Learning from past projects
This exercise asks students to reflect on how they've navigated past projects and assignments. It can be used anytime or paired with Builing Project Management Skills. The goal is to help them learn from those experiences and develop the independence necessary for research project.
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Background
The goal of this exercise is to help you learn how to learn about your own learning and how to make adjustments to learn more effectively. This process, called 'metacognition,' has been shown to improve student success in all sorts of ways, including boosts in reading comprehension, exam performance, and problem-solving. This exercise gives you an opportunity to learn about your own learning and apply those lessons to your research project.
Purpose of the exercise
This exercise asks you reflect on how you've navigated past projects and assignments with multiple parts, such as research papers and class presentations. The goal is to help you learn from those experiences and develop learning independence as you engage in large projects, like research projects. Metacognitive students are effective learners because they are flexible in their thinking and willing to make adjustments. This exercise provides an opportunity to practice learning about your own learning.
Instructions
Consider a past project or assignment that had multiple parts, such as a research paper or class presentation. Think about how you went about doing that project or assignment. Answer the following questions. Your answers do not need to be overly long, but you should try to provide enough detail so that you explain your responses.
- How did you organize your time? Was it effective? If so, what lessons might you use in your research? If not, how would you do things differently as you conduct your research?
- What did you do when you encountered setbacks? Did you use available resources? Were you comfortable asking for help? Are you able to locate additional resources on your own?
- What was the most useful feedback you've received on the project or assignment? Why was it helpful? How did you use it to improve your work?
- Based on your past experience, what advice would you give to a classmate about how to be successful with projects and assignments with multiple parts?