How do we inspire metacognition?

WHAT is metacognition

• active control and awareness of the learning process

• knowledge of how to use particular strategies for learning or for problem solving.[1] There are generally two components of metacognition: knowledge about cognition, and regulation of cognition.[2]Metacognition

WHY is it important?

• proven to accelerate student progress
• improve self confidence
• improve self esteem
• engage every learner (especially learning support)
• creates a community of learners
• wider range of support network
• acknowledges learning is hard work
• promotes active learning rather than passive
• less teacher work
• reflects future focused pedagogy
• skills for life long learning

HOW could I teach it?

1. Teach children about how the brain learns new information (fixed, growth)
2. Own the learning - is this my best, did I seek new ideas, research, am I showing respect in my learning, did I seek ideas from others to build on my ideas?
3. Seek emotional connections to promote more learning - how does that make you feel? what can you now do? how could you now help someone else?
4. Reflective questioning - questioning that will help them recognise the part that required new learning - what was the tricky part? what do you now know that you didn’t know before? how can you use this is a different way? Who has learnt something new from (student sharing)?
5. Teach the language of critical thinking at the top end -  analysis, synthesis, evaluation,
6. Creative expression of reflections - Scaffolding questions that support the how rather than the what they learned, considering what conditions supported their learning.
7. When requiring active listening for new information set the conditions - share 3 main points, share what your buddy tells you,
8. think about their own thinking / beliefs - pose provocations / conjectures that challenge their current beliefs, relevant and purposeful
9. Think, Model, and Apply inquiry mindset - team teaching is a great opportunity to model this process in context
10. Thinkers keys - great srl activities
11. Value and believe that children can learn how to learn, that their voice empowers and inspires new learning - when and how does this happen in your learning space? PP wonder wall, question wall for peer support,
12. Consider ways you can capture student voice, thinking, beliefs, ideas at every opportunity - guided teaching groups, SRL, modelling books, video diaries, collaborative activities online -

WHEN can I fit it in?

• in everything you do
• it is what we do it is not another thing to do