THINKING ABOUT THINKING-METACOGNITION

Students who succeed academically often rely on being able to think effectively and independently in order to take charge of their learning.  Other students, particularly those who struggle, show more difficulties in this area.  Teachers can teach students how to wield one of the most powerful thinking tools; metacognition, or the ability to think about your thoughts with the aim of improving their ability to learn. Metacognition can be learned when it is explicitly taught and practiced across content and social contexts.  Being metacognitive can be likened to being more conscious, reflective, and aware of one’s progress long the learning path.  

How to Teach Students to Be More Metacognitive.  

*Explicitly teach students about his essential learning skill by defining the term metacognition. 

*Whenever possible, let students choose what they want to read and topics they want to learn more about.

*Look for opportunities to discuss and apply metacognition across core subjects in a variety of lessons so that students can transfer it for the most benefit.

*Model metacognition by talking through problems.  Students learn a lot from listening as their teachers use higher-order thinking strategies aloud.  

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An unexpected opportunity for reflection...

Recently, while reading an article from the September issue of Teaching Children Mathematics, a journal for elementary math education published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (www.nctm.org), I read something that made such a connection for me that I had to share it.

The article, titled, "Warning Signs!", outlined three teacher moves that the authors identified as moves that tend to precede a teacher taking over a student's thinking:

     Warning Sign #1 - Interrupting the child's strategy
     Warning Sign #2 - Manipulating the tools
     Warning Sign #3 - Asking a series of closed questions

While the entire article was an excellent read, my personal connection was related to warning sign #2, manipulating the tools. In the scenario provided, a teacher took over control of the pencil while working with an individual student. This shifted the focus from the student's strategy to the teacher's strategy.

Students using colored tiles to represent multiplication

As I read this, I immediately thought of a recent math professional development session in which I was modeling a lesson for a group of teachers. As students were working with tools (colored tiles) to represent arrays for multiplication, I would physically move the manipulatives for the students when I noticed confusion. As I read the article, I began wondering if I could have used questioning to get the students to identify their misunderstandings and self-correct.

I also reflected on the brain research tied to this - that students need to be the ones physically manipulating objects. In the book, Brain Matters: Translating Research into Classroom Practice, Pat Wolfe (2001) discusses the three levels of learning: concrete, representational, and abstract. She states, “Many of our strongest neural networks are formed by actual experience” (p. 138). An example of an experience relevant to math instruction is the use of manipulatives.  Manipulatives increase understanding of math concepts and motivate students to learn math.  The research of Eric Jensen (1998) adds that physical movement, such as hands-on activities and the manipulation of objects, promotes student learning.


So what are some alternates to these warning signs? What can we do to move students forward? The article suggests:

• Slow down: Allow the child to finish before intervening.
• Encourage the child to talk about the strategy so far.
• Ask questions to ensure the child understands the problem and how his or her strategy relates to that situation.
• Ask whether trying another tool or another strategy would help.

You can read the entire article HERE with a subscription.

Why Isn't Google Working?

Yesterday many people reported that Google was not working well for them.  We were not alone.  :)  Read this blog post to learn how you can check to see if the problem is something only you are experiencing, or a problem with Google.

What Words Speak to You?

Quotes have a way of inspiring and making us think. This one from Barbara Colorose is pretty powerful. What quotes have inspired you as an educator? Feel free to comment below.

Reading Resources for Halloween

We know that student engagement is a predictor of reading success. Most students are excited this week about Halloween and would be very engaged to read about it.  For intermediate and middle school students, it is possible. Wonderopolis is a website that students can read about the wonders of the world.  Check out the link below for many wonders that center on Halloween.
Students may love them!
http://wonderopolis.org/?s=halloween

Positive instructional practices

I recently read an article that provided research on the effectiveness of Project Based Learning (PBL). John Hattie, a professor in Australia researched not just PBL but what instructional strategies are effective and ineffective within those classrooms.  A couple of practices stood out. Formative assessments, frequent teacher feedback, valuing error and creating trust in the classroom rank as the most highly effective.  While this comes as no surprise, it is worth mentioning. Want to know more?The link is provided.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/hattie-effect-whats-essential-effective-pbl-suzie-boss

Want to know more about Project Based Learning.  Check out this link.

http://bie.org/about/what_pbl

30 Techniques to Quiet a Noisy Class

30 Techniques to Quiet a Noisy Class | Edutopia  Some great ideas for those NOISY moments.....