Thinking about thinking sounds simple, but is actually a strategy that is used to help students stretch themselves to become more active and engaged learners. It is used often to discern between what a student does and does not know about a subject, topic, reading, selection of vocabulary, etc.
As the chart to the right illustrates, there are several strategies that can be used for helping students to use metacognitive strategies to guide thinking into a rewarding experience instead of a seemingly meaningful exercise they deem to be "busy work."
There are key elements involved in the teaching aspect of reading comprehension when using metacognition. There has to be a plan of action, a way to maintain and monitor that plan, and a way to evaluate that plan. The students should be aware of the structure of the exercise as a whole so they are not in the dark as to what their expectations are.
Some questions that students should ask themselves when reading using metacognitive thinking are the following:
Before the reading begins:
What is the purpose of my reading?
Have I been advised of any vocabulary terms I should prepare to look for during my reading, or should I be prepared to find words in this reading I will need to ask the definitions of when I am reading?
What do I already know about this topic and how does it influence what I bring to this reading?
During the reading:
Do I understand what I'm reading, and if not, what can I do to help myself (context clues, notes taken in class, asking a peer for help)?
What are the important ideas I should be gleaning from this reading?
After the reading:
Did I understand the reading? Could I explain it to another student or my parent?
Do I need to look over any part of the reading and ask questions about it because I did not know what a word meant or how it was used?
It is always important to use graphic organizers along with every step of the metacognitive process to aid students with the questions they should be asking themselves, and to guide the responses they should be eliciting. Modeling and scaffolding, as well as mirroring, are crucial for successful development of the metacognitive strategy. Often students can become frustrated should the process not be implemented correctly or successfully, and often, the teacher will become frustrated as well.
References
Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2012). Improving adolescent literacy, content area strategies at work. (3rd ed., pp. 7-8). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Katims, D. M. (2000). Strategic instruction in middle school social studies: Enhancing academic and literacy outcomes. Intervention in School & Clinic, 35(5), Retrieved from http://internal-dns.salem.edu/login?url=http:// search.ebscohost.com.internal-dns.salem.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ606599&site=ehost-live