How Can I Use Microactivities to Engage Students and Improve Learning and Retention?

By Wren Mills, PhD While metacognition might seem like a “buzzword” in education, it is truly a key to learning and student success and, in turn, retention. Books like Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn, Make It Stick, and Small Teaching, as well as many articles, emphasize the importance of techniques teachers at all levels can use to help students learn. This program explains, through the lens of the literature, how the brain processes information and identifies why microactivities are a great method of formative assessment to check in with your students’ learning and move information closer to long-term memory. LEARNING GOALS After this program, participants will be able to: Define metacognition and explain its role in learning Describe how the brain retains and memorizes information Identify how microactivities might be integrated into your class List tips for how to best develop and integrate microactivities into a course TOPICS COVERED Metacognition How the Brain Learns Microactivities to support learning Teaching strategies for face-to-face and online classrooms