{ METACOGNITION

April  Faculty  Workshops 4/28  and  4/29

GOALS: •  Know  what  metacognition  is •  Understand  that  metacognition  is  an  

often  overlooked  but  important  component  of  learning

•  Understand  the  role  metacognition  plays  in  student  learning

•  Be  able  to  employ  exercises  in  your  classroom  that  support  metacognition  and  help  to  improve  learning

It’s hard to think about thinking, unless you think about thinking about something. ~Seymour  Papert

{ So  what  is  Metacognition?

METACOGNITION met·∙a·∙cog·∙ni·∙tion higher-­‐‑order  thinking  that  enables  understanding,  analysis,  and  control  of  one’s  cognitive  processes,  especially  when  engaged  in  learning.  

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3b:  Using  ques-oning  /  prompts  and  discussion  

   

Teacher  uses  a  variety  or  series  of  ques1ons  or  prompts  to  challenge  students  cogni1vely,  advance  high  level  thinking  and  

discourse,  and  promote  meta-­‐cogni0on.  Students  formulate  many  ques1ons,  ini1ate  topics  and  make  unsolicited  contribu1ons.  Students  themselves  ensure  that  all  voices  are  heard  in  the  discussion.  

The  term  metacognition  is  located  in  the  teacher  rubric…

Think  about  your  students…

QUESTION… How  can  we  get  students  to  move  from  simply  wanting  to  know  the  “right  answer”  to  truly  understanding  the  concepts  and  ideas  that  we’re  teaching?

ONE  POSSIBLE  ANSWER…

Employ  one  metacognitive  skill/activity  each  lesson  

Metacognitive  activities  can  be  a/an: • Do  now • Check  for  understanding • Assignment  or  Test  “Wrapper”

Have  the  following  questions  on  the  board  when  your  students  enter  the  classroom:

•  How  have  I  prepared  for  class  today?   •  What’s  the  best  way  for  me  to  prepare  for  a  class  like  this  one?  

What  are  some  possible  answers  that  you  might  receive? Which  of  these  responses  best  supports  the  development  of  metacognitive  skills?

Do  Now  Activity

Check  for  Understanding Are  they  ge_ing  the  main  ideas? •  Before  beginning  a  lecture  or  any  type  of  presentation,  tell  the  

students  that  at  the  end  they  will  be  asked  to  write  down  what  they  thought  were  the  three  most  important  ideas  in  the  presentation  (make  two  copies)

•  Next  provide  the  students  with  some  tips  regarding  how  to  be  

“active  listeners” •  Look  for  ideas  identified  through  multiple  examples •  Notice  any  changes  in  the  speakers  voice  or  body  

language  when  discussing  a  particular  topic  or  idea •  Try  to  identify  a  central  theme  or  idea  that  connects  key  

points  throughout  the  presentation

Check  for  Understanding  continued…

•  When  the  presentation  is  complete,  collect  the  student  responses  and  then  share  with  the  students  what  the  three  most  important  ideas  were

FOOD  FOR  THOUGHT •  Research  indicates  that  after  doing  this  three  times  (with  successively  less  support),  student  responses  increasingly  matched  the  instructor'ʹs:  45%  the  first  time,  68%  the  second  time,  and  75%  the  third        

Assignment  “Wrappers” •  An  assignment  “wrapper”  asks  the  student  to  complete  a  short  

pre  and  post  assignment  questionnaire •  Typical  pre  assignment  questions  include:

•  How  comfortable  are  you  answering  questions  on  this  topic?

•  What  previous  knowledge  do  you  have  about  this  topic? •  What  skills/knowledge  do  you  think  you’ll  need  to  

complete  the  assignment  correctly? •  Typical  post  assignment  questions  include:

•  How  comfortable  were  you  answering  the  questions  on  this  topic?

•  How  well  do  you  think  you  did  on  the  assignment? •  After  completing  this  assignment,  do  you  have  further  

questions  or  misunderstandings  about  this  topic?

•  On  the  reflection  sheet  students  are  asked  to: •  Describe  their  study  strategies   •  Analyze  the  mistakes  they  made •  Plan  their  study  strategies  for  the  next  exam  

•  These  reflection  sheets  are  returned  to  students  before  the  next  exam,  so  that  they  can  make  use  of  the  ideas  they  had  when  the  previous  exam  was  still  fresh  in  their  minds.  

Test  “Wrappers”  

•  A  test  “wrapper”  asks  the  student  to  complete  a  short  post  test  reflection  sheet

Partner  Activity Turn  to  the  person  next  to  you  and  briefly  discuss  the  following  statement:

•  Metacognition  acts  like  a  bridge  that  spans  the  gap  between  knowing  and  understanding.    

In  what  ways  do  you  think  these  activities  will  help  to  improve  greater  student  understanding?

Group  Discussion

GOALS: •  Know  what  metacognition  is •  Understand  that  metacognition  is  an  

often  overlooked  but  important  component  of  learning

•  Understand  the  role  metacognition  plays  in  student  learning

•  Be  able  to  employ  exercises  in  your  classroom  that  support  metacognition  and  help  to  improve  learning