (Eds.), Practical Approaches To Using Learning Styles In Higher Education (pp. 183-192). Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey.

Dunn, R., & Dunn, K. 1993. Teaching Secondary Students Through Their IndividualLearning Styles: Practical Approaches For Grades 7-12. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Hoffer, E. 1977. In Our Time. New York: William Morrow and Company.

NCREL. 2001. The Metacognitive Process. [On-line] Available: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lrlmetp.htm

O’Banion, T. 1997. A Learning College For The 21^st Century. Washington, DC: American Association of Community Colleges and American Council of Education Series on Higher Education and the Oryx Press.

Reynolds, J., & Morra, T. 2001. STD 100 Orientation Course. Alexandria, VA: Northern Virginia Community College. [On-line] Available: http://blackboard2.nv.cc.va.us/courses/STD100JR1

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Spero, I. 2001. "Call To Action: The Web-Based Education Commission’s E-Learning Agenda." Syllabus 14(7): 39-40.

Suh, B.K. 2000. "Learning Styles In A Suburban College." In R. Dunn, & S. Griggs (Eds.), Practical Approaches To Using Learning Styles In Higher Education (pp. 80-84). Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey.

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Wilson, D.W., Miles, C.L., Baker, R.L., and Schoenberger, R.L. 2000. Learning Outcomes For The 21^st Century: Report Of A Community College Study. Mission Viejo, CA: League for Innovation in the Community College and The Pew Charitable Trusts.