Research
Summary
Question
What practices lead to successful self-reflection and promote metacognitive development in young learners?
Summary
While I have found myself to be fascinated with the mental processes of my 2nd grade students, those same students seemed to not possess explicit knowledge about themselves as thinkers. A tell-tale sign of this lack of self-knowledge was their flat, simplistic self-assessments. A more troubling indication was their reluctance to consciously adopt the specific reading and writing strategies that formed the core of our literacy curriculum. I was led to believe that my students lacked the necessary metacognitive knowledge that comes from successfully reflecting on one’s own life as a thinker and learner. Self-reflection is an integral part of many teacher training programs, but what would it look like in an elementary classroom? This article stands as a record of my investigations into the efficacy of 4 classroom practices in developing and strengthening the emerging metacognitive capacity of my students. It documents the significant metacognitive value of several widespread practices, including written self-reflections and oral conversations, and recommends several more specialized routines, including goal-setting routines and instruction in articulating thought processes. |
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Daric Desautel
ironist1@hotmail.com
Research
Focus:
Curriculum Implementation
TNLI
Affiliate:
New York City
School:
PS 228 Q
The Early Childhood School of the Arts
32-65 93rd St.
East Elmhurst, NY 11369
If
you would like to learn more about Teachers Network Leadership
Institute, please e-mail Kimberly Johnson for more information.
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