Metacognitive Strategies for K-12 Students
Teaching Students to be Strategic in Thinking Will Improve Learning
Oct 2, 2009
Metacognition encompasses the act of thinking about thinking, the inner voice that helps one solve problems, strategize, and self-evaluate performance. For K-12 students, it can be a vital component of successful learning; and for lower-performing students, it can be the one thing that makes a difference in achievement. Finally, and most importantly for teachers, metacognitive skills can be taught to students of all ability levels, giving everyone an advantage when approaching difficult learning tasks.
Fostering Metacognition in K-12 Students
Teachers can make metacognition a priority in their classrooms by explaining to students that thinking about their own learning will be a necessary part of each day. By slowing down everyday moments, asking questions to clarify exactly what students are trying to say or do, and causing them to think about their strategies and actions, teachers can make children more aware of the mental processes they use.
Metacognitive Reading and Content Area Learning Strategies
Metacognitive strategies for students to use when reading or doing other content area assignments should involve initial planning of how they will approach the task. They activate prior knowledge, helping students to know what they already know and priming their minds to receive and organize new, related information. The best strategies also help students identify places in the assignment process where errors may occur, and assist them in generating possible solutions.
Self-evaluation by students should occur after the reading or other assignment is completed. Students should be taught to identify what they've learned, how they learned it, the parts of the process which were most helpful to their learning process, and the steps that could be improved. Making self-evaluation an expected component of assignments will help K-12 students begin to become metacognitive automatically.
Modeling Metacognitive Thought Processes Throughout the School Day
Teachers can raise the level of metacognitive thought in their classrooms by modeling the processes themselves. Thinking aloud when solving problems, mirroring students' ideas back to them or rephrasing them to include specific thinking words (such as planning, strategy, steps to be taken, etc.), clarifying responses and questions, and having students include the "how they did it" as part of larger projects or assignments are all ways to encourage metacognitive thinking.
Evaluating Metacognition in Students
One simple way to evaluate the level of metacognition in students is to ask them directly about their thought processes when solving problems or thinking their ways through assignments. Having them keep process journals is another option that can have them becoming much more aware of what they know, what they don't know, and the strategies they use to find the knowledge they need.
When working with cooperative groups or partners, it is important to have the members participate in group processing when they finish their task. During this time, group members ask themselves and discuss what they did well as a group and what they need to work on. Regular group processing is another constructive way to infuse metacognition into daily work.
Metacognitive thinking can have a significant impact on the achievement of K-12 students; and while some may have and use the ability naturally, all students can learn specific strategies to increase their metacognition. by using these guidelines, teachers can provide their students with real, concrete methods to improve their own learning.
Further Reading
Campbell, Linda and Campbell, Bruce. Mindful Learning: 101 Proven Strategies for Teacher and Student Success. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2008.
Costa, Arthur L. The School as a Home for the Mind. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2007.
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