According to the Winne-Hadwin model, the four main stages for students to study for the exam would be: task definition, goal setting and planning, enactment, adaptation. Inside these stages, the model suggests the acronym 'COPES'.
Task Definition
C - Conditions
The student should learn as much as they can about the exam. When, where, and how long? What materials will it cover? How will the exam be structured? Is there a penalty for guessing? How are items weighted? Is the exam oriented around memorizing facts or understanding concepts? Will it be computational or essay-oriented? Are notes allowed? Do they need to have broad or deep familiarity?
O - Operations
The student should choose sources (both written and human) and ask questions to understand.
P - Products
The end goal of the task definition phase is a full understanding of what the exam will be.
E - Evaluation
Evaluation should include comparing one's understanding to the syllabus and to statements from the professor about what will be included.
S - Standards
At the end of this task, the student should be able to describe their expectations for the exam, in sufficient detail to inform the development of a study plan.
Goal Setting and Planning C - Conditions
The student should think about when and where they should study. How much time will they need? What kind of time do they have available? What locations are optimum, and when are those locations available? Do they need silence? A solid block of time?
O - Operations
The student should think about what methods work best for studying this topic and for preparing for the kind of exam they are expecting. Will it help to rehearse essay answers, create flash cards, read through all of the readings, attend a review session, look through class notes, meet with classmates to discuss, or meet with the professor? Are there problem sets, practice exams, or intermediate assignments which might show weak spots?
P - Products
The end product of this phase should be a study plan. When, where, and how will the content be studied?
E - Evaluation
The plan will be evaluated in two phases -- one, before the exam, the student should review their plan and compare it against their past choices and results. Secondarily, the student should commit to reflecting on their study plan after the exam to improve their understanding of how to plan for exams appropriately.
S - Standards
The overall standard for the study plan should be that it is both reasonable (the student can indeed accomplish it, and it seems fit for purpose) and based on strategy rather than whim or preference -- and after the exam, the additional evaluation criteria is whether or not it was successful.
Enactment
C - Conditions
The student should set up their environment according to their plan.
O - Operations
The student should sit down and actually carry out the study plan in the way they described.
P - Products
The product of enacting this study activity should be an increased understanding of the material.
E - Evaluation
The student should be able to reflect on their studying to determine if they are learning the material.
S - Standards
The primary standard for studying is whether or not the materials are learned to the level described in their understanding of the exam and in their study plan.
Adaptation C - Conditions
If the conditions change, the student should either adapt their plan or change their conditions -- if the normally quiet room is noisy, move to another room or wear headphones, for example.
O - Operations
While studying, the student should continue to monitor their learning and make adjustments. Is their strategy working? Are there topics or issues they did not expect to have difficulty with and yet they have indications that they are not meeting with success?
P - Products
The studying activity should produce increased understanding despite any errors made in the previous phases.
E - Evaluation
Evaluation of adaptation phase should be two-part -- before the exam, the student should determine whether they are effectively adapting. After the exam, the student should consider whether their expectations for the exam were correct, whether their study plan was the right one, and whether they successfully executed on their plan.
S - Standards
The primary standard for the success of adaptation in a study activity is whether they responded appropriately to the feedback they received from their own mind during the process. A secondary standard is to consider this same question after the fact.
According to the model, students might believe they are ready when they're not due if they fail to successfully evaluate their work in each phase (the 'E' in COPES).
2A - Metacognition in Note Taking
Note taking is a writing process that accompanies reading, and serves three functions -- it promotes and supports understanding by helping the reader to be reflective, synthesize materials, and remember them; it allows self-evaluation after a reading assignment by allowing students to ask whether what they have written makes sense and reveals understanding of a text; it supports later work to study or review a topic, since the notes can be reviewed directly rather than the text re-read.
Metacognition might be revealed by studying whether effective note-takers use computers or hand-write, whether they tend to quote, synthesize, or extract key points, whether they use mind maps, diagrams, or paragraph forms. When students don't understand a topic, how do their notes differ? Do they change their note-taking strategy based on in-class experience, exam experience, peer learning, or some other factor? What do students say about their approach to note-taking -- can they describe a strategy that suits the coursework, their own learning styles, etc.?
It may be possible to study note-taking by analyzing the notes the students take, versus their performance on exams -- how much is written, what kinds of things are written, and whether there is a correlation between what is in the notes and what they are successfully tested on (did they write the correct key items down? did they write key items down correctly? did they use their notes later?)
2B - Metacognition in Class Discussions
Participating in class discussions is an opportunity for students to process materials as a group, to test their understanding, to ask questions, and to learn from the thinking of others. Metacognition in class discussions might be revealed by how someone participates (actively, passively, leading, contributing, distracting, synthesizing, arguing) as well as how often (once per class, six times per class), as well as how they respond to the discussion. Do they gain understanding? Change their mind? Persuade others? Or walk out no different than when they entered? This may be tested by doing quizzes before and after a discussion as well as by observing classes and coding behaviors in class. Another angle on class discussion is to assess whether students change their approach over the course of the semester. Do they become progressively prepared and engaged, do they seem to learn from the classroom dynamic and improve the depth of their participation and contributions over time?
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