Applying Metacognition
Introduction | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 | Unit 5
Learning Outcomes
The purpose of this unit is to apply strategies discussed in previous units to the class(es) taught by the learner.
Given the material from previous units, at the close of Unit 5 learners will be able to:
- organize concepts related to student use of metacognition
- develop a strategy for teaching metacognitive skills in their own classes
Warming Up
In your reflection journal, answer the following questions:
You can adapt these questions to use in your classroom to promote metacognition.
Lesson 1: Mind Mapping
Mind mapping can be used in classrooms to promote metacognition. The practice of mind mapping helps students recollect material, organize it into manageable categories, and demonstrate understanding. The tasks used to create a mind map draw on both sides of the brain. When completed in small groups, mind mapping can be a fun and engaging activity. If you'd like to know more about mind maps, visit this Ted video, Mind Maps in the Classroom. Additional graphic organizers include timelines, venn diagrams, and flow charts (Kolencik & Hillwig, 2011).
Using your reflection journal or mind-mapping software, create a mind map that reflects what you have learned in the mini-course so far.
Lesson 2: Teaching Metacognition in Your Classroom
Now that you have reviewed the material from the mini-course, you can pull the content together to decide how you will integrate metacognition in the class(es) you teach. Some points of entry include:
- Selecting opportunities to model metacognition
- Adding a metacognitive component to existing projects and assignments
- Developing a lesson on metacognition
- Creating posters to promote metacognitive questions
- Collecting questions to promote metacognition and deciding where to include them
- Implementing a reflection journal
While these aren't exhaustive, they provide a variety of ways to start teaching metacognition in your classroom.
Activity
Reflection Journal In the Introduction section, you completed the first two sections of the K-W-L Activity. Return to that page in your reflection journal. Have you learned all that you listed in the WHAT cell?
Now that we've come to the end of the mini-course, you can complete the LEARNED cell:
This is an activity you can use in your classroom to help your students develop metacognitive skills.
Application
Take one of your upcoming lesson plans and revise it to include some of the metacognitive strategies we've discussed in this mini-course.
If you would like to share your reflections with other learners, please post them on the Discussion page.
Additional Resources
As you continue to think about how to integrate metacognition into your classes, the following resources can provide insight and practical ideas.
| Fogarty, R. (1994). How to teach for metacognitive reflection. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin: A Sage Company. |
| Kelley, M., & Clausen-Grace, N. (2013). Comprehension shouldn't be silent: From strategy instruction to student independence (Second ed.). Newark, DE: International Reading Association. |
| Kolencik, P. L., & Hillwig, S. A. (2011). Encouraging metacognition: Supporting learners through metacognitive teaching strategies. New York: P. Lang. |
| Ritchhart, R., Church, M., & Morrison, K. (2011). Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. |
| Waters, H. S., & Schneider, W. (2010). Metacognition, strategy use, and instruction. New York, NY: Guilford Press. |
| Metacognitive Activities |
| What Do You Know Now? |
| Challenging Preconceptions |
| Visible Thinking |
| METACOGNITION! |
Conclusion
Thank you for participating in this mini-course on metacognition. Hopefully, you've learned that metacognition is a mulit-layered concept, but one that is easy to integrate into your teaching and provides numerous benefits for students. I wish you luck as you continue to help students improve their metacognitive skills!
I would love to hear your feedback, suggestions, and ideas. Please add your comments to the discussion page.
References
Edwards, S., & Cooper, N. (2010). Mind mapping as a teaching resource. The Clinical Teacher, 7(4), 236-239.
Kolencik, P. L., & Hillwig, S. A. (2011). Encouraging metacognition: Supporting learners through metacognitive teaching strategies. New York: P. Lang.