Critical Reading, Writing, and Your Learning Patternshttps.docx

Critical Reading, Writing, and Your Learning Patterns
https://youtu.be/hEzec10MhFI
For a written transcript to the video above, please click here.
Prepare: Critical reading and writing are essential to being a
successful student. An important part of being an intentional
learner is developing reading and writing strategies that work
best for you. There is no “one size fits all” recipe for academic
success. The Week Three Instructor Guidance lists strategies to
help you become a more intentional reader and writer based on
each Learning Pattern.
Critically read Chapter 3 and view the video (above). The video
shows the unique thinking and writing processes of individual
learners as they approach a college-level assignment.
Reflect: Since all four Learning Patterns contribute to excellent
writing, consider how the Patterns you Avoid are needed just as
much as those you Use First. Practice critical thinking as you
reflect on the writing challenges Makayla, John, Paul, and
Raheem face in Section 3.3.
Write: After considering the scenario of each learner, address
the following:
· For each of the four learners, provide a minimum of three to
four sentences of advice for how they could have used their
Learning Patterns with intention in each scenario. For example,
Makayla was ruled by her Sequence. What would you
recommend that she do to overcome her dependence on

Sequence when approaching writing tasks?
· List your LCI scores. Based on your own unique Learning
Patterns, identify two specific strategies to enhance your
critical reading skills and two specific strategies to enhance
your critical writing skills. Select strategies presented in
Chapter 3 and/or the Week Three Instructor Guidance and
explain how you will apply each of the strategies you have
identified.
Your initial post should contain a minimum of 250 words.
Respond to Peers: Review your classmates’ posts and respond to
at least two, each with a minimum of 50 words. Consider
comparing and contrasting the strategies for college-level
reading and writing your peer identified with your own
Learning Patterns. Could these strategies support your learning
preferences? Why, or why not? Provide suggestions for
additional reading and writing strategies to help your peers use
their Learning Patterns with intention.
Think about it this way...
This discussion is asking you to do four things:
· Read the four learner stories from section 3.3 of your text.
Provide advice to each learner that encourages intentional use
of their Learning Patterns.
· List two critical reading strategies and two critical writing
strategies from Chapter 3 and/or the Instructor Guidance that
could help you approach college-level reading and writing with
greater intention and include your LCI scores.
· Explain how you will take action on these strategies.
· Respond to at least two of your classmates' discussion posts.

Use the "Response to Peers" to assist you with your reply.
Type a heading for each section (e.g., My Advice for Makayla,
John, Paul, and Raheem), and then write the information under
each heading in complete sentences. This helps the reader
quickly identify each section and helps you know that you have
covered all of the requirements for this post.
MY LCI Scores:
Sequence (31) use first.
Precise (25) use first.
Technical (18) as needed
Confluent (22) as needed
3.3 What Is Critical Writing?The Role of the Author's Voice
Words mean more than what is set down onpaper. It takes the hu
man voice to infuse themwith deeper meaning.
Maya Angelou (2009, p. 95)
Critical writing, like critical reading, depends upon yourcogniti
ve processes performing myriad tasks with remarkablespeed. Th
e main task, simply stated, is to communicate from theinside out
by having the mind convert its internal thoughts toexternal expr
ession (Johnston, 2005). Needless to say, criticalwriting is just
as challenging a skill as critical reading. It requiresyour languag
e processing "muscles" to be "flexed" regularly, sothey are read
y to do some "heavy lifting" to place words in clear,logical, per
suasive order—
just like you need to keep real musclesstrong to be able to move
and lift objects as needed. It takes practice, and the more you d
o it, the better you get.
For the college student, critical writing takes many forms (short
answers, paragraph responses, postings, essays,research papers)

. Regardless of the required format, gathering your thoughts fro
m inside your mind and presentingthem for public view can be t
he most challenging and, in some cases, the most agonizing of h
uman acts.
The following depicts in words what the writing process involve
s in terms of the brain-mind connection:
When you write you are
recording,
expressing,
articulating,
communicating your
thoughts
feelings
experiences
ideas in
symbolic representation by consistently using
lines scratched on paper or
symbols digitally relayed from a keyboard to a screen
that have the same meaning each time they are viewed by the hu
man eye and
translated by the brain's neuro-receptors and
interpreted, and either
immediately relayed to the recipient or
stored by the working memory for
retrieval and
expression
at the appropriate time. (Johnston, 2005)
Critical Writing and Your Learning Patterns
Just as in the case of critical reading, critical writing also invol
ves the intentional use of your Learning Patterns.Remember Dia
na? The artist and poet in Chapter 2 who was commissioned to
write a book pairing her poetry and art(S25, P28, TR16, C25)?
While she was thrilled with the opportunity, and ultimately prod
uced a beautiful publication,the process for her was both stressf
ul and rewarding. Her Patterns of Use First Precision and Seque

nce set off alarmsin her head. How to begin? How to get her pai
ntings into a digital format? What will it look like? Will anyone
want toread it?
Stockbyte/Thinkstock
The act of writing is more than placing wordson paper. It requir
es at a minimum asynchronization of your brain, mind, thoughtd
evelopment, and language processing.
Once she had a clear plan of how to proceed and was confident t
hat itwould evolve into something to be proud of, her Confluenc
e (25) tookover and she paired her art with her words. Along the
way, she struggledto interact with her editor and to consider wh
at each comment's impactwould have on her work. In the end, D
iana succeeded in using all four ofher Patterns because she reco
gnized that establishing order and accuracyallowed her to feel i
n control and allowed her Confluence to guide her inher selectio
ns of art and poetry.
Just as Diana used her Patterns to write critically, so too will yo
u berequired to use your Learning Patterns to write critically in
order tosucceed in your online program. Remember, there is no
"perfect" Patternor combination of Patterns, and in the end, ther
e are no excuses for notcompleting a task because of your patter
ns.
As you look at Table 3.4, "Two Approaches to Writing," notice
thecontrasts in the two writers' approaches. Do you identify wit
h eitherwriter or with portions of what they've said? How do yo
u feel aboutdeadlines? How do you plan when you need to write
something? Do youdo everything you can to avoid putting your
thoughts into words? Or do you look forward to expressing your
thoughtsin written form?
Table 3.4: Two Approaches to Writing: The Effect of Learning
Patterns on the WritingProcess
Diana
Gary
S25, P28, TR16, C25

S26, P22, TR30, C14
Anticipation: "I had to make room in my life to gatherthe poems
[and paintings]."
Anticipation: "I can't believe I have to write what I'mthinking.
That's really nobody's business, is it? Is thiswhat I'm going to h
ave to do for each course I takeonline?"
On compiling content: "I had no idea of how to makethe selectio
ns. I have piles of work in my studio.Should I go through all my
paintings? What should Ido? I stalled for a few months on that t
ask, needingdirection."
On compiling content: "I've revisited some of my notesand rese
arch. Lots of good 'stuff.' Wish I could justsubmit it in this form
. Why do I have to put it into myown words, when the experts sa
y it so much better?"
Planning: "I broke up all the book tasks into smallertasks and g
oals such as:
· Today I will edit poems from the summersection.
· Tomorrow I will print them.
· The next day I will mail the hard copy to myeditor/publisher."
Planning: "I got the outline done. I'm good atstructuring things,
at developing the logic behind mythoughts, but I just don't want
to put words to it all. Itstresses me out. I can't get it from my h
ead to thescreen. And even when I do, I don't think it's verygoo
d."
Deadlines: "I juggle many things—
family, gardening,house duties, teaching classes, promoting my
artshows, connecting to my e-list by sending out e-
newsletters, entering shows, staying on top of emails,etc."
Deadlines: "I have more than one thing due at thesame time. I h
ate that. I don't juggle well. It takes mea long time to express m
y thoughts in writing. It'spainstaking. If I could do one thing at
a time, I coulddeal better with these deadlines."

Revisions: "After all the writing was submitted to thepublisher,
and he returned each poem from eachsection with his suggestion
s written all over witharrows, lines, etc., I had to decipher what
he hadwritten, then make decisions about whether or not tomake
the changes."
Revisions: "I 'get' what my instructor is saying. It'sjust, I got th
e writing done and now you want me tore-
do it? Why? I said what I had to say, and now yousay it wasn't c
lear. You want me to use more precisewords and clarify what I s
aid. Well, at least youthought it was logical."
Writing for Your Audience
Everything is written for an audience, and for a specific purpose
. The instructions that come with your iPad are writtenfor you, t
he owner, and their purpose is to explain to you how to load it
with your favorite applications and get themost out of your new
toy. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet for his Elizabethan-
era audience, and for future generations ofplaygoers, and his pu
rpose was to entertain his audience and expose it to profound id
eas about human nature. Whenyou leave a note for someone, yo
u write it with the person in mind and for a specific purpose.
When you write an essay for a timed, standardized test, consider
the scorer of the test. Your purpose is to show thatyou can succ
essfully answer the question in the way the test reader wants it t
o be answered. This goes for whateverwriting task the question
requires—
persuasion, analysis, and so on. Your Learning Patterns can pla
y a big role in whatyou write and in how well you interpret the
assignment.
Using Your Learning Patterns to Master Critical Writing
Critical writing, like critical reading, relies on the development
of intentional skills. What you write for college coursesneeds to
be accurate, logical, carefully reasoned, and thoughtfully crafte

d. One way to learn the skill of critical writingis to read the wor
k of other writers and to use their methods as models to follow.
Understand how you learn and thenread about the experiences o
f others similar to yourself, so you can identify how to deploy t
heir strategies in order toimprove your writing.
Armed with the knowledge that all four Patterns contribute to e
xcellent writing, and that you'll need to focus on thosePatterns y
ou Avoid almost as strongly as those you Use First, carefully re
ad the following stories of writing"experiences." See to whom y
ou most relate. Identify how you can develop your critical writi
ng skills by learning fromthese writing models.So Much to Do;
So Little Time
You want me to fill out the inventory. Then youwant me to do t
his other form. Now you wantme to write. Which is more import
ant? I can'tget it all done.
Makayla (psychology major)
Sequence
Makayla is a quirky, funny, serious psychology student and anid
entical twin (S29, P20, TR17, C14).
With her Use First Sequence, she did not often succeed on timed
tests, as she seemed mired in cement when she became stuck on
an answer. Where others would skip to the next question,Makay
la would linger. Where others might start in the middleand jump
around to answer questions, Makayla held steadfast toanswerin
g in order. If she logged on to her online group siteexpecting to
find information or postings, she was stymied if what she neede
d wasn't there at that particular moment.She found it difficult to
move on to another task and to check back later.
Makayla was ruled by her Sequence, almost to the point of paral
ysis. She frequently emailed her instructor (often asshe worked
late into the night) for more instruction on assignments. She'd s
end paragraphs to her to be sure she wason the right track.
Makayla executed her papers well, but found that she received l
ower grades for "lack of originality" and being "unableto presen
t any new or different" ideas.

Does this mean that people high in Sequence aren't creative? Ab
solutely not! It means recognizing that it's okay to calmyour Se
quence and to let your Confluence offer up ideas.Hints for Writ
ers Who Are Short on Confluence and Long onSequence
Here are a few tips to help Sequence users get started writing—
and keep going:
·
Picture a hotel desk bell on your workstation. Now pick up a pe
n and start brainstorming ideas forthat project you're avoiding.
Every time you allow thoughts of "That will never work," or "W
hat willthat look like?" or "We've done that before," ding that b
ell. Write every idea down. Don't stifle yourcreativity by censor
ing yourself. One idea leads to another. You may not invent som
ething, but yousurely can tweak an existing idea or concept.
·
You must get past the idea that you need an opening paragraph i
n order to begin. Essays and reportscan be written in sections, a
nd not necessarily in order. Start in the middle. Come back to th
ebeginning and write an introduction once your main points are
down on paper. Eventually you willsee your argument or story a
s a whole, but for the time being, be willing to develop sections
as theyunfold in your mind. Afterward you can put them in the o
rder that makes the story or the argumentflow and add the introd
uction and conclusion.
·
Most important of all is to write free of the rules that keep you
grounded and plodding. Write. Getyour thoughts down first; the
n pay attention to spelling and punctuation, verb tense, and exac
twording.When You Are LieutenantPrecision
Speaking of winning, I finally got my ownroom. It has spiders a
nd the AC is weak and isright across from the port-a-
potty so outsidemy door smells horrible, but it is a 6.5' x 6.5'spa
ce all my own.
John (Army scout)
Precision

For families and friends with loved ones who are deployed,lette
rs or emails are priceless. The boxed quotation from John(S27,
P32, TR21, C23) helped his family picture his room in thebarrac
ks when he was first deployed—
but the one belowconfused them as they planned their reunion w
ith him inGermany. It illustrates how his extremely high Precisi
on made itdifficult for him to write a simple message. Someone
low inPrecision would have written a much different, more direc
tmessage, especially when pressed for time. That message might
have read: "Wait to hear from SSG Smith to buy ticket. I'm notg
etting up to date info in transit." Our young lieutenant with high
Precision, on the other hand, writes the following:
Ok, at Shank finally. Sounds like Main Bodies 3 and 4 are being
put together to fly (meaning we wait for afew extra days for the
m), so that date SSG Smith gave you is probably closer to corre
ct than what I wasthinking. Everything has/will change, so at thi
s point don't trust anything from me and just buy thetickets a da
y out from when he tells you. Sorry it's chaotic. Took me an hou
r and change to fight my wayto an MWR so I still won't be onlin
e much longer than it takes to send this. Basically just wait until
theabsolute last minute to buy any tickets and late is better than
early when it comes to arriving. Whoknows how long I'll be stu
ck somewhere beyond what we've been told. (John, Army scout)
While he feels almost compelled to give details, including the u
se of acronyms unfamiliar to the reader, he ends upwriting a con
voluted message. Knowing your audience and purpose is crucial
for every writer, but most often for thosewho are highly Precise
.
Not surprisingly, Precision can get a writer into trouble in acade
mic situations. If asked to write a 1500-
word essay, awriter high in Precision feels frustrated. "How am
I supposed to fit all this into three pages? I didn't even get a cha
nceto talk about X, Y, and Z!" While others may struggle to fill
a page, a person high in Precision sees every detail asimportant
and doesn't want to cut what's been written.
On the other hand, those who Avoid Precision frequently feel th

ey have nothing to say and have trouble starting theirfirst draft.
After they have finished a draft, it may lack details or contain g
rammar or spelling errors. They feel lost orfrustrated as they wo
rry that it's just not going to be good enough.When You Are a P
erson of FewWords
In my mind, I see everything as a machine.When I look at somet
hing, I see how it worksbut I struggle to explain to others witho
utpictures or physically moving or pointing.Usually I've been th
e guy who tags along butcontributes little to the conversation.
Paul (physical science major)
Technical Reasoning
You may have asked yourself at some point, "What do scientists
need to know about writing? Why make them take a writingcour
se?" Interestingly, it's the scientist who can write thatemployers
seek. In order to get new business, science andengineering com
panies need to write proposals for grants andother funding. The
y need to publish their findings, and they needemployees who ar
e able to communicate effectively with bothgroups and individu
als in writing. More and more, students whograduate with comp
etence in their majors and who possessstrong writing ability are
the ones who get the jobs.
As you might suspect, many science majors are Use FirstTechni
cal Reasoning. Paul is a "grease monkey" and proud of it. By hi
s own admission, he never took class notes. Hecontended that he
kept everything "in his head." However, when he did not use hi
s Learning Patterns (S20, P16, TR33,C24) with intention, he ear
ned a failing grade because he did not follow requirements for h
is papers—
there wereimproper headings, incorrect fonts, missing page num
bers, and other formatting gaps—
and he did not provide enoughsupport from research for his idea
s. He finally made an appointment to discuss things with his wri
ting instructor.
She advised him that he had to tone down some of his Technical
Reasoning and recognize that his avoidance ofstructure and wh

at he considered to be "lengthy" paragraphs could be what was l
eading to his failing grades. Hisgrades were a wake-
up call to him, and he sheepishly admitted that he hadn't bothere
d thoroughly reading theresearch he'd found in the library's data
bases but had skimmed through the abstracts. Paul blatantly ign
ored the veryskills central to being a critical reader and writer.
By nature, Technical Reasoners like Paul would rather "show" t
han "tell," but with an awareness of who you are as alearner and
how you approach writing, you'll be better able to express your
self in writing. With practice in pre-
writing,drafting, and editing, your writing skills will improve.W
hen You Let YourConfluence RunAmuck
I can be easily annoyed, but I don'tworry very much. That's wha
tmakes me different. I plan tosucceed by chance.
Raheem (sociology major)
Confluence
Raheem's quotation was what constituted his entire first submiss
ion in hiswriting course. When questioned about its length and i
ts philosophy (hisidea of succeeding by chance), his response w
as, "It's worked so far."
"Why such a short essay?" his instructor inquired.
"Pretty much sums it up," he replied.
Unfortunately his decision to follow a devil-may-
care attitude was onlybolstered by his Use First Confluence and
his high Technical Reasoning.Raheem was a "man of few words
" who decided to live by chance, which puthim in jeopardy of co
mpromising his academic success.
A few weeks went by and he produced zero research. His score
of 11 in Sequence meant that when called on toresearch a topic,
he would need extra focus and concentration on the sequential t
asks of searching and taking notes.Group work was a nightmare
for his teammates. He was entertaining, but he rarely contribute
d anything of substance.Raheem dismissed his Patterns as "hocu
s pocus" (S11, P16, TR28, and C31) and continued to rely on hi
s idea of lettingchance take care of him. As more deadlines pass

ed and the incompletes piled up, it became clear that he was not
goingto pass the course. His decision not to employ critical thi
nking caught up to him.
Critical thinking, critical reading, and critical writing require sc
heduled, set-
aside, focused time to think, read, study,and write. Trying to ac
hieve a degree without scheduling this time and flexing your cri
tical abilities regularly keeps youfrom reaching your full potenti
al.
As you read in Chapter 4 section 4.4, the centerpiece of the
rehearsal phase of metacognition is the strategy card. After
decoding tasks and strategizing how to FIT your Learning
Patterns to the task, you can use your knowledge of your
Learning Patterns to develop personal strategies to direct your
efforts. The most efficient way to do this is to develop a
personal strategy card.
Strategy cards convert general study skills into personalized
strategies for learning based on each learner’s Patterns.
Personal strategy cards are essential to effective rehearsal
because they help you address the requirements that you have
decoded from the assignment and they help you connect to the
instructor’s expectations. Strategy cards help you organize your
approach to achieving success on the task. They allow you to
practice “smarter, not harder.”
You are more effective when you develop a strategy card for
each major task or assignment. In doing so, you become more
disciplined and you match your efforts to each requirement. In
preparation for your reflection assignment that you will
complete in Week 5, we will use the Week 5 Final Reflection
assignment instructions for the decoding section of this strategy
card. This way, next week, you’ll be able to approach your
assignment with intention as you skillfully apply your Learning
Patterns.
Directions:

Your task is to complete your own Personal Strategy Card.
a. Watch the Completing Your Personal Strategy Card video
https://youtu.be/fAK3RpNzGg8.
b. You will be filling out the Personal Strategy Card form below
to complete the assignment.
EXP 105: Week 4
Personal Strategy Card
Name:
A. LCI Scores
Sequence
Precision
Technical
Reasoning
Confluence
Record your LCI scores in the boxes provided.
31
25
18
22
B. Carefully describe the degree to which you use each of your
Learning Patterns.
(Refer to the Personal Learning Profile you developed for your
Week Two assignment and any feedback provided by your
instructor to determine if you need to refine your responses as
you complete this section.)

Sequence:
Precision:
Technical Reasoning:
Confluence:
C. Identify all verbs and specific terms from the assignment
instructions and describe how each Learning Pattern will be
used to effectively complete the Week 5 assignment.
(Critically review the Final Reflection assignment in Week Five
and decode it.)
Sequence:
Precision:
Confluence:
D. Explain how you will Forge, Intensify, or Tether (FIT) your
Learning Patterns to implement personal strategies so you can
complete the Week Five assignment efficiently and effectively.
(If you do not need to FIT a Pattern, include a description of the
strategies you naturally use which help you to be successful on
these types of tasks.)
Sequence:
Precision:

Confluence:
Click to view a Model Personal Strategy Card (tips included!).
Many students have found that the instructions in this guide was
invaluable for completing the assignment successfully.
· Section A: List your LCI scores in the indicated boxes on the
Personal Strategy Card.
· Section B: Carefully describe the degree to which you use
each of your Learning Patterns. Refer to the Personal Learning
Profile you developed for your Week Two assignment and any
feedback provided by your instructor to determine if you need
to refine your responses as you complete this section.
· Section C: Critically review the Final Reflection assignment
instructions and decode them. Click here to download a copy of
the Week 5 Final Reflection instructions (in the online
classroom). Identify all verbs and specific terms from the
assignment instructions and describe how each Learning Pattern
will be used to effectively complete the Week 5 assignment.
· Section D: Explain how you will forge, intensify, or tether
(FIT) your Learning Patterns to implement personal strategies
so you can complete the Week Five assignment efficiently and
effectively. If you do not need to FIT a Pattern, include a
description of the strategies you naturally use which help you to
be successful on these types of tasks.
c. Save your work and then submit your Word document using
Waypoint.
4.4 The Action Phases of Metacognition
What follows is a list of the action phases that your mind goes t

hrough as it completes a learning task. The terms (seeFigure 4.2
) are words chosen to represent what occurs in each phase.
These are not scientific terms, but instead learner-
friendly descriptive words that allow a student to observe andun
derstand what is going on in his or her mind. They were chosen
to help students respond to the age-
old question:"What are you thinking?" and the equally frustratin
g criticism frequently leveled at them: "You know I can’t read y
ourmind!"
Phase 1: Mull
Virtually all tasks begin with some form of mulling—
meaning you get inside the assignment or the task and seek toun
derstand, "What am I being asked to do? Have I ever done this b
efore? What were the results? Do I want to repeatthose results o
r avoid them?" You don’t start to do anything until you have a s
ense of where you are going and howyou are going to do it. If th
e voices of your Patterns are crying out for clearer directions or
a greater sense of purpose,then ask for what you need. Don’t let
the frustration of not knowing how to start the task escalate fro
m simmeringquestions to boiling anger. Mulling is healthy; boil
ing isn’t. To avoid reaching that level of frustration, clarify wha
t isexpected of you by decoding the assignment.
Decoding is a learning strategy that helps you mull and connect
metacognitively to the instructor’s expectations. Thegoal of dec
oding is twofold: 1) to identify and clarify the intent of the dire
ctions—
that is, what the instructor expectsfrom you; and 2) to complete
the task in the way your instructor expects it to be done.
A pivotal tool to assist in decoding is a word wall; it is a chart d
ivided into four sectors, with each sector labeled for adifferent
Learning Pattern (see Figure 4.3). By using the cue words from
the word wall to indicate what Patterns arerequired to complete
the task, you can decode assignments, objectives, or any course-
related task.
Figure 4.3: Word Wall
Which decoding words do you think will help you decipher assi

gnments the most?
Source: © Let Me Learn, Inc.
When you are just beginning to learn how to decode, use a gene
ric word wall. As you become experienced at findingthe cue wor
ds in your assignments, add more of them to the word wall. As y
ou take more specialized courses, buildyour own word wall by i
dentifying the key terms associated with each subject and associ
ating them with each of thefour Learning Patterns.
Decoding tasks accurately is the main point of mulling. The step
s to decoding are the following:
1. First, read the directions for the task.
2.
Next, circle the verbs, specific terms, and titles that are intende
d to direct you.
3.
Then, using the word wall, find the words you circled within the
assignment, noting the Learning Pattern that eachword falls un
der. Go back to the directions, and above each word, write the fi
rst letter of the Learning Pattern it isdirecting you to use. See Fi
gure 4.4 for an example.
Figure 4.4: Decoding an Assignment: Critical Thinking
Decoding a task is an efficient way to discern what the task req
uires.
By breaking down the assignment into the Learning Patterns req
uired, you have a much clearer understanding of whatis expecte
d of you. At least three of the actions to be taken require the use
of Precision. Only one requires Sequenceand one requires Tech
nical Reasoning. This assignment calls for no Confluence. That
means that the instructor is notasking for your outside-the-
box ideas or unique perspective. The instructor wants an accurat
e description of criticalthinking (Precision) presented in a conci

se (Technical Reasoning) bulleted list (Sequence). Decoding the
task clarifiedhow to proceed and meet the instructor’s expectati
ons.
Now try your hand at decoding the task described in Figure 4.5.
Which would you circle as the key action words andspecific ter
ms and titles? Refer to the word wall to find each of your circle
d words, and determine the letter of theLearning Pattern that sh
ould go above the word(s). Remember: All terms and phrases fal
l under Precision even thoughthey may not be listed specifically
under that category.
Figure 4.5: Decoding an Assignment: Transformational Learnin
g Process
The more involved the requirements, the more important it is th
at you decode the assignment beforestarting.
What specific Learning Patterns are going to be required to com
plete this task? Can you identify when you will need tobe using
one Pattern more than another? Knowing the Patterns that you w
ill be called upon to use when completing aspecific task helps y
ou feel more confident about what the instructor’s expectations
are for the assignment, and whatyou are being asked to do to co
mplete it.
Dan, Cassie, and Nia all need to learn how to decode their assig
nments; it will save them valuable time, improve theirlearning o
utcomes, and increase their grades. Remember Dan’s dilemma?
Instead of generating ideas or organizing histhoughts, Dan beca
me fixated on the belief that he had no idea what he was suppos
ed to be doing. Cassie was faringeven worse: She sat in front of
her computer rereading the directions for the assignment, trying
to guess what theinstructor wanted her to do. Nia didn’t even re
alize that she needed to take the time to mull and decode theassi
gnment, which required a critical analysis with support from thr
ee sources. She simply wrote a paper stating heropinion of the a
rticle.

All three used their study time inefficiently and ineffectively be
cause they did not take the time to mull the assignmentand deco
de it. If they had, they would have saved valuable time and sub
mitted work that matched the expectations ofthe instructor.
Phase 2: Connect
The second action phase of metacognition is the act of mindfull
y connecting to the assignment. If you have mulled anddecoded
the assignment accurately, then you begin to make connections t
o the requirements of the task. Of coursethere are various types
of assignments, but most involve critical reading and critical wr
iting, and each requires that youinteract with text.
Connecting to Your Reading
Using the steps below to guide you, connect your ideas and expe
riences to the content of an assigned reading(s):
·
As you’re reading, think of a similar assignment you’ve had in t
he past. In your mind, can you begin to comparewhat you are re
ading now to what you have read in the past?
·
Jot down questions that cross your mind. Post your questions an
d read others’ responses to them.
·
Search for relevancy in the assigned reading. "Deep read" the pa
ssage, rather than skimming it.
·
Anticipate the conclusion of the assigned reading before you co
mplete it. Are you surprised by the outcome?
Understand what you are reading:
·
Look for a thread of logic or a progression of thought (e.g., Ste
p 1, Step 2, Step 3).
· Pick out new terminology and look up words you didn’t know.
·
Search for the central point; pull it together from different parts
of the reading if it is not explicitly stated.
· Consider the reading from several different angles.

Connect to the points in what you are reading by asking yoursel
f:
· Do you feel you were "of like mind" with the author?
· Do the facts speak to you?
· Can you relate your own experiences to its message?
·
Do you see any parts of the reading as a jumping off point for y
our own thinking?
Regardless of the type of assignment, intentional learners use th
eir Learning Patterns to connect to the task, first bymulling and
decoding, and next by connecting to it.
Neither Dan, nor Cassie, nor Nia invest in connecting to their as
signments. Each allows personal issues, including self-
doubt, fear of failure, and lack of personal investment of time, t
o get in the way of completing the assignmentsuccessfully. Non
e is likely to succeed on current or future assignments if each co
ntinues his or her current approach.Conversely, if they allow the
ir Patterns to guide them in connecting fully with the task at han
d, they are much morelikely to succeed (Johnston, 2005; Johnst
on, 2006).
FIT: Forge, Intensify, Tether
A second aspect of connecting to the assignment involves fitting
yourself to the task. FIT is an acronym comprised ofthe first let
ter of the words Forge, Intensify, and Tether. FIT describes the
type of self-
regulation you need to use inorder to fit your Learning Patterns
specifically to the task you are facing. Your goal should be to m
atch the amount ofeach Learning Pattern required of you to the
amount of that Pattern you use.
Take for example, the task decoded earlier (see Figure 4.4):
"Write in bulleted form a brief description of critical thinking."
When decoded, you recognize that the task requires you to use P
recision (as noted by three different terms, write,define, and crit
ical thinking) first and foremost. Suppose your Precision, at a sc
ore of 18, is borderline Avoid/Use asNeeded. In order for you to
complete the task successfully, you will need to temporarily inc

rease or forge yourPrecision to fit the task. Once you are consci
ous of the possible disconnect between the assignment and your
LearningPatterns, you can do something about it. Even though y
ou don’t enjoy operating at a high level of Precision, you areabl
e to do so once you recognize what the task calls for and you fin
d a strategy to help you increase your Precision tocomplete the t
ask.
As noted in Figure 4.5, the assignment you decoded requires yo
u to do the following:
Of the 17 key words decoded in this assignment, 12 require the
use of Precision. Two require Sequence, and threerequire Techn
ical Reasoning. None requires the use of Confluence. Clearly th
e assignment requires a great deal ofPrecision and a moderate u
se of Sequence and Technical Reasoning. But what if your Lear
ning Patterns don’t match theassignment? Do you give up? No,
you take action and forge the Pattern until it fits the level of Pre
cision required by theassignment.
Forge
The term forge is intended to be applied to those Patterns that fa
ll between 07 and 17 on the LCI "degree of use"continuum. The
purpose of forging a Pattern is to increase the use and performa
nce of it. Forging requires you to workin a way that you would
usually prefer not to. However, because you know the Pattern is
necessary for the task, youseek to make proper and appropriate
use of it. Impossible? No. Does it require your attention and int
ention?Absolutely! It also requires an increased use of mental e
nergy.
The amount of mental energy needed to alter your natural level
of performance in a Pattern is directly related to thedegree you
are required to use it. For example, Dan avoids Confluence (14).
He is not a risk-
taker, and this assignmentis asking him to do something he has
never done before. In addition, he almost avoids Precision (18).
Therefore, whenhe is required to "write, describe, and explain"
a specific term, his tendency to avoid Precision has him feeling

stressedand filled with doubt about his writing ability. Consequ
ently, he needs to use a significant amount of energy to intensif
y(energize) his Precision and forge (increase) his Confluence in
order to free himself to take on the assignment andbelieve he ca
n achieve.
Cassie, too, has a Pattern she avoids: Technical Reasoning (10).
It is not easy for Cassie to problem-
solve. By notknowing how to use her Technical Reasoning to gr
ound her Precision (29) and make it work for her, she allows her
mind to go round and round in circles, never certain of what to
do or how to proceed. Her Technical Reasoning couldprove help
ful to her in completing the assignment if she knew how to put f
orth the mental energy to forge its use. Forexample, she could u
se her Sequence to plan a step-by-
step approach to forging her Technical Reasoning and solve the
problem she is facing.
Forging is a metacognitive skill that takes patience, practice, an
d determination. Forging a Pattern is a challenge. Thesame is no
t the case if you use a Pattern at the Use as Needed level. Then i
ncreasing the use of it requires only thatyou intensify it.
Intensify
The term intensify is intended to be used with the Patterns that
you Use as Needed. Use as Needed Patterns scores fallfrom 18 t
o 24 on the LCI continuum. They are the "quiet" ones that stay i
n the background until called upon. If theyoperate closer to the
Avoid edge of the Use as Needed continuum, then they remain a
lmost dormant unless awakened.If they operate at close to the U
se First edge of the Use as Needed continuum, then they are mor
e actively and readilyavailable for use without a great deal of ef
fort. Your Use as Needed Patterns provide a rich set of options f
or you. Theyprovide a counterweight to the extremes of your Us
e First and Avoid Patterns.
Dan, Cassie, and Nia provide you with good examples of how th
eir Use as Needed Patterns can help balance the use oftheir othe
r Patterns. Dan Uses Precision as Needed, while Nia Uses Techn
ical Reasoning as Needed. Cassie has two Useas Needed Pattern

s, Sequence and Confluence. If they were aware of the potential
power of their Use as NeededPatterns, their study sessions woul
d be more productive. Dan could intensify his Precision and use
the increasedenergy to address the degree of Precision the writi
ng assignment is calling for, thus raising his confidence and low
eringhis self-
doubt. Cassie could awaken her Sequence and use it to feel mor
e secure in following the assignment’sdirections. She could also
use her Confluence to lessen her fear of doing the assignment i
ncorrectly, and instead, freeup her Precision to be willing to tak
e a little risk and trust that she is using the right words when sh
e makes herpoints in her analysis.
Nia also has a Pattern that could help her regulate her study beh
aviors. In Nia’s case, it is her Use as Needed Pattern ofTechnica
l Reasoning. If she were to intensify it, she would be better prep
ared to complete her written responsebecause her Technical Rea
soning would demand that she carefully craft it to meet the assi
gnment’s specifications. Ofcourse, Nia also has three Patterns t
hat she Uses First that drive her behaviors as a student in ways t
hat are not alwaysproductive. In many cases, she needs to tether
them.
Tether
The term tether is applied to those Patterns you Use First. These
are the Patterns that fall into the 25 to 35 range onthe LCI scori
ng continuum. These Patterns drive your life and your learning.
Of course, the challenge of using a combination of Use First Pat
terns in concert with your Avoid and Use as NeededPatterns is t
o do so with intention. In the case of your Use First Patterns, yo
u must stay alert for when thesedominating Patterns need to be t
ethered—that is, pulled back, held down, or restrained.
Tethering involves addressing those mental processes that leave
you feeling self-
assured and confident. Theysometimes must be restrained becau
se Use First Patterns do not necessarily represent competence. T
heir confidence issometimes misplaced, particularly when they a
re not the dominant Patterns required for a task. Thus, tethering

yourUse First Patterns helps you gain perspective and anchors y
ou to the current reality of the assignment, and it preventsyou fr
om getting stuck trying to do things the assignment doesn’t requ
ire or allow.
Dan, Cassie, and Nia all have Use First Patterns that warrant tet
hering because even Use First Patterns can mislead alearner. Fo
r example, Dan could benefit from tethering his Technical Reas
oning (30), his tendency to use few words,which can inhibit his
Use as Needed Precision (18). In the case of the assignment call
ing for an analysis with detailedsupport from three sources, he n
eeds to intensify his Precision and tether his Technical Reasonin
g in order to write apaper of an acceptable length, with sufficien
t supporting details.
Cassie could benefit from tethering her Precision (29) because it
makes demands for perfection on virtually everythingshe does.
Her Sequence (20) never organizes well enough; her Confluence
(22) never has good enough ideas; and herTechnical Reasoning
(10) is virtually ignored because it doesn’t help her have the pre
cise words to assist her whenwriting. When Cassie doesn’t tethe
r her Precision, all of her other Patterns are stifled.
Nia’s three Use First Patterns are a force to be reckoned with. C
ollectively, her Sequence (33), Precision (32), andConfluence (2
7) have her believing she can tune out the rest of the world and
listen only to what she perceives to bethe right structure (Seque
nce), the best answer (Precision), and the greatest idea (Conflue
nce). Tethering for Nia isvital. Only then will she be able to con
nect to the world outside of herself. Left untethered, Nia is desti
ned to continuedown an isolated pathway as a Strong-
Willed learner unable to recognize how she allowed her Patterns
to ambush hersuccess.
"FITing" your Patterns to a task takes energy. The task at hand
must be carefully and accurately decoded. The amountof resourc
es needed to accomplish the task needs to be carefully assessed.
Consequently, it is vital that you giveyourself the space emotio
nally, mentally, and physically to FIT your Patterns to the task.
Build in opportunities toregenerate your energy if you have bee

n tethering or forging your Patterns for several hours at a time,
because themental workout you will experience is every bit as ti
ring as an hour or two at the gym.
Know, however, that the effort is well worth it. Never underesti
mate the tremendous feeling of accomplishment thatawaits you
when you have succeeded in completing a task to a degree that y
ou have not achieved before. Always keepin mind that "Learnin
g strategies are most effective when students can make informed
choices about which strategiesto use in particular learning situa
tions" (Lovett, 2008).
Phase 3: Rehearse
A change in study behavior does not happen without practice. T
he metacognitive term is rehearse, a robust form ofpractice. Reh
earse involves studying the situation, preparing to meet expectat
ions, running through the actual sequenceof completing the assi
gned task or test, and then repeating the actions for the purpose
of improving your performanceor outcome. The rehearse phase a
llows your Patterns to go through a trial run to make certain that
the performance ofthe task, the completion of the project, and/o
r the public presentation will meet the standards set by the instr
uctor.Rehearsal prepares for expression by allowing any mistake
s to be identified and corrected in advance of submitting thefina
l product.
The centerpiece of the rehearsal phase is the personal learning t
ool called the strategy card. After decoding andstrategizing how
to FIT your Patterns to the task, you can use your knowledge of
your Patterns to develop personalstrategies to direct your effort
s. The most efficient way to do this is to develop a personal stra
tegy card (see Figure4.6).
Figure 4.6: Personal Strategy Card
Strategy cards convert general study skills into personalized str
ategies for learning based on each learner’sPatterns.

Personal strategy cards are essential to effective rehearsal becau
se they help you address the requirements that youhave decoded
from the assignment and they help you connect to the instructor
’s expectations. Strategy cards help youorganize your approach
to achieving success. They allow you to practice "smarter, not h
arder." You are more effectivewhen you develop a strategy card
for each major task or assignment. In doing so, you become mor
e disciplined andyou match your efforts to each requirement. Da
n, Cassie, and Nia can each benefit from developing personal str
ategycards to guide their study and completion of work.
Dan begins his next assignment using some personal learning str
ategies and tools. See Figure 4.7 for the newassignment, which
Dan has decoded. Then, using a strategy card, he matches his Pa
tterns to the task, and developsstrategies that will help him see t
he path to being successful, and thereby motivate him to comple
te the task efficientlyand effectively.
Figure 4.7: Dan’s Decoding of a New Assignment
After decoding his assignment, what Patterns does Dan now kno
w he needsto use?
Before he understood himself as a learner, Dan would have look
ed at the task and given up. Now that he knows how tometacogn
itively make his Patterns work for him, he invests himself in co
mpleting the task. Read through Dan’s strategycard (see Figure
4.8). What can you learn from Dan’s example?
Figure 4.8: Dan’s Strategy Card
After decoding his assignment, the personal strategy card helps
him FIT his Patterns to the Patterns theassignment requires.
Now it’s your turn. Using the same assignment as Dan, complet

e a strategy card in Worksheet 4.2. Begin by filling inyour LCI
scores and explaining the degree to which you use each of your
Patterns. Remember, you can refer to thePersonal Learning Prof
ile you developed in Chapter 2.
Next, look at the assignment again in Figure 4.7. How well does
what you are being asked to do match with yourLearning Patter
ns? Where are your Patterns comfortable? Where do you experie
nce a sense of discomfort? Once youhave identified the fit of yo
ur Patterns to the task, begin to fill in your strategy card.
Note that in order to FIT who you are as a learner to the assign
ment, you may need to use strategies in just one area,or in sever
al. See how well your Patterns match or to what degree you will
need to forge, intensify, and tether in each.Then complete the
worksheet.
Worksheet 4.2: Your Personal Strategy Card
How will this personal strategy card help you with your next ass
ignment?
Recording the strategies you use to achieve success in one assig
nment creates a resource bank that you can draw onthe next tim
e you are confronted with a similar one. Having a set of effectiv
e strategies also raises your confidence anddecreases your self-
doubt. Having personal learning strategies disciplines you to put
forth intentional, focused effort.Developing a strategy card req
uires you to invest, not avoid, and dig deeper, rather than skim t
he surface of the task athand. Using a strategy card keeps you gr
ounded in the requirements of each assignment and able to use y
our LearningPatterns skillfully.
Phase 4: Attend
In order to maintain the level of insight you gained about yourse
lf as you rehearsed, you will need to attend to usingthe strategie
s that brought you to a new level of achievement. Often, student
s who begin to use personal strategy cardsthat help them underst
and, study, and complete learning tasks set them by the wayside

once they have learned how tocomplete certain types of assign
ments successfully. They decide to operate on autopilot, based o
n the strategies theyhave used so far. In doing so, they jeopardiz
e all the study ground they have just conquered. They can quick
ly findthemselves back to square one, especially when a new typ
e of assignment rattles them. (Author’s note: As one whoavoids
Sequence, I frequently create a strategy card to help meet book
deadlines or to complete what for me aretedious tasks, such as
writing a grant proposal that is based on a strict set of requirem
ents that allow for no deviationfrom the format. It works on ma
ny levels, personally and professionally.)
The metacognitive phase that cautions you to attend to—
that is, to pay attention to—
a task also disciplines you to stayfocused and not waver from th
e high level of performance you have developed when using you
r personal strategies.Attending to a learning task is to be in an a
ctive state of focus, clearing away distractions, and concentratin
g on whatyou need to consciously do to complete the task well.
To attend means you don’t let up; you’ll continue to operate at a
high level of focused energy. The reason this is so important is t
hat when you submit your work, or complete anassessment, or i
n any way perform the action that you have been rehearsing, yo
u want it to occur at the same highlevel of performance that you
achieved during the rehearsal phase.
How many times have you seen a playoff in which one team win
s its division easily and must wait for its opponents tofinish out
a close series? When they finally begin the playoffs, supposedly
as the dominant team, the team’s play islackluster. Often, they
can’t get back the mojo they had in the earlier round. The team t
hat finishes first often loses itsability to attend at the same level
as the rival team that experienced no downtime. The attend pha
se of metacognitionis when you need to be coaching, encouragin
g, and challenging your Learning Patterns to be on alert and to c
ontinuedoing the work of intentional learning.
Phase 5: Express
To express means to go public with what you have been rehearsi

ng. It’s the real thing. To reach the metacognitivephase of expre
ss indicates that you have mulled, decoded, connected, FITed, r
ehearsed, developed personal strategies,and attended to maintai
ning a high level of performance. The paper being submitted is
your best work. The projectbeing presented is your best work. T
he comments being posted represent your best effort. All of you
r effort has beenprocessed and refined. It is the result of not me
re study habits, but the metacognitive behaviors of an intentiona
llearner determined to succeed.
Phase 6: Reflective Practice—Assess, Reflect, Revisit
The final phases of metacognition form the basis of something c
alled reflective practice, which is actually a part ofcritical think
ing. Reflective practice is also known as double-
looped learning because it takes you back to examine thedefinin
g questions you asked yourself as you entered into doing the ass
ignment (your assumptions, actions, anddecisions) and the resul
ts you achieved at the conclusion (success, partial success, or fa
ilure). Reflective practice allowsyou to learn from your decision
s and actions while determining their effectiveness. Don’t skip t
hese vital stages, as theyhelp you gain confidence and avoid rep
eating any mistakes.
Assess
The metacognitive phases, when faithfully followed, always incl
ude a time to assess. Unlike external assessment ortesting, the a
ssess phase of metacognition means confronting questions inter
nally, such as "What have I reallyachieved?" and "To what degr
ee have I achieved it?"
You need to ask yourself, "What is the outcome of my effort?" a
nd let the feedback from your instructor lead you toconsider the
results of your efforts. The metacognitive phase that follows lin
ks to this one—
it too focuses on thequestion, "What is the outcome of my effort
?"
Reflect
When you reflect, you begin your internal conversation with "A
s a result of my effort, I. . .." and you conclude with,"Next time,

I will. . ." When you reflect, you ask, "Where does the buck sto
p? Who is responsible for this success? Thisfailure? This mess?
"
This is the piece of professional and personal growth you may h
ave been missing. After all, anyone can use the phrase"mistakes
have been made" to anonymously attribute failure and blame. B
ut only mindful individuals with a clear senseof their personal L
earning Patterns face themselves (Osterman & Kottkamp, 2004)
and say precisely, "I screwed up, andI am prepared to take the h
eat for it."
Nia, the Strong-
Willed learner, avoids this phase of learning at all costs. Her un
willingness to reflect costs her. Usingyour metacognition well e
quips you to reach a powerful self-
awareness and to be open to ask, "What did I allow myselfto do
? What did I fail to do? Where did my Learning Patterns steer m
e off course?"
This is the autopsy of failure and of success. Without intentiona
lly focusing on your actions, approaches, and thoughts,you are d
oomed to continue to achieve less than you could. You cannot c
ontinue to repeat the same actions, believingthat they will yield
a different outcome. Reflection requires us to face ourselves—
specifically how we have used ourmetacognitive talk and our sel
f-
correcting opportunities and how we have failed to do so. This i
s the key to being anintentional learner.
Revisit
The good news found in reflective practice is that it does not co
nclude with simply assigning blame or with rewardingsuccess.
Reflective practice invites you instead to revisit your metacogni
tive phases, noting both those that enrichedand those that frustr
ated your venture. Revisiting metacognitive decisions serves to
reinforce the specific strategiesthat led to success and to reconsi
der those that led to failure. Revisiting grows both metacognitiv
e capacity andpersonal insight.
There is no doubt that when you understand your Learning Patte

rns and are aware of the internal talk of your Patternsas they wo
rk through the metacognitive phases, you are well equipped, as
Peter Senge, the guru of professionaldevelopment, describes, "t
o consistently enhance your capacity to produce results that are
truly important to you"(1999, p. 45).

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