Prepare As discussed in Chapter 4 and the Week 4 Instructor Gui.docx

Prepare: As discussed in Chapter 4 and the Week 4 Instructor
Guidance, intentional learning requires focus, commitment, time
management, and personal skills. In addition to general study
habits, developing sophisticated personal learning strategies
will help you own your learning behaviors. Return to the
chapter and critically read the scenarios of Dan, Cassie, and Nia
in section 4.2, The Importance of Self-Regulation and
Metacognition in section 4.3, and the concept of
FIT: forge,intensify, and tether in section 4.4. Note how Dan,
Cassie, and Nia all lack an understanding of how to be mindful,
intentional learners. Their study habits are riddled with common
issues, ranging from self-doubt, fear of not doing things right,
to overconfidence.
Reflect: Carefully review Worksheet 4.1 in Chapter 4. Reflect
on your own internal and external success factors and on your
academic performance over the past three weeks. Analyze how a
lack of self-regulation can hinder academic success and how,
conversely, being intentional can lead to increased success and
deeper learning. Your honest evaluation begins the process of
developing personalized learning strategies and allows you to
examine your readiness to take the next steps toward becoming
an intentional learner.
Write: You will address a learner scenario in your response.
Your assigned learner is indicated below based on the first
initial of your last name:
· Dan – Last name A – G- (Cody)
Consider what your assigned learner could have done to be more
successful. Explain two things that the learner could have done

to use his or her Learning Patterns more intentionally.
Reflect on the past three weeks.
· Choose one of your Learning Patterns and
· Identify a situation where you could have used the chosen
Pattern with more intention in this class and explain how
you could have forged, intensified, or tethered to be successful.
OR
· Identify a situation where you actually did use the chosen
you actually did forge, intensify, or tether to be successful.
· List your LCI scores in your response.
Your initial post should contain a minimum of 250 words.
4.1 The Need for Effective Study Habits
Good study habits are crucial for academic success. This is a me
ssage you have heard from the time you entered schooluntil now
, as you enter or re-
enter the adult learning world of online courses. Many nontradit
ional students entercollege long after their previous study habits
have faded from their minds. They may have never learned how
to beststudy at all; their old habits may have been ways to just
barely cope with the work.
Now the need for effective study habits becomes urgent and im
mediate. Of course you can turn to the Internet whereyou will fi
nd hundreds of sites filled with standard suggestions—
have a set place, study when rested, take breaks, dothe hardest
work first, study with a group or a buddy. There are plenty of bl
ogs relating how others have madestudying work for them. But t
hey are not you! Studying is a universal requirement if you plan
to succeed as a student;however, studying strategies are very pe
rsonal. There is no "one size fits all" in study techniques.
Factors to Consider

There are, however, some proven actions associated with effecti
ve study. For example, you will, indeed, want todesignate one o
r more physical locations that work well for you. You will want
to assemble your vital study resources(a daily planner or a digit
al app for organizing each day’s schedule and the technology yo
ur courses require) andestablish a specific time frame for study.
Wavebreak Media/Thinkstock
Where do you think is the best place for you to study,and with
which digital device?
Adults who are successful students establish the parameters fort
heir study by consciously designing a schedule and a locationwh
ere their studying will occur, and they frame their studytime aro
und their work and family life. But beyond that, howare you goi
ng to address the point of da Vinci’s message? Howdo you gene
rate a desire to study?
The desire to study comes from your belief that you arecapable
of doing the mental work of learning and that theeffort you put f
orth to learn will yield both tangible rewards(supportive feedba
ck, good grades, academic awards) andintangible rewards (feeli
ngs of accomplishment, pride, and asense that you can take on e
ven greater learning challenges).This new sense of self-
awareness as a learner does not occurby chance. It occurs becau
se you have prepared your mind touse its Learning Patterns with
intention to read, investigate, ponder, and complete specific lea
rning tasks using yourpersonalized learning strategies. This heig
htened sense of self-
efficacy creates a growing desire within you to succeedover and
over again.
In the e-college scene, multiple learning tasks—
some more challenging than you have previously experienced—
confront you. Among the first thoughts that may come to mind a
re, "How can I meet these expectations? I have neverdone this b
efore! How can I meet the requirements of being a college stude
nt on top of everything else in my life? Howcan I use my time m
ost efficiently? How am I going to create the desire to be that su

ccessful student who learns withintention?"
As you learned earlier in this text, intentional learning requires
focus, commitment, and personal skills. So not only areyou goin
g to use general study habits, but also very sophisticated person
al learning strategies. You are going to useyour new sense of sel
f as a learner to remove the inertia of self-
doubt. You are going to fan the internal flame of desireto attem
pt a new set of study behaviors that you have intentionally chos
en, and you are going to actualize your beliefin your ability to l
earn in order to succeed at a level you may never have before at
tained.
Learning How to Learn
As you recall from Chapter 1, the requirements of learning have
changed significantly over the past one hundred years.Where o
nce learning to memorize large amounts of information was the
mark of a successful student, today having theknowledge, skills,
and judgment to select and use data accurately, interact with ot
hers appropriately, and use newtechnologies efficiently are imp
ortant for student success. Today you are required to learn how
to learn—
that is, movewhat is outside your head to inside your mind, wor
king with it by reading critically and writing critically, studying
andowning it, and then presenting your newfound knowledge, u
nderstanding, and insights for discussion, feedback, andrefinem
ent.
Creating Your Personal Learning Tools: Information InterviewC
hecklist
Maria Sanchez has come to understand that knowing informatio
n isn’t enough. You need to study theinformation and determine
its accuracy and its relevance. You need to be able to present y
our ideaslogically and thoughtfully. This became very clear to
Maria when she faced the challenge of writing her firstmajor pa
per in 20 years after returning to school.
"The information I included in my paper needed to be detailed,"
Maria explains, "but I also needed tounderstand why I was incl
uding it and what the information really added to the point I wa

s making."
To accomplish this, Maria, using her Sequence, made a checklis
t of the key points she wanted to make inher paper. The checklis
t had each point—
plus a sentence explaining why it was important to include in th
epaper. Those sentences revealed to Maria when and how a poin
t would really contribute to her argument,and they also showed
her when she went astray and needed to leave out a tangential d
etail. They wereessential for Maria’s newfound success in writi
ng. "I called it my information interview checklist. It allowedm
e to see at a glance if the information I was using would help m
ake my point or not."
"I have learned that there is a lot more to writing than just putti
ng words up on the screen. I need to takecharge of how I go abo
ut expressing my thoughts and ideas. I need to understand the in
formation that I amincluding and think through its purpose."
You, too, may find this kind of checklist to be a more useful per
sonal learning tool than a traditionaloutline. It doesn’t have to b
e a list on lined paper, either; if Confluence leads your Patterns,
you may wantto do this on unlined paper so you can sketch out
your points in a free flow rather than structured graphic.If you u
se Technical Reasoning as your lead, you may develop your key
points in blocks of thought andthen sketch their placement to b
uild your case or make your point. Just be sure to ask yourself
why youwish to include each detail as you jot it down; this step
allows you to see whether or not it truly supportsyour main idea
.
This chapter is about much more than developing good study ha
bits. It’s about owning your right to be called a collegestudent
who is a part of community of learners in a degree program. Bel
ongingness in the college setting is a powerfulsense of being a p
art of something very important to your future. With that sense
of belongingness comes certainresponsibilities:
· You own your learning behaviors.
· You commit to the academic time demands of college life.
·

You commit to taking the time to be a critical reader, a critical
writer, and a critical thinker.
· You use your self-awareness as a learner to self-
regulate your learning behaviors.
·
You experience success; you feel more capable; your sense of se
lf-efficacy grows.
·
You take the next step toward becoming an intentional learner b
y developing your mental muscles throughpersonalized strategie
s.
· Your success breeds even greater success.
·
You make learning work for you. In the words of da Vinci, you
"study with desire."
Only after assuming these responsibilities as an intentional lear
ner can you confirm for yourself that you are in theright place—
that you belong.
Worksheet 4.1 is intended to help you examine your readiness t
o take the next step toward becoming an intentionallearner.
Worksheet 4.1: Checking Your Status as an Adult Learner
Click on the worksheet to access the interactive PDF.
Source: © Let Me Learn, Inc.
Not all adults enter college prepared to meet the responsibilities
of being an intentional learner. However, none needsto remain
unprepared. With effort, discipline, and persistence, every stude
nt can improve his or her abilities. It is theeffort you put forth a
s a student that ultimately determines your success. College cou
rsework is not a test of how"smart" you already are or how muc
h you already know. It is an opportunity to develop and expand
your ability tothink, read, speak, and write in ways that have an
effect on other people.
4.2 Three Student Scenarios
Over the course of this chapter, you will follow three different a
dult learners. You will meet them at crucial points intheir enroll

ment, and you will track their conscious decisions to remain as t
hey are or develop their personal learningstrategies and tools. T
heir decisions will ultimately determine their growth and transf
ormation into intentional learnersor college dropouts.Dan
Dan has an assignment to do. He meant to start it at the beginni
ng of the week right after it was posted, but has keptputting it o
ff. His deadline is now very close, so he is anxious to get it don
e.
At 8:30 p.m., after having something to eat and seeing that the r
est of the family is watching television, he heads to hisstudy cor
ner in the bedroom. He settles in, starts up the computer, and re
alizes he can’t find the notebook in which hejotted down ideas f
or the assignment. While he thinks about where he last saw the
notebook, he checks the sportsscores, scans his email, and looks
up a website on tires that are on sale (tires: just another thing o
n the never-ending,unaffordable to-do list).
iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Dan cannot seem to focus on his work and procrastinatesinto the
night because he does not feel competent in hisabilities. How c
an he remedy this?
It’s now 9:16 p.m., and Dan is feeling tired and could usesomet
hing cold to drink to wake himself up. He wanders out tothe kitc
hen, passing the family room and pausing to see what’shappenin
g in the latest episode of his favorite show (which heis now mis
sing because he put off doing his assignment earlierin the week)
.
Ten minutes later and back in front of the computer, herepositio
ns himself and, instead of finding his notebook orgenerating ne
w ideas, he is struck by the fact that he has noreal idea of what
he’s supposed to be doing. Besides, afterreceiving feedback on t
he last assignment (which was nowherenear as positive as he ex
pected), he doubts that he can besuccessful on this one. He thou
ght he had done exactly whatwas being called for, but the grade
he received suggestedotherwise. Now he is beginning to think h
e might not be ableto complete the course. As a result of the rep

etitive, self-
doubting thoughts, Dan stares glumly at the screen for thenext h
alf hour. He accomplishes nothing.
Even re-
reading the pages assigned in his text doesn’t trigger any though
ts. He doesn’t take in anything and the wordson the screen swim
before his eyes. Maybe this isn’t the best time to start this work
, he thinks. Maybe tomorrow wouldbe better.
Dan spends the rest of the evening and late into the night attemp
ting to do what could be done in 90 minutes or less.He stops eve
ntually, not because his work is finished, but because he feels ti
red and insecure, and can’t stand to thinkabout the assignment a
ny longer.
Dan as a Learner
Dan suffers from a basic problem with his self-
esteem. Consciously, he wants to do his work; unconsciously, th
e task isa terrifying chance to confirm that he is incapable, whic
h is what he thinks he is. There’s a voice in his head, of whichh
e’s probably unaware, that goes something like this: "This is goi
ng to take me ages. I can’t really do this. Others willprobably ac
e this. Not me. I hate writing, even if it’s just one paragraph. M
y thoughts never look right on paper." Manystudents like Dan ar
e convinced that they are inferior to others. Little do they know
that many other people havesimilar self-doubts.
The second reason Dan struggles with his work is because he ne
eds to be more strategic in the use of his study habits.He makes
some effort, but because he is using generalized rather than pers
onalized study habits, he gets tired, givesup, and reinforces his
belief that he is not capable.
Are You Dan?
Dan (S25, P18, TR30, C14)
·
Does all right at first, but rarely moves beyond doing the minim
um. Self-doubt builds until he gets behind andoverwhelmed.

· Isn’t comfortable self-
reflecting or thinking about himself as a learner.
·
Doesn’t ask for help; instead, hides behind his need to appear se
lf-sufficient.
· Is a person of few written or spoken words.
·
Is very practical and seeks to "fix" a situation using his own app
roach to problem solving.
· Experiences a high degree of self-doubt; he believes that he:
· doesn’t have enough to say.
· cannot see the relevance of the assigned task.
· gets the task done (not well, but done).
· Begins to doubt his ability to complete his degree.Cassie
Cassie has an assignment due. She doesn’t want to miss the dea
dline or post a paper with errors. Cassie is aconscientious stude
nt, and between her family responsibilities and her work, she ru
ns a tight schedule. In order to gether studying completed in a ti
mely manner, she sets up a schedule and "works" it. First she hu
rries to get a meal onthe table for her two daughters, listening i
ntently to them talk about their day; then she checks their home
work; andfinally, she gets them settled in bed, with just enough
time left for her to get to her own homework.
Cassie works at the kitchen table. She likes to have music on wh
en she is studying, but tonight she turns it down lowso she can c
omprehend the information that is on the screen in front of her.
Juan Silva/Digital Vision/Getty Images
Cassie is a perfectionist—
which Learning Pattern do youthink is Use First for her?
She is focusing on the directions for the assignment, but she isc
oncerned because she doesn’t understand what they areasking he
r to do. The same thing happened when she wascompleting the l
ast assignment, and she ended up guessingrather than knowing
what the expectations were. Her guesseswere only partially corr
ect. Cassie cringes as she thinks aboutthe feedback she received

, which included the suggestions thatshe use fewer words, select
words more carefully for greaterclarity, and provide more supp
ort from her sources. She wasalso told that she had wandered fr
om the topic and hadnumerous spelling and punctuation errors.
The clock is ticking, but Cassie’s mind isn’t. She reads and re-
reads the directions for the assignment. She studies each word,tr
ying to figure out what the instructor is looking for. She needsto
get started, but her fear of failure holds her back. Finally, she b
egins to write. After a few minutes she stops, staresat the screen
, and then deletes every word, certain that she is doing it all wro
ng. Midnight is approaching, and she hasyet to make real progre
ss. Panic sets in.
Cassie as a Learner
Cassie is stuck in the classic "be perfect" and "please me" mode
s that affect learners who are taught early in life thatmistakes ar
e a sign of imperfection and that pleasing the teacher is what su
ccess in school is all about. Instead ofdeveloping the perspectiv
e that mistakes are a part of life, and you can learn a great deal
from your mistakes, Cassie isconvinced that mistakes are to be a
voided at all costs because they show others your shortcomings
and inabilities. As aresult, Cassie is gridlocked in her fear of no
t doing what is expected—
perfectly. Like Dan, she is losing valuable timestuck in a learni
ng quandary of whether to do what she thinks is expected or do
nothing at all. Because she doesn’tknow with certainty what is e
xpected, she hesitates to start the task at hand. She haltingly be
gins the task, but thendeletes what she’s done. She has no sense
of intention, and she is losing her desire to study as she unprodu
ctivelyspins her wheels.
Are You Cassie?
Cassie (S20, P29, TR10, C22)
· Wants to please the instructor by showing what she knows.
·
Reads the syllabus and weekly requirements, but can get tangled

in the specifics and anxiety about whether she isdoing things co
rrectly.
·
Gathers lots of information, but worries whether it is the right i
nformation and whether she has enough.
·
Can’t organize her words and thoughts; is overwhelmed by all t
he information she has gathered.
·
Finds it difficult to edit her own work because she has taken tim
e to select each word so carefully.
·
Experiences a high degree of fear of being wrong. She is afraid
that she:
· doesn’t have the right information.
·
doesn’t understand the information well enough to write about it
.
· won’t express her thoughts clearly or accurately.
·
Begins to doubt if she is ever going to complete her degree.Nia
Nia is also a nontraditional student who has just entered the wor
ld of college studies online. But unlike Dan and Cassie,her life i
s not encumbered with family. Currently, she is transitioning fro
m 10 years in the military (three deployments)to civilian life. S
he has wasted no time finding employment while she pursues he
r college degree.
Nia is a "can-
do" person whose service years have been devoted to military p
ersonnel administration, primarily payroll.She sees herself as a
multitasker—
someone with a number of balls in the air at all times. She is qu
ick on her feet,straightforward, and deliberate. You always kno
w where you stand when you work with Nia. Some would descri
be heras a force to be reckoned with.
Tonight, with her study schedule in hand, she sits at her newly p

urchased desk in front of her state-of-
the artcomputer, which is loaded with the latest software. She h
as the same assignment to complete as Dan and Cassie, andthe s
ame deadline looming. Like them, she finds the directions for th
e assignment unclear. But unlike them, she isdriven. Just becaus
e the instructor has not made the assignment clear is no reason f
or Nia to be concerned. She decidesthat she will clarify the assi
gnment for herself and then proceed.
She begins by skimming the assigned materials and drawing her
own conclusions about the points the readings make.She then re
ads the directions for the assignment, and while she is as uncert
ain as Dan and Cassie as to what to includein a "critical analysis
," she unhesitatingly starts and completes her response. She is n
ot concerned that she has not readthe feedback on her most rece
nt assignment. She is certain she has met the instructor’s expect
ations. Besides, shewants to look forward, not backward. She is
committed to working her way through the course sessions as fa
st aspossible. Nia is a woman on a mission with a clear goal in
mind: first the diploma, then a career in human resourcemanage
ment.
Stockbyte/Thinkstock
Nia completes her assignment quickly andwithout hesitation, bu
t that does not meanthat she fully understands the assignment or
completes it correctly. What kind of learner isNia?
She completes the assignment in less than an hour, and moves o
n tochecking her social media sites. When she finishes her updat
es, shereturns to her class work, and, even though the instructor
’s directionssuggest that students re-
read their work and double check it for sufficientcontent, use of
three references, clarity of thought, and punctuation andgramm
ar, Nia chooses to post her work without reviewing or revising i
t.After all, she knows what she wrote and knows it’s brilliant!
The assignment calls for her to do a critical analysis of one of t
he pointsraised in the readings and to support her analysis using
three sources.Nia’s interpretation of this, however, is to state h

er opinion of the article,and she does just that. Never one to use
her own words when someoneelse can say it better, Nia uses pa
ssages from the readings, but she doesnot credit or use quotatio
n marks for them. Nia’s learning problem is notself-
doubt. Her problem as a learner is her ill-
placed confidence in herwork. She confuses confidence with co
mpetence.
Nia as a Learner
Nia does not suffer from a lack of self-
confidence as a learner, but a lackof being intentional. Through
out her years in school and in her military service, Nia was an o
verachiever striving forrecognition and affirmation—
which others did not offer because she had not earned it. When
she doesn’t receive therecognition she feels she deserves, she bl
ocks out the feedback of others and replaces it with her own me
ssage of "ajob well done."
As a result, Nia frustrates her teachers and alienates her co-
workers. Why? Because she does not face herself as alearner. Ni
a chooses not to be self-
reflective and not to learn from others’ feedback on her perform
ance. She cloaksherself in self-
assurance and denies what others have to offer her; this stops he
r from developing her abilities andskills.
Are You Nia?
Nia (S33, P32, TR22, C27)
· Is strong-willed.
· Operates as her own team.
· Lets her sense of self convince her that she:
· can submit work that is off-track from the actual assignment.
· can ignore feedback.
· will learn nothing from feedback.
·
Accepts no feedback, mentoring, guidance, or help when it com
es to learning; she:

· argues, rather than listens to, comments and suggestions.
· has little respect for others’ opinions.
· Does not engage in personal reflection.
Dan, Cassie, and Nia all lack an understanding of how to be min
dful, intentional learners. Their study habits are riddledwith co
mmon issues, ranging from self-
doubt, to fear of not doing things right, to overconfidence. Each
uses someaspect of the general parameters for studying: having
a workspace, setting a study time, and having the correctmateri
als. Yet, they are not headed for success because they let other f
actors disrupt their study.
4.3 The Importance of Self-Regulation andMetacognition
Dan, Cassie, and Nia have a number of things in common: they
are adult learners, they have numerous outside interestsand resp
onsibilities, and none has mastered a key component of successf
ul learning—self-
regulation. This is theability to consciously examine your own t
houghts and behavior, to identify which of them is causing you t
o beunproductive, and to determine alternative thoughts and beh
aviors that will lead you to a successful learning outcome.
Self-regulation is steeped in self-discipline—a type of self-
discipline that is not rigid but flexible, one that is open tofacing
reality, aimed at problem solving, and prepared to redirect your
energy toward achieving your goal. As Marzano(1992, p. 138)
notes, self-regulation involves the discipline and focus to:
· Be aware of your own thinking.
· Plan and then monitor your use of time.
· Evaluate the effectiveness of your actions.
· Be open to feedback.
The critical component missing in Dan, Cassie, and Nia’s appro
aches to learning is self-
regulation. Dan does notregulate his time, his focus, or his self-
doubt; Cassie does not regulate her fear of being wrong or effec
tively act to clearup her confusion about the assignment; and Ni
a does not regulate her self-

assurance and refusal to consider others’feedback or opinions of
her work.
As a result, they allow their lack of self-
awareness to stymie their success. Because they are armed only
with thephysical resources of a place to study and the digital tec
hnology to do their work, Dan, Cassie, and Nia flounder. Eachh
as a vague sense of how and where they should study, but each l
acks any form of personal learning tools andpersonal learning st
rategies. None of their study effort is done with intention.
The pathway to becoming an intentional learner begins with noti
cing, understanding, and regulating your thoughts andbehavior b
efore, during, and after a learning experience. This learning beh
avior is known as metacognition, which liesat the heart of intent
ional learning. It consists of the phases your mind goes through
as you are seeking to learn. Asyou metacognate, you are moving
the external happenings of the world to the internal operations
of your mind. You aretaking in the world around you, making se
nse of it, and developing the means to respond appropriately.
In the context of intentional learning, metacognition is defined
as the internal talk that goes on within your mind asyou are lear
ning. While its traditional definition is "thinking about thinking
," the pioneers of metacognitive studydescribed it more specific
ally as "learning to direct one’s own mental processes with the a
id of words" (Vygotsky, 1986,p. 108). Your internal talk consist
s of the "chatter" of your Learning Patterns as they call to one a
nother—
expressingtheir feelings, concerns, or the actions they want to e
ngage in (see Figure 4.1). Each of your Patterns plays animporta
nt role in your learning; each has a different perspective; and ea
ch has a distinct voice.
Figure 4.1: Metacognition
The Patterns within your brain-
mind interface can be forged, intensified, ortethered by the inter
nal talk of your metacognition.

Learning Patterns at Work
Metacognition is the internal talk of your Learning Patterns. Yo
u may not have had a wordfor this phenomenon before, but you
are well aware that your Learning Patterns havevoices that expr
ess their feelings, frustrations, excitement, and concerns as you
work youway through a given task. In the following video, ident
ify how Learning Patterns affect theway in which you metacogn
ate.
The communication among your Learning Patterns forms your m
etacognition. Rather than being a distraction, thechatter among
your Patterns allows you to actively listen to how your Patterns
are at work within your mind, pullingand tugging you in differe
nt directions. This awareness provides you with the insight nece
ssary for "purposefuldecision-
making about how to proceed with the task" (Baird, Fensham, G
unston, & White, 1991, p. 164). Self-
regulationallows you to take charge of your Patterns and "talk b
ack" to them, employing strategies that help you complete theta
sk you have been given.
Self-Regulating Your Patterns
Only when you listen to your internal metacognitive chatter can
you begin to take charge and respondappropriately to it. You ma
y often miss the voice of your metacognition because you are su
rrounded byother audible distractions: ringtones, people’s voice
s, digitized music. Or you may ignore the chatterbecause you ha
ve decided not to notice it. One reason you might opt to ignore
your internal talk is becauseyou are not prepared to listen to its
message.
Your metacognition consists of a quartet of voices: Sequence, P
recision, Technical Reasoning, andConfluence. It challenges yo
u to make sense of their message and to hear more than the har
mony anddisharmony within your thinking; it forces you to liste
n and make defining decisions. That is not easy to dowhen your
Patterns are arguing about how to proceed or how to achieve. Li
stening to your metacognitiontakes practice, patience, and skill.
In other words, the self-

regulation of your mind takes work. In order to make your meta
cognition work foryou, you need to understand the phases of tho
ught and action that comprise it. You need to look at eachphase
as a benchmark that brings you one step closer to being a succes
sful learner. By taking the time togo through the action phases o
f metacognition, you can open doors to understanding and answ
eringquestions, such as:
· What is this assignment all about?
· What am I supposed to be doing?
·
Where will I find the information I need to complete this assign
ment?
· What is the purpose of doing this?
· Will the instructor accept a different type of response?
·
Do I need to submit work that looks just like the example we we
re given?
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?
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).
Prepare: As discussed in Chapter 4 and the Week 4 Instructor
Guidance, intentional learning requires focus, commitment, time
management, and personal skills. In addition to general study
habits, developing sophisticated personal learning strategies
will help you own your learning behaviors. Return to the
chapter and critically read the scenarios of Dan, Cassie, and Nia
in section 4.2, The Importance of Self-Regulation and
Metacognition in section 4.3, and the concept of

FIT: forge,intensify, and tether in section 4.4. Note how Dan,
Cassie, and Nia all lack an understanding of how to be mindful,
intentional learners. Their study habits are riddled with common
issues, ranging from self-doubt, fear of not doing things right,
to overconfidence.
Reflect: Carefully review Worksheet 4.1 in Chapter 4. Reflect
on your own internal and external success factors and on your
academic performance over the past three weeks. Analyze how a
lack of self-regulation can hinder academic success and how,
conversely, being intentional can lead to increased success and
deeper learning. Your honest evaluation begins the process of
developing personalized learning strategies and allows you to
examine your readiness to take the next steps toward becoming
an intentional learner.
Write: You will address a learner scenario in your response.
Your assigned learner is indicated below based on the first
initial of your last name:
· Dan – Last name A – G- (Cody)
Consider what your assigned learner could have done to be more
successful. Explain two things that the learner could have done
to use his or her Learning Patterns more intentionally.
Reflect on the past three weeks.
· Choose one of your Learning Patterns and
· Identify a situation where you could have used the chosen
you could have forged, intensified, or tethered to be successful.
OR
· Identify a situation where you actually did use the chosen
you actually did forge, intensify, or tether to be successful.

· List your LCI scores in your response.
Your initial post should contain a minimum of 250 words.
4.1 The Need for Effective Study Habits
Good study habits are crucial for academic success. This is a me
ssage you have heard from the time you entered schooluntil now
, as you enter or re-
enter the adult learning world of online courses. Many nontradit
ional students entercollege long after their previous study habits
have faded from their minds. They may have never learned how
to beststudy at all; their old habits may have been ways to just
barely cope with the work.
Now the need for effective study habits becomes urgent and im
mediate. Of course you can turn to the Internet whereyou will fi
nd hundreds of sites filled with standard suggestions—
have a set place, study when rested, take breaks, dothe hardest
work first, study with a group or a buddy. There are plenty of bl
ogs relating how others have madestudying work for them. But t
hey are not you! Studying is a universal requirement if you plan
to succeed as a student;however, studying strategies are very pe
rsonal. There is no "one size fits all" in study techniques.
Factors to Consider
There are, however, some proven actions associated with effecti
ve study. For example, you will, indeed, want todesignate one o
r more physical locations that work well for you. You will want
to assemble your vital study resources(a daily planner or a digit
al app for organizing each day’s schedule and the technology yo
ur courses require) andestablish a specific time frame for study.
Wavebreak Media/Thinkstock
Where do you think is the best place for you to study,and with
which digital device?
Adults who are successful students establish the parameters fort

heir study by consciously designing a schedule and a locationwh
ere their studying will occur, and they frame their studytime aro
und their work and family life. But beyond that, howare you goi
ng to address the point of da Vinci’s message? Howdo you gene
rate a desire to study?
The desire to study comes from your belief that you arecapable
of doing the mental work of learning and that theeffort you put f
orth to learn will yield both tangible rewards(supportive feedba
ck, good grades, academic awards) andintangible rewards (feeli
ngs of accomplishment, pride, and asense that you can take on e
ven greater learning challenges).This new sense of self-
awareness as a learner does not occurby chance. It occurs becau
se you have prepared your mind touse its Learning Patterns with
intention to read, investigate, ponder, and complete specific lea
rning tasks using yourpersonalized learning strategies. This heig
htened sense of self-
efficacy creates a growing desire within you to succeedover and
over again.
In the e-college scene, multiple learning tasks—
some more challenging than you have previously experienced—
confront you. Among the first thoughts that may come to mind a
re, "How can I meet these expectations? I have neverdone this b
efore! How can I meet the requirements of being a college stude
nt on top of everything else in my life? Howcan I use my time m
ost efficiently? How am I going to create the desire to be that su
ccessful student who learns withintention?"
As you learned earlier in this text, intentional learning requires
focus, commitment, and personal skills. So not only areyou goin
g to use general study habits, but also very sophisticated person
al learning strategies. You are going to useyour new sense of sel
f as a learner to remove the inertia of self-
doubt. You are going to fan the internal flame of desireto attem
pt a new set of study behaviors that you have intentionally chos
en, and you are going to actualize your beliefin your ability to l
earn in order to succeed at a level you may never have before at
tained.

Learning How to Learn
As you recall from Chapter 1, the requirements of learning have
changed significantly over the past one hundred years.Where o
nce learning to memorize large amounts of information was the
mark of a successful student, today having theknowledge, skills,
and judgment to select and use data accurately, interact with ot
hers appropriately, and use newtechnologies efficiently are imp
ortant for student success. Today you are required to learn how
to learn—
that is, movewhat is outside your head to inside your mind, wor
king with it by reading critically and writing critically, studying
andowning it, and then presenting your newfound knowledge, u
nderstanding, and insights for discussion, feedback, andrefinem
ent.
Creating Your Personal Learning Tools: Information InterviewC
hecklist
Maria Sanchez has come to understand that knowing informatio
n isn’t enough. You need to study theinformation and determine
its accuracy and its relevance. You need to be able to present y
our ideaslogically and thoughtfully. This became very clear to
Maria when she faced the challenge of writing her firstmajor pa
per in 20 years after returning to school.
"The information I included in my paper needed to be detailed,"
Maria explains, "but I also needed tounderstand why I was incl
uding it and what the information really added to the point I wa
s making."
To accomplish this, Maria, using her Sequence, made a checklis
t of the key points she wanted to make inher paper. The checklis
t had each point—
plus a sentence explaining why it was important to include in th
epaper. Those sentences revealed to Maria when and how a poin
t would really contribute to her argument,and they also showed
her when she went astray and needed to leave out a tangential d
etail. They wereessential for Maria’s newfound success in writi
ng. "I called it my information interview checklist. It allowedm
e to see at a glance if the information I was using would help m

ake my point or not."
"I have learned that there is a lot more to writing than just putti
ng words up on the screen. I need to takecharge of how I go abo
ut expressing my thoughts and ideas. I need to understand the in
formation that I amincluding and think through its purpose."
You, too, may find this kind of checklist to be a more useful per
sonal learning tool than a traditionaloutline. It doesn’t have to b
e a list on lined paper, either; if Confluence leads your Patterns,
you may wantto do this on unlined paper so you can sketch out
your points in a free flow rather than structured graphic.If you u
se Technical Reasoning as your lead, you may develop your key
points in blocks of thought andthen sketch their placement to b
uild your case or make your point. Just be sure to ask yourself
why youwish to include each detail as you jot it down; this step
allows you to see whether or not it truly supportsyour main idea
.
This chapter is about much more than developing good study ha
bits. It’s about owning your right to be called a collegestudent
who is a part of community of learners in a degree program. Bel
ongingness in the college setting is a powerfulsense of being a p
art of something very important to your future. With that sense
of belongingness comes certainresponsibilities:
· You own your learning behaviors.
· You commit to the academic time demands of college life.
·
You commit to taking the time to be a critical reader, a critical
writer, and a critical thinker.
· You use your self-awareness as a learner to self-
regulate your learning behaviors.
·
You experience success; you feel more capable; your sense of se
lf-efficacy grows.
·
You take the next step toward becoming an intentional learner b
y developing your mental muscles throughpersonalized strategie
s.

· Your success breeds even greater success.
·
You make learning work for you. In the words of da Vinci, you
"study with desire."
Only after assuming these responsibilities as an intentional lear
ner can you confirm for yourself that you are in theright place—
that you belong.
Worksheet 4.1 is intended to help you examine your readiness t
o take the next step toward becoming an intentionallearner.
Worksheet 4.1: Checking Your Status as an Adult Learner
Click on the worksheet to access the interactive PDF.
Not all adults enter college prepared to meet the responsibilities
of being an intentional learner. However, none needsto remain
unprepared. With effort, discipline, and persistence, every stude
nt can improve his or her abilities. It is theeffort you put forth a
s a student that ultimately determines your success. College cou
rsework is not a test of how"smart" you already are or how muc
h you already know. It is an opportunity to develop and expand
your ability tothink, read, speak, and write in ways that have an
effect on other people.
4.2 Three Student Scenarios
Over the course of this chapter, you will follow three different a
dult learners. You will meet them at crucial points intheir enroll
ment, and you will track their conscious decisions to remain as t
hey are or develop their personal learningstrategies and tools. T
heir decisions will ultimately determine their growth and transf
ormation into intentional learnersor college dropouts.Dan
Dan has an assignment to do. He meant to start it at the beginni
ng of the week right after it was posted, but has keptputting it o
ff. His deadline is now very close, so he is anxious to get it don
e.
At 8:30 p.m., after having something to eat and seeing that the r
est of the family is watching television, he heads to hisstudy cor
ner in the bedroom. He settles in, starts up the computer, and re

alizes he can’t find the notebook in which hejotted down ideas f
or the assignment. While he thinks about where he last saw the
notebook, he checks the sportsscores, scans his email, and looks
up a website on tires that are on sale (tires: just another thing o
n the never-ending,unaffordable to-do list).
iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Dan cannot seem to focus on his work and procrastinatesinto the
night because he does not feel competent in hisabilities. How c
an he remedy this?
It’s now 9:16 p.m., and Dan is feeling tired and could usesomet
hing cold to drink to wake himself up. He wanders out tothe kitc
hen, passing the family room and pausing to see what’shappenin
g in the latest episode of his favorite show (which heis now mis
sing because he put off doing his assignment earlierin the week)
.
Ten minutes later and back in front of the computer, herepositio
ns himself and, instead of finding his notebook orgenerating ne
w ideas, he is struck by the fact that he has noreal idea of what
he’s supposed to be doing. Besides, afterreceiving feedback on t
he last assignment (which was nowherenear as positive as he ex
pected), he doubts that he can besuccessful on this one. He thou
ght he had done exactly whatwas being called for, but the grade
he received suggestedotherwise. Now he is beginning to think h
e might not be ableto complete the course. As a result of the rep
etitive, self-
doubting thoughts, Dan stares glumly at the screen for thenext h
alf hour. He accomplishes nothing.
Even re-
reading the pages assigned in his text doesn’t trigger any though
ts. He doesn’t take in anything and the wordson the screen swim
before his eyes. Maybe this isn’t the best time to start this work
, he thinks. Maybe tomorrow wouldbe better.
Dan spends the rest of the evening and late into the night attemp
ting to do what could be done in 90 minutes or less.He stops eve
ntually, not because his work is finished, but because he feels ti

red and insecure, and can’t stand to thinkabout the assignment a
ny longer.
Dan as a Learner
Dan suffers from a basic problem with his self-
esteem. Consciously, he wants to do his work; unconsciously, th
e task isa terrifying chance to confirm that he is incapable, whic
h is what he thinks he is. There’s a voice in his head, of whichh
e’s probably unaware, that goes something like this: "This is goi
ng to take me ages. I can’t really do this. Others willprobably ac
e this. Not me. I hate writing, even if it’s just one paragraph. M
y thoughts never look right on paper." Manystudents like Dan ar
e convinced that they are inferior to others. Little do they know
that many other people havesimilar self-doubts.
The second reason Dan struggles with his work is because he ne
eds to be more strategic in the use of his study habits.He makes
some effort, but because he is using generalized rather than pers
onalized study habits, he gets tired, givesup, and reinforces his
belief that he is not capable.
Are You Dan?
Dan (S25, P18, TR30, C14)
·
Does all right at first, but rarely moves beyond doing the minim
um. Self-doubt builds until he gets behind andoverwhelmed.
· Isn’t comfortable self-
reflecting or thinking about himself as a learner.
·
Doesn’t ask for help; instead, hides behind his need to appear se
lf-sufficient.
· Is a person of few written or spoken words.
·
Is very practical and seeks to "fix" a situation using his own app
roach to problem solving.
· Experiences a high degree of self-doubt; he believes that he:
· doesn’t have enough to say.

· cannot see the relevance of the assigned task.
· gets the task done (not well, but done).
· Begins to doubt his ability to complete his degree.Cassie
Cassie has an assignment due. She doesn’t want to miss the dea
dline or post a paper with errors. Cassie is aconscientious stude
nt, and between her family responsibilities and her work, she ru
ns a tight schedule. In order to gether studying completed in a ti
mely manner, she sets up a schedule and "works" it. First she hu
rries to get a meal onthe table for her two daughters, listening i
ntently to them talk about their day; then she checks their home
work; andfinally, she gets them settled in bed, with just enough
time left for her to get to her own homework.
Cassie works at the kitchen table. She likes to have music on wh
en she is studying, but tonight she turns it down lowso she can c
omprehend the information that is on the screen in front of her.
Juan Silva/Digital Vision/Getty Images
Cassie is a perfectionist—
which Learning Pattern do youthink is Use First for her?
She is focusing on the directions for the assignment, but she isc
oncerned because she doesn’t understand what they areasking he
r to do. The same thing happened when she wascompleting the l
ast assignment, and she ended up guessingrather than knowing
what the expectations were. Her guesseswere only partially corr
ect. Cassie cringes as she thinks aboutthe feedback she received
, which included the suggestions thatshe use fewer words, select
words more carefully for greaterclarity, and provide more supp
ort from her sources. She wasalso told that she had wandered fr
om the topic and hadnumerous spelling and punctuation errors.
The clock is ticking, but Cassie’s mind isn’t. She reads and re-
reads the directions for the assignment. She studies each word,tr
ying to figure out what the instructor is looking for. She needsto
get started, but her fear of failure holds her back. Finally, she b
egins to write. After a few minutes she stops, staresat the screen
, and then deletes every word, certain that she is doing it all wro
ng. Midnight is approaching, and she hasyet to make real progre

ss. Panic sets in.
Cassie as a Learner
Cassie is stuck in the classic "be perfect" and "please me" mode
s that affect learners who are taught early in life thatmistakes ar
e a sign of imperfection and that pleasing the teacher is what su
ccess in school is all about. Instead ofdeveloping the perspectiv
e that mistakes are a part of life, and you can learn a great deal
from your mistakes, Cassie isconvinced that mistakes are to be a
voided at all costs because they show others your shortcomings
and inabilities. As aresult, Cassie is gridlocked in her fear of no
t doing what is expected—
perfectly. Like Dan, she is losing valuable timestuck in a learni
ng quandary of whether to do what she thinks is expected or do
nothing at all. Because she doesn’tknow with certainty what is e
xpected, she hesitates to start the task at hand. She haltingly be
gins the task, but thendeletes what she’s done. She has no sense
of intention, and she is losing her desire to study as she unprodu
ctivelyspins her wheels.
Are You Cassie?
Cassie (S20, P29, TR10, C22)
· Wants to please the instructor by showing what she knows.
·
Reads the syllabus and weekly requirements, but can get tangled
in the specifics and anxiety about whether she isdoing things co
rrectly.
·
Gathers lots of information, but worries whether it is the right i
nformation and whether she has enough.
·
Can’t organize her words and thoughts; is overwhelmed by all t
he information she has gathered.
·
Finds it difficult to edit her own work because she has taken tim
e to select each word so carefully.

·
Experiences a high degree of fear of being wrong. She is afraid
that she:
· doesn’t have the right information.
·
doesn’t understand the information well enough to write about it
.
· won’t express her thoughts clearly or accurately.
·
Begins to doubt if she is ever going to complete her degree.Nia
Nia is also a nontraditional student who has just entered the wor
ld of college studies online. But unlike Dan and Cassie,her life i
s not encumbered with family. Currently, she is transitioning fro
m 10 years in the military (three deployments)to civilian life. S
he has wasted no time finding employment while she pursues he
r college degree.
Nia is a "can-
do" person whose service years have been devoted to military p
ersonnel administration, primarily payroll.She sees herself as a
multitasker—
someone with a number of balls in the air at all times. She is qu
ick on her feet,straightforward, and deliberate. You always kno
w where you stand when you work with Nia. Some would descri
be heras a force to be reckoned with.
Tonight, with her study schedule in hand, she sits at her newly p
urchased desk in front of her state-of-
the artcomputer, which is loaded with the latest software. She h
as the same assignment to complete as Dan and Cassie, andthe s
ame deadline looming. Like them, she finds the directions for th
e assignment unclear. But unlike them, she isdriven. Just becaus
e the instructor has not made the assignment clear is no reason f
or Nia to be concerned. She decidesthat she will clarify the assi
gnment for herself and then proceed.
She begins by skimming the assigned materials and drawing her
own conclusions about the points the readings make.She then re
ads the directions for the assignment, and while she is as uncert

ain as Dan and Cassie as to what to includein a "critical analysis
," she unhesitatingly starts and completes her response. She is n
ot concerned that she has not readthe feedback on her most rece
nt assignment. She is certain she has met the instructor’s expect
ations. Besides, shewants to look forward, not backward. She is
committed to working her way through the course sessions as fa
st aspossible. Nia is a woman on a mission with a clear goal in
mind: first the diploma, then a career in human resourcemanage
ment.
Stockbyte/Thinkstock
Nia completes her assignment quickly andwithout hesitation, bu
t that does not meanthat she fully understands the assignment or
completes it correctly. What kind of learner isNia?
She completes the assignment in less than an hour, and moves o
n tochecking her social media sites. When she finishes her updat
es, shereturns to her class work, and, even though the instructor
’s directionssuggest that students re-
read their work and double check it for sufficientcontent, use of
three references, clarity of thought, and punctuation andgramm
ar, Nia chooses to post her work without reviewing or revising i
t.After all, she knows what she wrote and knows it’s brilliant!
The assignment calls for her to do a critical analysis of one of t
he pointsraised in the readings and to support her analysis using
three sources.Nia’s interpretation of this, however, is to state h
er opinion of the article,and she does just that. Never one to use
her own words when someoneelse can say it better, Nia uses pa
ssages from the readings, but she doesnot credit or use quotatio
n marks for them. Nia’s learning problem is notself-
doubt. Her problem as a learner is her ill-
placed confidence in herwork. She confuses confidence with co
mpetence.
Nia as a Learner
Nia does not suffer from a lack of self-
confidence as a learner, but a lackof being intentional. Through

out her years in school and in her military service, Nia was an o
verachiever striving forrecognition and affirmation—
which others did not offer because she had not earned it. When
she doesn’t receive therecognition she feels she deserves, she bl
ocks out the feedback of others and replaces it with her own me
ssage of "ajob well done."
As a result, Nia frustrates her teachers and alienates her co-
workers. Why? Because she does not face herself as alearner. Ni
a chooses not to be self-
reflective and not to learn from others’ feedback on her perform
ance. She cloaksherself in self-
assurance and denies what others have to offer her; this stops he
r from developing her abilities andskills.
Are You Nia?
Nia (S33, P32, TR22, C27)
· Is strong-willed.
· Operates as her own team.
· Lets her sense of self convince her that she:
· can submit work that is off-track from the actual assignment.
· can ignore feedback.
· will learn nothing from feedback.
·
Accepts no feedback, mentoring, guidance, or help when it com
es to learning; she:
· argues, rather than listens to, comments and suggestions.
· has little respect for others’ opinions.
· Does not engage in personal reflection.
Dan, Cassie, and Nia all lack an understanding of how to be min
dful, intentional learners. Their study habits are riddledwith co
mmon issues, ranging from self-
doubt, to fear of not doing things right, to overconfidence. Each
uses someaspect of the general parameters for studying: having
a workspace, setting a study time, and having the correctmateri
als. Yet, they are not headed for success because they let other f
actors disrupt their study.

4.3 The Importance of Self-Regulation andMetacognition
Dan, Cassie, and Nia have a number of things in common: they
are adult learners, they have numerous outside interestsand resp
onsibilities, and none has mastered a key component of successf
ul learning—self-
regulation. This is theability to consciously examine your own t
houghts and behavior, to identify which of them is causing you t
o beunproductive, and to determine alternative thoughts and beh
aviors that will lead you to a successful learning outcome.
Self-regulation is steeped in self-discipline—a type of self-
discipline that is not rigid but flexible, one that is open tofacing
reality, aimed at problem solving, and prepared to redirect your
energy toward achieving your goal. As Marzano(1992, p. 138)
notes, self-regulation involves the discipline and focus to:
· Be aware of your own thinking.
· Plan and then monitor your use of time.
· Evaluate the effectiveness of your actions.
· Be open to feedback.
The critical component missing in Dan, Cassie, and Nia’s appro
aches to learning is self-
regulation. Dan does notregulate his time, his focus, or his self-
doubt; Cassie does not regulate her fear of being wrong or effec
tively act to clearup her confusion about the assignment; and Ni
a does not regulate her self-
assurance and refusal to consider others’feedback or opinions of
her work.
As a result, they allow their lack of self-
awareness to stymie their success. Because they are armed only
with thephysical resources of a place to study and the digital tec
hnology to do their work, Dan, Cassie, and Nia flounder. Eachh
as a vague sense of how and where they should study, but each l
acks any form of personal learning tools andpersonal learning st
rategies. None of their study effort is done with intention.
The pathway to becoming an intentional learner begins with noti
cing, understanding, and regulating your thoughts andbehavior b

efore, during, and after a learning experience. This learning beh
avior is known as metacognition, which liesat the heart of intent
ional learning. It consists of the phases your mind goes through
as you are seeking to learn. Asyou metacognate, you are moving
the external happenings of the world to the internal operations
of your mind. You aretaking in the world around you, making se
nse of it, and developing the means to respond appropriately.
In the context of intentional learning, metacognition is defined
as the internal talk that goes on within your mind asyou are lear
ning. While its traditional definition is "thinking about thinking
," the pioneers of metacognitive studydescribed it more specific
ally as "learning to direct one’s own mental processes with the a
id of words" (Vygotsky, 1986,p. 108). Your internal talk consist
s of the "chatter" of your Learning Patterns as they call to one a
nother—
expressingtheir feelings, concerns, or the actions they want to e
ngage in (see Figure 4.1). Each of your Patterns plays animporta
nt role in your learning; each has a different perspective; and ea
ch has a distinct voice.
Figure 4.1: Metacognition
The Patterns within your brain-
mind interface can be forged, intensified, ortethered by the inter
nal talk of your metacognition.
Learning Patterns at Work
Metacognition is the internal talk of your Learning Patterns. Yo
u may not have had a wordfor this phenomenon before, but you
are well aware that your Learning Patterns havevoices that expr
ess their feelings, frustrations, excitement, and concerns as you
work youway through a given task. In the following video, ident
ify how Learning Patterns affect theway in which you metacogn
ate.
The communication among your Learning Patterns forms your m
etacognition. Rather than being a distraction, thechatter among
your Patterns allows you to actively listen to how your Patterns

are at work within your mind, pullingand tugging you in differe
nt directions. This awareness provides you with the insight nece
ssary for "purposefuldecision-
making about how to proceed with the task" (Baird, Fensham, G
unston, & White, 1991, p. 164). Self-
regulationallows you to take charge of your Patterns and "talk b
ack" to them, employing strategies that help you complete theta
sk you have been given.
Self-Regulating Your Patterns
Only when you listen to your internal metacognitive chatter can
you begin to take charge and respondappropriately to it. You ma
y often miss the voice of your metacognition because you are su
rrounded byother audible distractions: ringtones, people’s voice
s, digitized music. Or you may ignore the chatterbecause you ha
ve decided not to notice it. One reason you might opt to ignore
your internal talk is becauseyou are not prepared to listen to its
message.
Your metacognition consists of a quartet of voices: Sequence, P
recision, Technical Reasoning, andConfluence. It challenges yo
u to make sense of their message and to hear more than the har
mony anddisharmony within your thinking; it forces you to liste
n and make defining decisions. That is not easy to dowhen your
Patterns are arguing about how to proceed or how to achieve. Li
stening to your metacognitiontakes practice, patience, and skill.
In other words, the self-
regulation of your mind takes work. In order to make your meta
cognition work foryou, you need to understand the phases of tho
ught and action that comprise it. You need to look at eachphase
as a benchmark that brings you one step closer to being a succes
sful learner. By taking the time togo through the action phases o
f metacognition, you can open doors to understanding and answ
eringquestions, such as:
· What is this assignment all about?
· What am I supposed to be doing?
·
Where will I find the information I need to complete this assign

ment?
· What is the purpose of doing this?
· Will the instructor accept a different type of response?
·
Do I need to submit work that looks just like the example we we
re given?
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?
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

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