Reflect:values, goals and metacognition
Values and SMART goals
We lead with values and SMART goals that we saw in the introduction.
Learning activity: Review your values and refine your SMART goals
Instruction: In the introduction, you defined your goals for the overall course, based on our overarching intended learning outcomes and your own values. At this time, we’ll ask you to define your goals for this strategic learning module and relate them to your learning for this semester.
1. First, review your values. It’s okay to make changes or updates.
Let’s move to the next section to explore how learning works, before starting to build knowledge and skills to support that learning.
Metacognition
Maximizing learning relies on metacognition, a critical skill that we first saw in the introduction of the course. Metacognition involves being able to identify what we know (already in our long term memory), what we don’t know (either to learn or to collaborate with /ask others), what we want to know or be able to do (aligned with our values and goals), and then strategize and monitor our progress accordingly. Metacognition helps us take control of the learning process.
Source: Photo by Andrea Piacquadio
The starting point of metacognition is to identify what you know and what you don’t know. Adam Grant in his book, Think Again, Adam Grant describes the power of confident humility: the confidence in the knowledge you have, and the humility to remain open and curious to continue to learn. You already bring lots of experience and knowledge, and there will always be more to learn. Maximizing a project’s outcomes or your learning in a course relies in part on metacognitive skills. Those skills can help you identify the strengths you can leverage, what you need to learn, who you might collaborate with, and what questions to ask.
Source: Photo by Pixabay
Learning activity: Self-assess your current knowledge and skills
Instruction: In this activity, you’ll self-assess your current abilities with respect to the knowledge and skills we’ll address in this module. It’s okay if you don’t feel proficient in some or any of them at this point. The point is to identify where you are right now, so that you can set goals, strategically plan for your learning, and monitor your own progress.
1. Rate your ability from 0 to 10 with the learning concepts we will address in this module.
- SMART goal setting
- Metacognition
- Self-regulated learning
- Curiosity
- Mindfulness
- Growth and fixed mindsets
- Resilience
- Effects of the failure on learning
- Effects of deliberate practice on learning
- Effects of the learning environment on learning
- Effects of culture on learning
- Effects of task authenticity and relevance on learning
Go to your Workbook and write your answers, and then click on the checkbox.
2. Rate your beliefs about the usefulness about each construct in this module. The learning skills will:
- Be an important component of my work as a graduate student.
- Improve my learning.
- Improve my awareness of my own knowledge.
- Improve my ability to be autonomous in my studies or research.
- Improve my ability to succeed in my studies.
- Be useful in other areas of my life.
Go to your Workbook and write your answers, and then click on the checkbox.
3. Please take a look at the goals you have set.
- In your Workbook, write down what you need to know, be able to do, and value to achieve the goals you have previously set. You should include your existing knowledge, skills, and values (as relevant) as well as ones you don’t have yet.
- Now, rate your ability for each of these on a scale of 0 to 10.
- Finally, write down anything that may hinder you reaching your goals. These could be external obstacles like the learning environment or access to resources, or may be internal (e.g., your sleep habits, metacognitive skills)
Go to your Workbook and write your answers.
4. One of the challenges of graduate school (or any new context, really) is that there can be processes and expectations that are hidden. Some people have learned them through family and friends, but others are completely unaware of them. The following resource could be a good resource: The Hidden Curriculum.
What are some of these processes and expectations that you would like to learn more about?
Go to your Workbook and write your answers.