What is METACOGNITION and why is it important for all learners?
Metacognition is:- “thinking about thinking”
It is the knowledge and understanding of what we know and how we think, including the ability to regulate our thinking as we work on a task.
Why is it important?
- It shapes children to become active learners rather than passive learners.
- Gives children ownership, control and greater motivation over their own learning.
- Children are aware of the learning process and how they learn.
- Helps to promote thinking and deeper learning / mastery skills.
How do you support your child to use metacognition?
Questions should be:
• Open-ended
Give your child some space to reflect on their thinking: Can you tell me more about why you think that?
• Non-blaming
It can be hard to stay open when children are acting out, but asking them to think about their behaviour can help them learn to manage difficult situations in a better way: Why do you think you got so upset when Dad changed the channel?
• Solution-focused
Encourage them to think about how they can use their understanding to change things in the future: How could you handle that differently next time?
• Process-oriented
Ask questions that help your child get a better idea of how their thought process works: How will you know when this drawing is finished?
You may find this video helpful in explaining this further.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVjLhumKKD8
Where to start?
Simply start with a conversation about a real-life problem. For example, we need to tidy your room. Tell me your ideas about how we could go about it. Part way through tidying assess how it is going. Are we doing this in the best way? Could we try a different method, for example collecting all of the cars first or putting the books in a pile before putting them back on the shelf? Try a different method. Discuss how you will do it next time and why. Next time, before getting started, discuss what you remember about what you learnt the last time you did this job together.
