The Study Cycle

Lesson Plan

Title/Topic / The Study Cycle Power Hour
Date(s)
Time Allotted / 55 minutes
Materials Needed / Powerpoint: The Study Cycle and Metacognition Video (YouTube)
Handouts: Focused Study Session worksheet (Found within the Powerpoint)
The Study Cycle Handout (Academic Coaching Toolbox)
Focused Study Sessions Handout (Academic Coaching Toolbox)
Purpose/Goal and
Rationale / Students who understand how their brain absorbs and retains information can better strategize ways to study. This workshop is designed to explain how to work with your brain (Metacognition) to increase learning through use of the Study Cycle and Focused Study Sessions.
Learning Outcomes
(Outcomes should be measurable, future-oriented, and use action verbs—see Bloom’s Taxonomy) /
  • Students will create a written planto implement The Study Cyclefor at least one class.
  • As part of The Study Cycle, students will create a written plan to implement Focused Study Sessions for at least one class.
  • Students will be able to identify at least one way engaging in Metacognition will increase their Self-Regulated Learning Skills.

Performance Criteria / All students will leave with a written plan to implement the Study Cycle and Focused Study Sessions for at least one class.
Plan (indicate where you are rounding the learning cycle and include time parameters) /
  1. Introduction & Warm-Up Activity (5-10min.)
  2. Short Icebreaker
  3. Warm-up Activity (Self-assessment of current study habits?)
  4. Growth Mindset & Self-Efficacy related Study Cycle (5 min.)
  5. Define Growth Mindset:
  6. “Based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through effort” (Dweck, 2006)
  7. “Belief that abilities can be cultivated. But it doesn’t tell you how much change is possible and how long change will take. And it doesn’t mean that everything, life preferences or values, can be changed” (Dweck, 2006)
  8. Define of Self-Efficacy
  9. Students begin to realize that learning is under their control when they begin to effectively choose strategies that make a difference in academic performance (Bercher, 2012).
  10. How I Learn: Bloom’s Taxonomy & Metacognition (10 min.)
  11. Overview of 6 cognitive processes (Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, Create) & 4 types of knowledge use in cognition (factual, conceptual, procedural, & metacognition)
  12. Provide examples of each & how they relate in the classroom & studying
  13. Emphasize importance of higher level thinking (metacognition) as it relates to the Study Cycle & becoming a self-regulated learner
  14. Activity around “How I Learn” -
  15. The Study Cycle (10 min. total)
  16. Benefits to the learning cycle
  17. eliminates the need for cramming
  18. promotes shorter, more frequent study sessions
  19. helps students keep up with pace of course
  20. has a built-in time management plan
  21. improves attention and comprehension in lectures
  22. previewing feature enhances note-taking skills
  23. helps improve retention of information for longer periods of time
  24. Implementing the Study Cycle
  25. Preview: Before class skim new material; review summaries & chapter objectives; note big ideas; come with questions you’d like the lecture to answer for you.
  26. Attend: Go to class!; take meaningful notes (plug for PH on note-taking & Succeeding in large-lecture); ask questions
  27. Review: After class review your notes as soon as possible; fill in gaps; develop questions
  28. Study: schedule several focused study sessions per class each week
  29. Check: self-assess & check for understanding
  30. Assess your learning of the material – Can I teach this material to someone else?
  31. Assess your learning strategies – Are my study methods effective?
  32. Focused Study Session (10 min.)
  33. Designed to work with the way your brain learns best: In short, focused increments. Schedule several focused study sessions per class each week (plug for time management PH)
  34. Implementing Focused Study Sessions
  35. Plan: Decide what you will accomplish in your study session and get started (duration = 1-2 min)
  36. Study: Interact with material – organize, concept map, summarize, process, re-read (plug for exam prep PH) (duration = 30-50 min)
  37. Break: Step away from material to clear you head (duration = 5-10 min)
  38. Recap: Go back over, summarize, warp-up & check what you studied (duration = 5 min)
  39. Choose: Should I continue Studying? Should I take a break? Should I change tasks/subjects?
  40. Reflection Activity (10 min)– develop activity for students to put all the pieces of the study cycle together & reflect on action they can take to improve study habits
  41. Wrap-up & Questions (5 min.)
  42. Circle back to importance of metacognition & self-regulated learning
  43. Additional Resources on campus
  44. The Study, Pres U, Academic Coaching, other tutoring centers, etc.
  45. Questions

Works Cited
Armstrong, P. (2016). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University. Retrieved from:
Bercher, D. A. (2012). Self-Monitoring Tools and Student Academic Success: When Perception Matches Reality. Journal of College Science Teaching, 41, 5, 26-32.
Bloom’s Taxonomy and The Study Cycle Handout (N.D.) Center for Academic Success at Louisiana State University. Retrieved from:
Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The new Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books. New York, NY.
Studying Techniques (N.D.) Center for Academic Success at Louisiana State University. Retrieved from: