Setting Targets
Setting Targets
Jonathan Firth's Memory & Metacognition Updates #26
Hello all, and happy New Year! I hope you had a great break over the holiday period, and got plenty of time to relax with loved ones.
I mentioned that I am a big fan of taking a proper break, and it’s been almost a month since the last update. Christmas was family time here—I don’t tend to write much at all during the holidays. However, last week I was busy re-writing and editing a forthcoming co-authored book on memory. I’ll share more about that project soon!
I also tidied up and submitted a single chapter on interleaving for a different forthcoming book. I think it’s the best teacher-focused piece on interleaving I’ve written so far. Again, more news when I have it.
Targets and resolutions
New Year is of course a time associated with setting targets and making resolutions, and metacognition plays a big role here. Since metacognition is about how we plan, monitor and control our own thinking, it is involved in:
Recognising our own current strengths and weaknesses;
Making decisions about how to change our habits;
Determining whether we are sticking to these habits.
For example, if you plan to read more or to improve your knowledge about a professional area (memory, for example!) then you need to in some way judge your current habits and knowledge.
Memory can play a big role in targets, too. Often we don’t so much fail to stick to resolutions as forget to do so. Can you even remember your resolutions from previous years?
Nudges
It’s widely recognised that nudges can play a big role in sticking to targets. They are more effective than rewards, as Sunstein (2014) explains in this short paper:
Nudging: A Very Short Guide by Cass R. Sunstein
These nudges in the article fall into two main categories:
Policy nudges. These might be really useful to managers and school leaders, for example when thinking about nudging staff to engage more with research. I won’t focus on this category right now.
Nudges that individuals can do, for examples strategies that involve reminders, intentions, social sharing, or information. These are more directly applicable when it comes to sticking to our own plans and resolutions.
Take a resolution to exercise more, for example. You are more likely to stick to it if you:
keep the plan visible,
set periodic reminders,
motivate yourself by working with others,
review progress and get accurate feedback,
share our intentions publicly for more accountability,
get more information about possible outcomes/benefits.
It’s also worthwhile to structure a new habit around an existing one. For example, if you always watch the news at 7pm every day, you could aim to engage in your new target habit immediately after this. The existing habit—already part of your routine—will help to nudge you to engage in the new one.
Planning and targets
It will perhaps occur to you that exactly the same points apply when our students try to develop study habits. Students, too, find it hard to stay motivated. They often make plans that are unrealistic or unworkable. They might forget about their plans, or struggle to get into a routine.
In both cases, there is an extrinsic motivation to meet the goal, but the task itself is not very motivating. And in both cases, memory and habit can play a role, and nudges can be used.
I’ll return to this idea soon in a future update, and also say a bit more about one of the most popular memory strategies used by students—mnemonics.
In the meantime, best of luck for 2023 for all of you. And thanks for reading 😎
Jonathan
Last time: The Benefits of a Break
Website: www.jonathanfirth.co.uk
Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe to Memory & Metacognition Updates below, so that you don't miss anything!