Join teachers and educationalists for #ukedchat each Thursday between 8-9 pm GMT for Edu chat. Education news, resources, and @UKEdSch website with @UKEdMag
The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm by Christopher Paolini - It's been a year since Eragon departed Alagaësia in search of the perfect home to train a new generation of Dragon Riders - daily new children's book #ukedchat#readingrockshttps://t.co/31tUa6qdfp
A1 Its thinking about thinking, in practice I like to think it's about students thinking out of the box, making connections and being reflective about their own learning so they can work out what they need to improve #ukedchat
A1 For me it is a understanding of the processes of thinking, and what is means for teaching/learning is those moments where you are able to step back and be aware of what is happening, and why. #UKEdChat
It means a lot of ‘tell me how you got to that answer..’ and involves the right kind of questions. Less of the ‘what is’ and more of the ‘why does...’ or ‘what if...’ #UKEdChat
A1 Current pupils are growing up in a fast-changing world. As they become adults, today’s students will be expected to navigate high levels of complexity, challenge & responsibility. Our job is to provide chn with resources they need to thrive in such an environment 1/4 #UKEdChat
A1 We need to help to build minds that are up to dealing with uncertainty and confusion and encourage young people to demonstrate transferable skills, able to be applied across contexts 2/4 #UKEdChat
A1 My schools focus on developing dispositions which can be thought of as being comprised of different learning muscles. Like physical muscles these can be developed if learners are given appropriate opportunities to exercise them as they learn 3/4 #UKEdChat
A1 My pupils, therefore, receive frequent & systematic opportunities to develop being empathetic, being logical, being curious etc. They’re encouraged to question, to stick at something, to struggle & to build connections. Pupils become reflective, brave & motivated 4/4 #UKEdChat
A1 Pupils being self-reflective, but also self-motivated by being able to evaluate where they are at/where they need to go/how best to get there. #UKEdChat
#UKEdChat Q2 again
What, for you, are the most positive aspects of using metacognitive strategies in your teaching practice?
▶Please use the hashtag & A2◀
A2 I like to give students problems to think their way around. Today we went through the causes of deforestation and they had to come up with their own solutions to each cause #ukedchat
A2 The most positive aspects of developing metacognition and teaching children an explicit awareness of the learning process is the self-belief it builds, the intrinsic motivation it encourages and the growth mindset it allows to flourish 1/2 #UKEdChat
A2 It is an essential element of any curriculum and any school that claims to value and foster a learning community. We have it at the heart of our schools in my federation - and the outcomes manifest in articulate, confident and capable learners 2/2 #UKEdchat
I would say there are three steps to an approach that successfully brings metacognitive strategies to learning in the classroom. Understanding it, being able to use it, and crucially having the patience to persevere with it. #UKEdChat
#UKEDChat A1 Metacognition is the knowledge and recognition of cognition, in the classroom it looks like providing students with the strategies to plan, monitor and evaluate their learning.
A2- children become part of the learning process. They’re not made to fit in a mould or asked to follow a crowd. They take ownership over, not only what they learn but also how they do it.
A3 I think one issue is that teachers can usually understand what it is, but may struggle to make it a focus in their teaching. How does it translate from theory to practice? #UKEdChat
The process of reflection on an activity and the verbalisation and making of judgements about the Childs own learning by the child provides motivation for learning #UKEdChat A2
A2 if pupils are continually encouraged to be self-reflective, it can allow them to be more resilient and put ‘disappointment’ (e.g. assessment grade below target) into perspective. #UKEdChat
A3 The biggest misconception is that this is a separate strand of the curriculum - something done in isolation or as a “bolt on.” It doesn’t work like that. It has to go alongside everything and permeate the whole curriculum. #UKEdChat
#ukedchat A3 Main misconception with metacognition is the drive to teach 'thinking skills' as separate entity- its most useful when in context! Doesn't mean it should be implicit, students still need to know the strategies they are using to be able to access them independently.
A3- i think the danger is if it’s used as a tag-on to the learning, plenary or starter, or the children aren’t aware of the vocabulary around it, it just becomes another exercise for adults that benefits none of the learners. #ukedchat
The thing about successful approaches by great teachers is that they understand for e.g.metacognition, then implement it in a simple way in their practice. Strip away all the high level theory & in class, ask ‘tell me why you think that?’ Even for simplest of answers. #UKEdChat
A1. Having knowledge of ourselves as learners- our own abilities and attitudes; knowledge of strategies-what strategies are effective and available; knowledge of task-this particular type of activity. #metacognition
A4 I'm not sure if it's a strategy as such but I like to have lots of interconnected activities that all link together that students con use to put together their own short presentations to answer a particular question #ukedchat
A4 I use reflective questions particularly focusing on barriers to learning and trying to get students to understand what triggers barriers and how to overcome them. Worked well leading mock exams recently. #ukedchat
#UKEdChat Q4 again
How do you use metacognitive strategies in your classroom? Are these strategies shared across the school?
▶Please use the hashtag & A4◀
Sometimes the results and benefits of encouraging and structuring metacognition for kids manifests days, weeks, months down the line. Hence it is potentially not an attractive pursuit for the teacher. #UKEdChat
We’re currently trialling a metacognition based success criteria. We use these emoji based learning behaviours, they self-assess on objectives at the start of the cycle and then again after the learning.
It’s working well, promoting discussion on their understanding. #ukedchat
A4 We’ve put our “language of learning” EVERYWHERE. In our revamped dining room we’ve installed giant banners to hang from the ceiling which feature our the learning dispositions and pictures of our very own pupils and teachers! #UKEdChat
A4 it can be a simple case of having a mindset of curiosity, as a teacher, as to why a certain answer/response was given whether correct or not. And for correct answers to tough questions, asking a deeper (not harder!) question, e.g. ‘would that answer always work?’ #UKEdChat
Surely all teachers know that the impacts of education can manifest even years later. It is SLT/management etc (rather than teachers) who often do not have the patience and "need" measures.
#UKEdChat
#UKEdChat New to me, but made a start by implementing ideas from @ProjectZeroHGSE in science classroom. See.Think.Wonder for introducing new concepts, and using Claim, Support, Question to encourage planning and reflection in investigations.
#UKEdChat Q5 again
What metacognitive strategies are you aware of, that you would like to use in your classroom or school?
▶Please use the hashtag & A5◀
A5 Without a doubt, Philosphy 4 Children (P4C) is a fantastic approach for developing thinking skills and learning dispositions in pupils. I have some great teachers who use P4C in class - I’d love to grow this more across the federation! It’s on *my* long term plan! #UKEdChat
A4 #Metacognition is not just a “nice to have”. It is integral to successful learning. When children are taught metacognitive skills and are given the chance to practice them daily, they flourish, in and out of school. #UKEdChat
A4 These need standalone lessons to be successful. Teach children how to concentrate, motivate themselves and manage their confidence and then let them apply that across their lessons. #UKEdChat
Examining one's own questioning techniques and how to make them more effective in order to increase self awareness in others is a good place to start #UkEdChat Q5
But remember it’s not the impact of education we are talking about, it’s the impact of developing metacognition. Possibly two different things. “Education is what is left after all the facts have been forgotten” (don’t know who said that) #ukedchat
Discussion been happening every Thursday 8-9pm since 2010. Look forward to seeing your contribution during the chat in future. 😊 #UKEdChat
Of use? https://t.co/Y8Mh9AYGlz
A6 currently at my school we are following CPD on metacognition and have been encouraged to use it and feedback on effectiveness and different strategies used in cross curricular groups @TwynhamSchool
P4C develops critical thinking, creative thinking, caring thinking & collaborative thinking (the 4Cs). Thinking about thinking & going deeper into your own thinking through those strands develops explicit awareness & understanding of why & how we think: metacognition. #UKEdChat
#UKEdChat A5 I would like to find strategies to help with group metacognition. We have been working on knowing not only our own strengths but those of others so that we can maximise our group work potential.
#ukedchat A7 Metacognition and inquiry are to an extent a natural combination. Particularly in science there are plenty of opportunities to build in metacognitive strategies if you teach with an inquiry approach.
A7 You need to think about the impact of each activity on the class as a whole. This is a little activity I use with trainees to help them do this #ukedchat
A7 Build it heavily into your curriculum. We teach learning habits alongside skills & knowledge. Has taken a long time to get to the point where we can say its well & truly embedded. Children live for challenge, expect challenge, seek challenge & enjoy the struggle 1/2 #UKEdChat
#UKEdChat#A7 Ok, I'm going to honest here: I think, when I'd start a conversation at school, with my colleagues, about metacognitive strategies, this would be their reaction: "Say what?"
#UKEdChat Q8 again
Finally, share some of the most effective metacognition questions that you use in your teaching practice.
▶Please use the hashtag & A8◀
True, but as metagognition is a subset of education (as distinct from teaching/learning etc) the argument still holds. Teacher as educator, rather than purely instructor. #ukedchat
(allegedly Einstein) ;-)
Can’t leave without mentioning CASE - cognitive acceleration through science education. A major component of which was metacognition. Anyone heard of it? #ukedchat
