Before Teaching Content, Teach Students How to Learn

We want our students to be successful learners. We also want to experience success as we teach students. Unfortunately, students do not always come to us with the attitudes and skills that make them proficient learners. Trying to teach students who lack an understanding of how learning happens and how to be successful learners can be a challenging and exhausting experience.  

We have a choice: We can ignore the understanding and skills students lack, or we can help them to build the learning capacity necessary to become better learners. Fortunately, there are several accessible and effective strategies and insights we can share with students to start them on a more successful learning journey. Equally important, we can teach many of these lessons in the context of daily routines and the required curriculum.  

Here are six research-based and practice-proven learning insights to help students strengthen their learning and expand their capacity to succeed in school and in life. Key insight: If we position the insights and skills that build learning capacity in the context of helping students rather than class requirements, students are often more accepting and more readily adopt these practices. We might even frame behaviors that support learning as experiments and games to prove their worth.  

First, teach students how learning changes the brain. Students are often not aware of how experiences, repetition, feedback, and even failed attempts change the way their brain functions. New experiences, insights, and skills create neural connections and strengthen existing ones. The more often these connections are activated, the stronger, more efficient, and more durable they become. The brain pays attention to repetition, so practice is a great way to grow brain capacity. Focused, deliberate practice, followed by feedback and subsequent adjustments, grows the brain’s capacity and can make future learning more efficient.  

Second, help students understand the role of attention in learning. We might assume that students understand that paying attention is a primary driver of learning, yet too often, this is not the case. Attention is the gateway to learning and the doorway to memory. In the absence of attention, little or no learning is likely to happen. Students can increase their attention skills by employing strategies such as eliminating distractions, focusing on one attention-demanding task at a time, asking questions, and predicting what happens next in lessons, stories, and other learning activities. We might also have students monitor their attention and challenge themselves to gradually lengthen the time they can stay fully attentive and engaged.  

Third, instruct students about how their memory functions. The truth is that forgetting is normal. It is not a sign of failure. However, memory can be strengthened and lengthened. When students frequently return to previously learned information and skills, they become more deeply embedded in their memory. Retrieval practice—where students attempt to recall everything they remember about a topic or process—refreshes their memory and lengthens their recall. They might explain ideas in their own words. Or they might connect new ideas and content to prior learning. Engaging in memory challenges is far more effective than passive review.  

Fourth, explain the value of productive struggle. Students often assume that if they struggle as they learn, they must not be good learners. Yet learning that is easy often does not stay with students long. When students must struggle to grasp a concept or develop a skill, they are more likely to retain it once learned. Mistakes are also a natural part of learning, and they represent information the brain uses to improve future performance. We can counsel students to think “not yet” when they struggle rather than “not possible.” We might also remind them that confusion and struggle often happen just before understanding and success. 

Fifth, coach students to focus on getting better, not just getting it right. We can remind students that learning is a process, not a performance. Students often do their best when they think about learning as a journey, not a one-time effort and demonstration. Challenging learning more often follows a path of iteration and approximation than a track of error-free certainty. We can help students set learning goals and monitor their progress. We might even encourage students to interrogate their learning: What strategy worked well? What mistakes helped me to learn? What should I practice more or next? 

Sixth, nurture the skill of metacognition. The value of the previous five learning skills is enhanced when students learn to monitor their own thinking. Metacognition gives students the power to become their own best teacher. We might teach students to ask themselves: What do I understand about this topic or skill, and where do I still need to do more? Can I explain or teach this information to someone else? Where am I confused? What strategy might work better than the one I have used? Metacognition is a skill that positions students to regulate their attention, manage their effort, choose the best strategy, and take ownership and control of their learning.  

These skills help students not only be successful in our class, but they also can be life changing. Students begin to see themselves as self-directed, capable, independent learners. When students possess and practice these skills, they can also become easier and more delightful to teach.