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Stepping up to Honours It's a different way of learning within the first two years compared to the next two . . . there was such a big jump from second year to third year. (McCune & Hounsell (2005) p. 283 Abby Shovlin Academic Transitions Adviser Institute for Academic Development Introduction Today’s session: we will look at your transition into Honours holistically in these four key areas: Knowing - What do I already know about Honours? What might I need to find out? Learning - I’ve passed my 2nd year exams so I know everything there is to know about learning, right? Reflecting - what is it and how might it benefit me during my Honours years? Developing - how do I develop as an Honours student? Knowing about Honours: Activity What do you already know about Honours and what do you want to know? Turn to your neighbour and ask share your knowledge and questions about moving into Honours. Knowing about Honours Students typically ask: • What kind of step up is Honours and how can I prepare for it? • How can I get the best possible marks at Honours? • How will I cope with the workload and get everything done? • What does a good essay/assignment look like at Honours? • How can I make my work more critical? Knowing about Honours: where do I get the answers from? Knowledge/finding out empowerment • Course Handbooks • Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework • Degree Regulations & Programmes of Study • Peers (informally), Peer Support- PALS (formally) • Institute for Academic Development • My feedback • Me: myself (reflecting and developing) Knowing about Honours: What does the research tell us? Honours study is analogous to an ‘in-between space’, a transition between the coursework orientation of undergraduate study and the traditional research focus of postgraduate study. Schweinsberg and McManus (2005) p. 52 Honours is not considered to be a short-term process. The aim is for students to perceive Honours as a long-term commitment. Schweinsberg and McManus (2005) p. 52 (referring to Ancient History Department, University of Sydney) Success at Honours study requires ‘high quality learning’. High quality learning includes: systematic, well-organised, self-regulated studying. McCune and Hounsell (2005) p. 257 Learning I’ve passed my second year exams, so I know all there is to know about learning, right? Not quite! Learning is all about my Honours course content, right? Not necessarily Learning: Activity Myth or truth? • The longer you study the better your results • Learning is all about remembering facts • Some people are just not good at something e.g. statistics, no matter how hard they try • Knowledge is fixed and certain Discuss with your neighbour: 5 minutes Learning: what the research tells us The longer you study the better your results: Not necessarily Effective learning depends on how you study not how long you study for You do need to put more time into your Honours studies, and new Honours students often underestimate the time needed for assignments, but length of time alone does not guarantee results Chew, S. L. (2010) Learning: what the research tells us Learning and studying is all about remembering facts/information? Whilst ‘fact’ learning may form an important first step in some subjects, it does not guarantee the level of learning and higher processing that you need to demonstrate as an Honours student Creating Evaluating Analysing Applying Understanding Remembering Bloom B, S. (ed.) (1956) Learning: Bloom in action Laura: researcher into neurodegenerative diseases http://ki.se/en/neuro/startpage Research question: Some motor neurons (control voluntary muscles) degenerate others do not. Why? “Identification of mechanisms of differential motor neuron vulnerability may lead to therapies preventing the progressive loss of motor neurons. The main objective of our research is to identify intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms that render motor neurons either resistant or vulnerable to degeneration” Learning: Bloom in action, Laura Some motor neurons (control voluntary muscles) degenerate others do not. Why? Creating Evaluating Analysing Applying Understanding Remembering Learning: Bloom in action, Laura 6. Creation: why do some motor neurons degenerate and others not? 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Remembering parts of the brain from her lectures Learning: Bloom in action, Laura 6. Creation: why do some motor neurons degenerate and others not? 5. Evaluating current research into Parkinson’s disease 4. Analysing investigating deeper into one particular type of motor neuron and comparing it to other motor neurons 3. Applying her knowledge in lectures to answer essay questions on what we know about Parkinson’s disease so far 2. Understanding what each part of the brain does 1. Remembering parts of the brain from her lectures Learning: what the research tells us Some people are just not good at something e.g. maths, no matter how hard they try? Carol Dweck’s (2006) Mindset How you can fulfil your potential: A fixed mindset of ‘I’m not good at this because I find it difficult’ limits your potential for success A growth mindset, welcomes problems and difficulties as ways of really learning something and therefore increases your potential for success Dweck, C.S. (2006) Learning: what the research tells us “When students think about why something is wrong, new synaptic connections are sparked that cause the brain to grow. . . [this] suggests that [we] should value mistakes and move from viewing them as learning failures” Mistakes have the potential to be turned into learning achievements Boaler, J. (2013) Photo courtesy of Mike Seyfang (Flickr Creative Commons) Learning: what the research tells us Knowledge is fixed and certain? Knowledge is dynamic i.e. changing “Naïve epistemology (believing that knowledge is absolutely certain), may be associated with a tendency to draw farreaching conclusions from insufficient information” Kardash & Scholes, 1996 in Niemen, J., Lindblom-Yanne, S., Lonka, K. (2004) p. 388 Honours Learning: what the research tells us “Several studies have shown a deep approach to relate to a high quality of learning outcomes and a surface approach to qualitatively inferior results” Niemen, J., Lindblom-Yanne, S., Lonka, K. (2004) p. 392 Reflection: Activity Pause Turn to your neighbour and share what you have learned so far: • In this workshop Reflection: Activity By yourself: How would I evaluate my performance and experience in first and second year? Niemen, J., Lindblom-Yanne, S., Lonka, K. (2004) Developing: Honours is a journey SCQF characteristics Level 8: 1st & 2nd year Honours 1. Knowledge and understanding Level 10: 2. Practice: applied knowledge and understanding 3. Generic Cognitive Skills 4. Communication, ICT and numeracy skills 5. Autonomy, accountability and working with others Developing: Activity. Describe the shift up Level 8 3.Undertake critical analysis and evaluation within the common understandings in your subject Level 10 3. Critically identify, define, conceptualise and analyse complex/problems and issues and offer professional insights, interpretations and solutions 4. Use and evaluate numerical and graphical 4. Interpret, use and evaluate a wide range of data to measure progress and achieve targets numerical and graphical data to set and achieve goals/targets 5. Work with others to bring about 5. Work under guidance with others to acquire an understanding of current practice change/development/ new ways of thinking in your area Developing: Activity. Describe the shift up Level 8 Level 10 3.Undertake critical analysis and evaluation within the common understandings in your subject 3. Critically identify, define, conceptualise and analyse complex/problems and issues and offer professional insights, interpretations and solutions 4. Use and evaluate numerical and graphical data to measure progress and achieve targets 4. Interpret, use and evaluate a wide range of numerical and graphical data to set and achieve goals/targets 5. Work with others to bring about 5. Work under guidance with others to acquire an understanding of current practice change/development/ new ways of thinking in your area Developing: cycle of developing as a student KNOWING Do I have realistic expectations? Do I know what is expected of me DEVELOPING (2) What key changes do I want to make? How can I make plans to achieve this change? DEVELOPING (1) What are my strengths? Which other strengths would I like to develop? LEARNING Do I know about how I learn things? Do I need to change how I learn? REFLECTING What can I learn by looking back at my experiences and evaluating them? Developing: Activity My personal development plan • Go back to your reflection on study orientations • Taking into account all that you have learned about Honours, and perhaps yourself, today how would you like to develop in your Honours years? • Select three development points and plan how you are going to develop these areas e.g. ‘time management- attend Time Management Workshop’. How will you put your plans into action? References (1) Boaler, J. (2013) ‘Ability and Mathematics: the mindset revolution that is reshaping education’, Forum, 55 (1). Available at: http://www.youcubed.org/wpcontent/uploads/14_Boaler_FORUM_55_1_web.pdf (Accessed 18th August 2015) Bloom, B.S. (ed.) (1956) Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, the classification of educational goals – Handbook I: Cognitive Domain New York: McKay Chew, S. L. (2010). ‘Improving classroom performance by challenging student misconceptions about learning’. APS Observer, 23(4), 51-54. Available at: http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2010/april10/improving-classroom-performance-by-challenging-student-misconceptions-aboutlearning.html (Accessed 18th August 2015) Dweck, C.S.’ Is Math a Gift? Beliefs That Put Females at Risk’ in Ceci, Stephen J. (Ed); Williams, Wendy M. (Ed), (2007). Why aren't more women in science?: Top researchers debate the evidence. , (pp. 47-55). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association. References (2) McCune, V. and Hounsell, D. (2005) ‘The Development of Students' Ways of Thinking and Practising in Three Final-Year Biology Courses’ Higher Education, 49 (3) pp. 255289 Nieminen, J., Linblom-Yanne, S., Lonka, K. (2004) ‘The development of study orientations and study success in students of pharmacy’. Instructional Science (32) pp. 387- 417 Schweinsberg, S. and McManus, P. (2005) ‘Exploring the Transition Coursework to Research-Based Study in the Geography Honours Year’ Geographical Research March 2006 44(1):52–62