Return-Path: <nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id f6DEkDf26666; Fri, 13 Jul 2001 10:46:13 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 10:46:13 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <sb4ed077.001@jsi.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Andy Nash" <andy_nash@jsi.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-4EFF:1748] Metacognition X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise 5.2 Status: O Content-Length: 4087 Lines: 75 Many months ago, there was an exchange of messages about EFF and the development of metacognition, particularly in ESOL settings. Before adding a couple of thoughts to that discussion, I'd like to address some more general questions about what metacognition is and how it can be developed. Metacognition is the ability to monitor the effectiveness of the strategies you are using to do something or solve a problem. In order to do this, you've got to 1) be aware of the strategies you're using, and 2) know what to look for to know if they're working. So, for example, of the many strategies one can use for revising written work, I like to read my writing aloud to hear how it flows. I monitor the effectiveness of this strategy by noticing if it helps me make revisions and by getting feedback from a second reader. It sounds easy, but adults are generally unfamiliar with the idea of articulating the strategies they're using (unless they're teachers, used to breaking things down into steps). Yet metacognition is valuable because the more conscious we are of how we use our skills, the more likely it is that we can transfer and adjust them to new activities. It's an important part of EFF (and built into the standards) because it gives adults an awareness of learning that builds their options and independence, and helps them participate in discussions and decision-making about program improvement. Many aspects of the EFF framework (the focus on purpose and self-monitoring that is embedded in the standards, the emphasis on applied learning and the transfer of learning, etc.) relate to metacognition. I've collected a menu of questions that teachers use to help adults build metacognition * to become more mindful of what they're doing (or learning) and why, and of how the skills they're learning might be used differently in different situations. They include (in no particular order): - What did we learn today? (This is especially useful in helping students recognize that they've been learning, even if they haven't been doing workbooks.) - How will you use what you're learning outside of class? - Why are we practicing X (whatever the exercise)? How will it help you do Y (the students' purposes)? - Use an example (cooking, driving, etc.) to discuss how context affects how skills are used. Do you (cook, drive, etc.) the same way in every situation (cooking for the kids vs. guests, driving in heavy rain, etc.)? Shift to the skills you're working on - How might you use them differently in different situations? - When you're going to do X (a task that involves the new skill), what do you need to think about? - When you are doing X (a task that involves the new skill) and you get stuck, what do you do? - Have learners teach each other an activity they do well. Questions from their "students" will prompt them to be explicit in their instructions. Reflect on how challenging it is to name what you've always done automatically/unconsciously; reflect on how such specifics are helpful when you're learning something new. In ESOL classes, metacognition gets addressed whenever we teach about "repairing miscommunication" * What do you do when someone doesn't understand (or misunderstands) you? What do you do when you do not understand? Etc. Strategy A didn't work, so what other strategies can you use? I agree with others who have said that conversing in English about strategies is unlikely for new speakers. But I also believe that language learners are generally aware of the strategies they're using (listening for key words they understand, watching gestures and body language, etc.), and are very tuned in to whether or not their strategies are working. We just need to slowly introduce the vocabulary that will help us have those conversations. Since this message is already long, I'll just end by saying that the recent list discussions have reminded me that we too, as teachers and facilitators, can build our metacognitive awareness about the strategies we use as we go about introducing EFF to others. Andy Nash World Education EFF staff
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