As an educator, one of our universal goals is to teach our students to have metacognitive strategies. Here are some ideas to get kids thinking about their thinking.

Interactive Read Alouds

Interactive read alouds are a great opportunity to read and think through a text orally for your students to see. It's important to note that thinking aloud provides a great model for what is going on in a proficient reader's brain while they are reading. Be sure to only stop every few pages of a book to think aloud. Stopping on every page of a book can interfere with student's being able to comprehend the meaning if the stopping is too frequent. Also, read aloud books that you love as often as you can. Students see that and your passion is contagious!

RAN Chart

RAN stands for Read and Analyze Nonfiction. A RAN chart can be used for students to show what they think they know before reading. Then, student will generate questions (wonderings) about what they want to know more about and then confirm their predictors or clarify their misconceptions about their thinking. The RAN chart also asks students to record their new learning, too. This is a great tool for students to see their thinking and the progression of thinking that goes into learning something new. Start by talking through each piece of the RAN chart, then have students record their thinking in each section. Download a RAN Chart.

Using metacognitive markers is a low prep, yet effective strategy, that works well when students take notes to intentionally practice processing information. Creating a simple anchor chart, like the one pictured here, and keeping it up all year for students can be a helpful reference guide. This is a perfect opportunity to chunk the lesson and provide places for students to discuss their learning through a think-pair-share model. Teachers can also have students mark these next to their success criteria as a way to analyze and assess understanding. When I used these in my class and modeled the conversation aloud, it really helped students generate questions, develop a growth mindset of learning from mistakes, and celebrate successes of knowledge.

Metacognition also relates well to Social Emotional Learning strategies and I recently got to use the connection during Algebra II training I did. At the end of a lesson, we reflected on our learning through the strategy called, “One Minute Accolade.” This closure activity allowed space for “Self-Awareness (Accurate Self-Perception) as participants reflect on their learning and Social Awareness (Respect for Others) as they absorb the variety of input from those who share aloud” (CASEL). There are a variety of questions you can ask that would help students process their learning in a metacognitive way such as, “what is one thing you are proud of accomplishing today and how did you get there?”; “what did you find challenging, but doable, today?”; or “how do you know you solved your problems correctly today?” Below are the directions. Give this quick strategy a try for an optimistic closure that relates to the lesson and enables students to work on their metacognitive skills.

The art of conversation is a life skill that must be taught to students. This past month, I worked with intervention educators on reading and writing strategies for high school students. We started the day discussing how conversations drive learning in the classroom. As we collaborated throughout the day, we processed new learning and gained new perspectives on issues within our classrooms. It was an awesome thing to be a part of! Then while listening to a podcast called "Girls Night Out" (LOL), I heard "Processing happens when you discuss with your community." There is so much truth in that statement because anytime I am making a life decision or processing a new idea, I discuss first with my close community to process my thoughts and gain new insights that I might have otherwise missed.

2. Start with Collaborative Meeting

Collaborative meeting is a large circling of students that meet up to discuss a guided topic or questions. It helps to start with a topic that they feel strongly about, such as "Should students have phones during school hours?" One student will respond to the question and then choose another students to speak next. This gives the students the opportunity to "own" the conversation and learning. Educators can participate or facilitate.

3. ELL's Aquire Language Through Practice

Discussions are an opportunity for our ELL students to practice a new language. Not only will they be speaking but they will be hearing other's modeling using language as well. Practice makes proficient. A great tool for helping all students acquire appropriate language is by having each student use an accountable talk card.