Source: https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-metacognition-for-teachers-seneca-certified/2-1-1-planning-and-learning-strategies

[Revision notes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes.md) › [Teacher CPD](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd.md) › [CPD: Metacognition for Teachers - Seneca Certified](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-metacognition-for-teachers-seneca-certified.md) › Planning & Learning Strategies

# Planning & Learning Strategies

CPD: Metacognition for Teachers (by Jonathan Firth), topic 2.1.1

## Planning and Strategy

Paying attention to or thinking about learning or problem solving involves metacognition. Planning one’s learning, therefore, depends on metacognition, too.

### The ‘planning fallacy’

![The ‘planning fallacy’](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-05/5ff38c0c-1575-43dc-bede-b4e9c1a15104/plan-.jpg)

- Unfortunately, most learners are not good at planning at all. The **‘planning fallacy’** is the tendency to underestimate how long it takes to do a task.
- The planning fallacy occurs even if someone has done a similar task before. You may have noticed this with your own preparation and marking!

### Research evidence

![Research evidence](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/ffc4642a-bb40-4c99-adde-e1afccb7d80b/weird-emotions-happy-sad-.jpg)

- A research study by Canadian psychologist Roger Buehler et al. (1994) asked 37 university students to make two predictions of when they would complete an academic project:
 - One if things went well, and the other if things went as badly as possible.
- The actual time taken showed that fewer than half had completed even by their more pessimistic estimate.

### What can teachers do?

![What can teachers do?](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/6730c1a3-852b-4f34-8444-feab8509ca24/school-1589323_1920.jpg)

- As well as encouraging learners to allow considerably more time than they would normally expect, it may help to get a neutral person such as a classmate to make planning time estimates, informed by past evidence.
- It’s also helpful to break tasks down and to ask students to make very specific plans. 
 - So rather than ‘revise topic A’, a student might plan to ‘create 20 flashcards on topic A’.

## Test yourself on Planning & Learning Strategies

- What can teachers do to help learners overcome the planning fallacy?

[Practise this topic for free](https://app.senecalearning.com/classroom/course/d1277cd6-7205-4511-8d95-1f1ed341ae69/section/dca05a01-6609-492a-9919-f4f7212d7b20/session)

- Previous topic: [1.1.1 Metacognition & Metamemory](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-metacognition-for-teachers-seneca-certified/1-1-1-metacognition-and-metamemory.md)
- Next topic: [2.1.2 Beliefs & Self-estimates](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-metacognition-for-teachers-seneca-certified/2-1-2-beliefs-and-self-estimates.md)

## CPD: Metacognition for Teachers (by Jonathan Firth) contents

### 1 Basic Concepts About Metacognition
- 1.1 Thinking About Thinking
  - [1.1.1 Metacognition & Metamemory](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-metacognition-for-teachers-seneca-certified/1-1-1-metacognition-and-metamemory.md)

### 2 Practical Implications for Learners
- 2.1 Practical Implications for Learners
  - [2.1.1 Planning & Learning Strategies](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-metacognition-for-teachers-seneca-certified/2-1-1-planning-and-learning-strategies.md)
  - [2.1.2 Beliefs & Self-estimates](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-metacognition-for-teachers-seneca-certified/2-1-2-beliefs-and-self-estimates.md)

### 3 Areas of Metacognition
- 3.1 Areas of Metacognition
  - [3.1.1 Metacognitive Knowledge](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-metacognition-for-teachers-seneca-certified/3-1-1-metacognitive-knowledge.md)
  - [3.1.2 Metacognitive Monitoring](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-metacognition-for-teachers-seneca-certified/3-1-2-metacognitive-monitoring.md)
  - [3.1.3 Metacognitive Control](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-metacognition-for-teachers-seneca-certified/3-1-3-metacognitive-control.md)

### 4 Teacher Metacognition
- 4.1 Teacher Metacognition
  - [4.1.1 Teacher Metacognition](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/teacher-cpd/cpd-metacognition-for-teachers-seneca-certified/4-1-1-teacher-metacognition.md)