1. Students come to the classroom with preconceived notions about how the world works. As a result, they may fail to grasp new concepts and information. Students may learn the concepts for purposes of a test but will revert to their preconceptions outside the classroom.
   
   
2. For students to develop competence in a subject area, they must have a foundation of factual knowledge, understand facts and ideas in context, and organize knowledge in ways that help them retrieve and apply it. They must hone skills for acquiring, processing, communicating, and applying knowledge and understanding of the subject.
   
   
3. Instructional practices that integrate how to learn with what is being taught help students become skilled at taking control of their learning by defining goals and ways to accomplish them.

The process of learning how to learn is mastered when students develop a sense of themselves as resourceful learners by paying attention to their own strategies. Teachers should encourage students to talk about their learning so they can wisely select strategies that work for them. Students should be able to assess their success in learning.

Based on findings published in How People Learn (2000)