Learning strategies is a class specifically designed to inform women about metacognition (reflecting about one’s own process of thinking) how it can enhance their educational journeys. Women work towards a deeper understanding and appreciation for how they learn through an exploration of the multiple intelligences. They also discuss the “language of thinking,” and examine how various synonyms of think can inspire the mind to go down a different path of thinking (i.e. imagine a story vs. analyze a story). By observing their thinking dispositions, the women become aware of how self-confidence and self-worth affect their ability to learn and retain information (Tishman, 1995). One concept, which was new to some women, was thinking about what time of the day they were most alert. After keeping daily logs of their regular routines and their energy levels during the day, they were able to pinpoint the most effective time to plan their studying. Some women admitted that they were not able to do homework during this peak attention time, however others were able to make changes in their lives to dedicate this time towards studying. Since women tend not to put their needs before others’ wants, this is a foundational step towards self-care, self-advocacy, and self-love. This class provides a forum for women to discuss how they learn and think. In sharing their ways of learning and thinking, they build upon the knowledge that they already possess.
There are three specific activities we use in the classroom to help the women gain a greater sense of place and sense of belonging.They are also helpful because they set the basic math, reading, and writing drills aside for a designated length of time. Especially for the more visual and bodily/kinesthetic learners, these activities definitely lead to a different, and perhaps deeper, form of expression. Freewriting, affirmations, and making collages are wonderful tools because they allow each student to engage in self-exploration and introspection. In doing these activities, learners are often more able to analyze their body, mind, spirit, and emotions through a new perspective. We use these three techniques in all three of the core curriculum classes.