![[Review] Teach Students How to Learn (Saundra Yancy McGuire) Summarized](https://episodes.castos.com/660078c6833215-59505987/images/2318556/c1a-085k3-kpj2rd2xagv2-ehsvvu.jpg)
Show Notes
Teach Students How to Learn (Saundra Yancy McGuire)
- Amazon USA Store: https://www.amazon.com/dp/162036316X?tag=9natree-20
- Amazon Worldwide Store: https://global.buys.trade/Teach-Students-How-to-Learn-Saundra-Yancy-McGuire.html
- Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/teach-like-an-ally-an-educators-guide-to/id1831835891?itsct=books_box_link&itscg=30200&ls=1&at=1001l3bAw&ct=9natree
- eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Teach+Students+How+to+Learn+Saundra+Yancy+McGuire+&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5339060787&customid=9natree&toolid=10001&mkevt=1
- Read more: https://mybook.top/read/162036316X/
#metacognition #studystrategies #learningscience #studentmotivation #collegeteaching #Bloomtaxonomy #academicsuccess #TeachStudentsHowtoLearn
These are takeaways from this book.
Firstly, Metacognition as the Engine of Academic Growth, A central message of the book is that students improve faster when they learn to think about their thinking. Metacognition includes planning how to study, monitoring understanding while learning, and evaluating results after assessments. McGuire encourages instructors to make these processes explicit because many students have never been taught to diagnose why a study method failed or why an exam felt harder than expected. The book highlights how students often confuse familiarity with mastery, such as recognizing material in notes and assuming they can produce it under test conditions. Instructors can counter this by modeling what expert learners do, including predicting test questions, checking recall without notes, and identifying weak areas early. The book also frames metacognition as empowering: when students can name what is happening in their learning process, they are more likely to change behaviors instead of attributing outcomes to fixed ability. Practical classroom moves include short reflective prompts, exam wrappers, post exam analyses, and structured study planning. These interventions help students become more intentional and resilient, turning academic setbacks into data for adjustment rather than evidence of incapacity.
Secondly, Replacing Passive Study with Active Learning Strategies, McGuire argues that many students rely on low yield approaches because those habits feel productive and are commonly reinforced in earlier schooling. Typical examples include rereading, highlighting, copying notes, and cramming. The book urges a shift toward active strategies that require retrieval, organization, and elaboration, which are more likely to produce durable learning. Techniques often associated with this approach include self testing, spaced practice, and explaining concepts in one’s own words to uncover gaps in understanding. A key idea is that study time should be organized around what the brain needs to do, not what feels comfortable. Students can be shown how to turn lecture notes into questions, create practice problems, and build short frequent review cycles that prevent forgetting. McGuire also emphasizes that active methods can be integrated into any course format, including large lectures, labs, and online classes. Instructors can support the transition by demonstrating how to study for their specific assessments, offering guided practice, and communicating that effort must be paired with effective strategy. Over time, students learn to link improved performance to deliberate technique, reinforcing continued use.
Thirdly, A Framework for Cognitive Levels and Exam Readiness, The book draws attention to the mismatch between how students study and what exams demand. Students may prepare at a basic recognition level while tests require application, analysis, or problem solving. McGuire uses a cognitive level framework, commonly associated with Bloom style hierarchies, to help students understand what different kinds of learning look like and how to practice accordingly. If an assessment expects students to solve novel problems, for example, memorizing definitions will not be enough. The practical value is that students can diagnose the level of mastery required, then choose study behaviors that match it. For lower levels, they might practice accurate recall. For higher levels, they must generate explanations, compare cases, apply concepts to new scenarios, and work through complex problems without scaffolding. Instructors can make this concrete by labeling learning objectives, showing sample questions at different levels, and inviting students to write their own higher level questions. The book’s emphasis is not on jargon but on clarity: when students understand the target, they can prepare with purpose, reduce anxiety, and interpret feedback more constructively after exams.
Fourthly, Motivation, Mindset, and the Psychology of Persistence, McGuire connects learning strategies with motivation by showing how beliefs about ability shape effort. Students who interpret struggle as proof that they are not smart may disengage, while those who see challenge as part of growth are more likely to persist. The book promotes a growth oriented message that capability can expand through effective practice, support, and time. Importantly, it positions mindset not as a slogan but as something reinforced by the learning environment, instructor language, and feedback practices. Instructors can reduce threat and increase engagement by normalizing difficulty, sharing how experts learn, and celebrating strategy changes rather than only outcomes. The book also acknowledges that motivation rises when students experience early wins. Teaching students a few high leverage techniques and helping them apply those techniques to the next exam can produce improvements that change self perception. This is especially impactful for students in gateway courses or those navigating new academic expectations. By linking motivation to controllable actions, the book gives students a sense of agency, which can improve attendance, preparation, willingness to seek help, and sustained effort over the semester.
Lastly, Instructor Moves That Fit Any Course Without a Full Redesign, A standout feature of the book is its focus on realistic, adoptable teaching practices. McGuire offers a philosophy of instruction in which helping students learn how to learn is part of course content, not an optional add on. The strategies can be implemented in small increments, making them appealing for busy faculty, adjunct instructors, and teaching assistants. Examples include spending a brief segment explaining effective study routines, using short in class activities that prompt retrieval and explanation, and assigning structured reflection after exams. The book also emphasizes communication: instructors can be transparent about what successful preparation looks like in their discipline, what cognitive level the assessments target, and how students can practice in ways that mirror those demands. Another important theme is equity. When instructors explicitly teach learning strategies, they reduce the advantage held by students who already know the hidden rules of academic success. The overall approach encourages instructors to act as learning coaches as well as content experts, building a classroom culture where students continuously refine how they study, track their progress, and seek feedback with a plan for using it.
- Amazon USA Store: https://www.amazon.com/dp/162036316X?tag=9natree-20
- Amazon Worldwide Store: https://global.buys.trade/Teach-Students-How-to-Learn-Saundra-Yancy-McGuire.html
- Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/teach-like-an-ally-an-educators-guide-to/id1831835891?itsct=books_box_link&itscg=30200&ls=1&at=1001l3bAw&ct=9natree
- eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Teach+Students+How+to+Learn+Saundra+Yancy+McGuire+&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5339060787&customid=9natree&toolid=10001&mkevt=1
- Read more: https://mybook.top/read/162036316X/
#metacognition #studystrategies #learningscience #studentmotivation #collegeteaching #Bloomtaxonomy #academicsuccess #TeachStudentsHowtoLearn
These are takeaways from this book.
Firstly, Metacognition as the Engine of Academic Growth, A central message of the book is that students improve faster when they learn to think about their thinking. Metacognition includes planning how to study, monitoring understanding while learning, and evaluating results after assessments. McGuire encourages instructors to make these processes explicit because many students have never been taught to diagnose why a study method failed or why an exam felt harder than expected. The book highlights how students often confuse familiarity with mastery, such as recognizing material in notes and assuming they can produce it under test conditions. Instructors can counter this by modeling what expert learners do, including predicting test questions, checking recall without notes, and identifying weak areas early. The book also frames metacognition as empowering: when students can name what is happening in their learning process, they are more likely to change behaviors instead of attributing outcomes to fixed ability. Practical classroom moves include short reflective prompts, exam wrappers, post exam analyses, and structured study planning. These interventions help students become more intentional and resilient, turning academic setbacks into data for adjustment rather than evidence of incapacity.
Secondly, Replacing Passive Study with Active Learning Strategies, McGuire argues that many students rely on low yield approaches because those habits feel productive and are commonly reinforced in earlier schooling. Typical examples include rereading, highlighting, copying notes, and cramming. The book urges a shift toward active strategies that require retrieval, organization, and elaboration, which are more likely to produce durable learning. Techniques often associated with this approach include self testing, spaced practice, and explaining concepts in one’s own words to uncover gaps in understanding. A key idea is that study time should be organized around what the brain needs to do, not what feels comfortable. Students can be shown how to turn lecture notes into questions, create practice problems, and build short frequent review cycles that prevent forgetting. McGuire also emphasizes that active methods can be integrated into any course format, including large lectures, labs, and online classes. Instructors can support the transition by demonstrating how to study for their specific assessments, offering guided practice, and communicating that effort must be paired with effective strategy. Over time, students learn to link improved performance to deliberate technique, reinforcing continued use.
Thirdly, A Framework for Cognitive Levels and Exam Readiness, The book draws attention to the mismatch between how students study and what exams demand. Students may prepare at a basic recognition level while tests require application, analysis, or problem solving. McGuire uses a cognitive level framework, commonly associated with Bloom style hierarchies, to help students understand what different kinds of learning look like and how to practice accordingly. If an assessment expects students to solve novel problems, for example, memorizing definitions will not be enough. The practical value is that students can diagnose the level of mastery required, then choose study behaviors that match it. For lower levels, they might practice accurate recall. For higher levels, they must generate explanations, compare cases, apply concepts to new scenarios, and work through complex problems without scaffolding. Instructors can make this concrete by labeling learning objectives, showing sample questions at different levels, and inviting students to write their own higher level questions. The book’s emphasis is not on jargon but on clarity: when students understand the target, they can prepare with purpose, reduce anxiety, and interpret feedback more constructively after exams.
Fourthly, Motivation, Mindset, and the Psychology of Persistence, McGuire connects learning strategies with motivation by showing how beliefs about ability shape effort. Students who interpret struggle as proof that they are not smart may disengage, while those who see challenge as part of growth are more likely to persist. The book promotes a growth oriented message that capability can expand through effective practice, support, and time. Importantly, it positions mindset not as a slogan but as something reinforced by the learning environment, instructor language, and feedback practices. Instructors can reduce threat and increase engagement by normalizing difficulty, sharing how experts learn, and celebrating strategy changes rather than only outcomes. The book also acknowledges that motivation rises when students experience early wins. Teaching students a few high leverage techniques and helping them apply those techniques to the next exam can produce improvements that change self perception. This is especially impactful for students in gateway courses or those navigating new academic expectations. By linking motivation to controllable actions, the book gives students a sense of agency, which can improve attendance, preparation, willingness to seek help, and sustained effort over the semester.
Lastly, Instructor Moves That Fit Any Course Without a Full Redesign, A standout feature of the book is its focus on realistic, adoptable teaching practices. McGuire offers a philosophy of instruction in which helping students learn how to learn is part of course content, not an optional add on. The strategies can be implemented in small increments, making them appealing for busy faculty, adjunct instructors, and teaching assistants. Examples include spending a brief segment explaining effective study routines, using short in class activities that prompt retrieval and explanation, and assigning structured reflection after exams. The book also emphasizes communication: instructors can be transparent about what successful preparation looks like in their discipline, what cognitive level the assessments target, and how students can practice in ways that mirror those demands. Another important theme is equity. When instructors explicitly teach learning strategies, they reduce the advantage held by students who already know the hidden rules of academic success. The overall approach encourages instructors to act as learning coaches as well as content experts, building a classroom culture where students continuously refine how they study, track their progress, and seek feedback with a plan for using it.
