[#teaching + #metacognition] When I've asked how the word 'metacognition' sounds in workshops recently, a common word is 'intimidating'... in the past, I have felt this too! So on my quest to deconstruct this scary word, here is a simple hack that I was lucky enough to learn from the knowledgable metacognition expert Liz Keable:
She taught me that I could start to do this right away:
💡📣💭 Think through classroom/session problems out loud.
Here's how - you just start thinking through your problems 'out loud' so your learners can hear.
Sentence starters to help:
💭I’m just wondering whether…
💭Since […] has just happened, maybe I need to change something…
💭This looks like it’ll be an issue up ahead, maybe I could…
Liz explained that this is one way to start modelling and embedding Metacognition in the classroom.
Since you are constantly assessing everything during a lesson anyway, the key is to start transitioning to doing that assessment and thinking... out loud.
I applied this to my workshops, and it has so far been very helpful. I think it helped boost engagement.
I 'thought' out loud about things like microphone cords tripping me up, and reorganising tables.
✅The result? Some teachers shared ideas with me and noticed how and what I was doing.
In a classroom setting, students may also begin to think with you, but more than that, even the ones who don’t will get used to seeing and hearing you problem solving out loud.
The phrase I like most to help with this is:
💬"I am just wondering if…”
Because the word wonder is so #positive. For added drama, why not hold your chin with a socratic thinking expression to help prompt even more things out of your learners. :)
💬🙋🏻♀️#Overtoyou: Does metacognition intimidate you? How do you 'do' metacognition in your class? Any tips of your own to share, all welcome!
Thank you Liz Keable for sharing your ideas so generously and helping me on one of my all time favourite missions of stamping out boring workshops for good. Look what you started! 👏🏼
📸 Photo: In the #UAE we are 3 hours ahead of the #UK time zone, so half the time I begin to sit in the dark for meetings held in the UK afternoon. As you can see by the light differences in our photo here. 🙃☀️🌙
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