Teaching Students HOW to Learn, Not Just WHAT to Learn

If someone who lived 100 years ago were to come back and take a look around, they would see that a LOT has changed in the world... other than the way we operate a classroom.

Although there have been tons of new best practices implemented across the globe, the basic structure of education has remained the same for decades. Students go to school. Students sit in class for 8 hours. Students learn the core curriculum. Students take a test. Students go home.

And while THANKFULLY, many teachers have done away with lecture-only classrooms and have begun implementing group work and other hands on activities, one thing remains stagnant: students struggle to remember concepts. While there are many factors at play here, one thing we might start to consider is although we are constantly teaching students WHAT to learn... very few educational systems are truly teaching students HOW to learn.

Common practice in a classroom goes something like this: students learn the material. Students practice the material. Students are told to study the material. Students get assessed on the material.

But when we tell students to "study," are we SHOWING them what that might look like? Or are we expecting them to know? And most times, is it just them rereading notecards and cramming the night before? Probably. And while they might do okay on the test, chances are they forget it almost immediately after. Rote memorization is not only ineffective (with students forgetting around 85% of the information within 48 hours after memorizing it), but it's not teaching students HOW to learn.

I love my curriculum as much as the next teacher. I have a huge passion for writing and reading (obviously, otherwise I wouldn't be a teacher!) BUT when we think about it... what matters more? Students remembering who Romeo's brother was in Shakespeare's famous play OR students learning how to become LIFELONG LEARNERS long after they exit the doors of our classrooms for the last time?

I know which option I choose.

However, as teachers, we so often are bogged down with curriculum standards (because seriously, how can we teach them ALL??) that the "other stuff" gets pushed aside.

So I wanted to share with you how I am incorporating LEARNING TO LEARN into my curriculum this year... and the key part? Sharing the process with my students. Here are two techniques I've already started implementing!

POMODORO TECHNIQUE

In my district, we have block scheduling (which I love). It gives enough time in class for a warm up, a lesson, some work time, and an exit ticket of some sort most days. But sitting for 85 minutes in class can get LONG for students - and there's no way they can remain focused the entire time. The Pomodoro Technique is something I had heard about on a podcast, and this year, I decided to try to implement it into my classroom. Here's how I use it:

1. Students come into class and begin their warm up - sometimes it's a class activity to review what we learned the day before, some classes have a poem of the week, some do independent reading. Nonetheless, it usually takes about 20-25 minutes.

2. After the warm up, students get a 5 minute break to stretch, move around the room, and just chill for a bit.

3. When 5 minutes is up, we head into the lesson (which, in my classes, never takes longer than 30 minutes).

4. Before they head into work time, they have the option to take another 5 minute break. Sometimes we might do a "walk and talk" together as a class through the hall.

5. Students work for 25-30 minutes, which usually takes us to the end of class. Then they have 5 minute passing time before their next class!

THE KEY: tell your students what you're doing. The purpose here to is teach them strategies they can take WITH them after they leave your classroom. The first time we did this, I explained the concept to them while we tried it. Funnily enough, during our 5 minute break, my principal walked in for an observation. After the initial thought of of COURSE he comes in when we literally aren't doing ANYTHING... I heard one of my students from across the room say, "We're doing the Pomodoro Technique!" and start explaining it to him. It was great!

TIP: Remind students that you still have to work within the confines of your schedule. If we're in the middle of notes and the 25 minutes is up, we might not take a break that day (when this happens, my juniors like to tell me that the creator of the technique would be disappointed). However, I remind them that the purpose is that they learn the technique to use after they leave high school.

F.A.S.T. METHOD

In Jim Kwik's book, Limitless, he talks about his FAST Method being used to help you learn more quickly. The acronym stands for Forget, Act, State, and Teach. He's the breakdown:

FORGET: Prior to learning something new, there are three things students should forget: what they think they already know about the topic, what's not urgent or important, and the limitations they have placed on themselves.

For many units, teachers spend time activating prior knowledge about the concepts and ideas students will be learning, but Kwik points out that this could result in potential biases surfacing. If students already "know" about the topic (but what they know is actually incorrect), it could eliminate their openness to learning more about it because they feel they already know it well enough. Secondly, they should forget what isn't important and focus on what's urgent (this is why it's important to tell students the standard being assessed before learning). Lastly, students should forget the limiting beliefs they have and go into the lesson with the belief they can learn and grow.

ACT: Traditional education practices passive learning in many classrooms. The teacher lectures the whole class, the students sit quietly and listen (meanwhile, their minds are wandering and they don't actually retain anything actually said). However, best practice shows that students learn best when they are DOING something. Incorporating times for students to be ACTIVE in your lesson will be beneficial. This might look like asking students to Think, Pair, Share; providing resources for notetaking; encouraging students to annotate; or implementing learning checks throughout the lesson.

STATE: All learning is state-dependent. This refers to both our thoughts (emotional state) and the state of our body. To ensure students gain the most from your lesson, remind them to address this. While they may have less control over their emotional state at the time, they can make changes to their physiological state. Think of when you're in a meeting and are hunched over, head resting on your hand. You're probably more likely to feel sleepy, bored, and disengaged. The same is true for your students. Before starting a lesson, have them sit up straight, take deep breaths to get more oxygen to their brains, and sit as if they're waiting for something really exciting to happen.

TEACH: In order to learn more, we need to listen with the intent that we will be teaching the information to someone else. When you are expected to repeat the information, you listen more closely, you take more detailed notes, and you heighten your focus. However, in so many classrooms, students are only expected to LEARN and never to TEACH, which gives them an out of being fully engaged. But if we, as teachers, make their learning more social, then they get to learn it twice. A way to incorporate this would be when going over notes. Pull a student from each table into the hallway and give them the notes first. Explain to them that when they go back into the room, they will be responsible for teaching the information to the rest of their group.

The key part to ANYTHING we do is to tell students the purpose. If we don't understand WHY we are doing something, it won't matter or stick. Therefore, as you implement the FAST model, make sure to share the process with them!

As I learn more techniques to share with my students, I'll be sure to share with you, too! What are some strategies you teach your students about HOW to learn? Comment below and tell me!

Until next time,

Paige