Using the Three Ms
Your main purpose as a college student is to learn and comprehend the information and material in your classes.
However, many students report that they were never taught how to learn or study effectively. This means that they were been left to trial and error and had to figure it out along the way. To help you become a more effective learner, the University of Iowa developed the Learning at Iowa program. We ground our empirically-supported practices around principles from cognitive science - Mindset, Metacognition, and Memory - the Three Ms for Effective Learning.
This site provides a variety of resources you can use to apply the Three Ms to your learning and become a more successful student. We encourage you to explore the handouts, self-assessments, and videos linked here and reach out to us with any questions or if you would like to learn more.
Videos - Success at Iowa
Watch (or rewatch) this 5-minute video to refresh your understanding of the Three Ms and related strategies you can use to boost your learning and academic success. In this first video, we introduce the Learning at Iowa program and the principles from cognitive science called the Three Ms. You will also learn about the differences between having a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.
Watch (or rewatch) this 5-minute video to refresh your understanding of the Three Ms and related strategies you can use to boost your learning and academic success. In this video, you will discover how essential metacognition is in learning and explore the metacognition process.
Watch (or rewatch) this 5-minute video to refresh your understanding of the Three Ms and related strategies you can use to boost your learning and academic success. In this video, you will learn about how memory works and about strategies for building stronger memories.
Handouts & Worksheets
These PDF documents contain a brief discussion of Mindset, Metacognition, and Memory concepts and related techniques that you can use in and outside of class.
The short handout can easily be printed out as it is a one-page document.
The extended handout is double-sided and contains additional techniques about how and when to study as well as visual illustrations of potential study schedules.
Cognitive wrappers, also known as "exam wrappers," are structured opportunities to reflect on your study strategies and your performance on one exam or assignment, or during a longer stretch of time like a semester.
The worksheets included below allow you to use metacognition to your advantage by evaluating how effective you were with your learning. Then, you can plan how you will prepare for the next exam, assignment , or semester in order to meet your academic goals.
Self-Assessments
Metacognition, how you think about your own thinking, has a large impact on your learning and academic success. The Metacognitive Awareness Inventory will help you understand your metacognitive strengths and areas for improvement. It will show you which areas of metacognition you are already strong in and which ones you can improve on by using them more (Schraw & Dennison, 1994). Discovering your own metacognitive strengths and weakness helps you reflect on your learning behaviors and become a more effective learner.
Click here to take this survey to learn about yourself and your own metacognition.
The Need for Cognition survey reveals how comfortable you are with deep thinking. It provides a measure of your tendency to engage in purposeful and meaningful thinking (Cacioppo, Petty, & Kao, 1984). The need for cognition is related to academic success and having a high need for cognition can be a protective factor in college. Figuring out your own need for cognition lets you know where you are now and can give you a sense of your strengths and weaknesses.
Click here to take this survey and find out how much thinking you enjoy doing and how much thinking you need to do to be at a comfortable level.
Take the Mindset Assessment to learn more about your own mindset about intelligence and learning. This quick diagnostic tool is based on several decades of research about the continuum of mindsets, from fixed to growth (Dweck, 2007). A growth mindset means you understand that intelligence can be developed with deliberate practice and by learning from mistakes. Students with a growth mindset will interpret obstacles and challenges as learning opportunities and seek help or find a new way to approach the problem. This survey will help you identify areas in which you can work towards developing a growth mindset and provide personalized feedback via email.
Click here to take this survey to learn about and reflect on your mindset. You will need to provide a working email address to receive the personalized feedback.