F O R E W A R D
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Thinking about OUR thinking Many years ago, I was taking a professional development session for a school and we were focusing on how students learn best. I asked the audience who knew what metacognition was, and the vast majority put up their hands. Then I casually asked the obvious question,
“Can anyone describe briefly what metacognition means?” All the hands
slowly went down, along with heads (all teachers know making eye contact is always fraught with danger at question time).
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QM Calling
ISS UE 68
Naturally, the slowest to look away got asked the question and I was met with silence. We all kind of knew what metacognition was, but I know there was not a common understanding for that group of teachers about what the word meant in practice. We need both a common language of learning and the deliberate use of metacognitive practices by teachers and learners. The International Baccalaureate have recently published their own paper about the importance of teaching metacognitive skills. When we are confident to use metacognitive strategies, we are open to the concept that we may have made an error or see something differently and we should welcome that. When we have trust and dialogue between learners and teachers, engaging in these practices encourages self-efficacy, a growth mindset, and the belief that there is always more that we can do to add to our understandings.
Some actions your daughter can engage in with their learning or study are: • A lways, always, always make a plan before beginning to write a response, especially if it is a longer answer. A handwritten piece is not able to be altered with the back button. Reduce the likelihood of stress by planning the order of your work. Trust me, it is easier and more time efficient to do the plan at the start. • Rehearse and memorise key facts. Like learning sports, music, and drama lines, you should use the same drills in Science and Mathematics – in fact, everything. • Self-monitor – be rigorous in asking if you are tracking well and are you where you should be? Do you believe you have any gaps, and if so, what are you doing to fill the gaps?
