January « 2017 « learntolearn

The Role of Language in the Development of Metacognition

by Fran

The Development of Metacognitive Knowledge in Children and Education

Author:

Noboru Kobayashi, M.D., Pediatrician, Director, Child Research Net
October 30 2009

http://www.childresearch.net/projects/brain/01_08.html

A short excerpt:

“Not surprisingly, the development of theory of mind and metamemory are clearly shown to be strongly influenced by language. Moreover, language abilities at the ages of 3 and 4 significantly contribute to metamemory ability at the age of 5. It has been demonstrated that the early acquisition of high theory of mind competencies affects the acquisition of metacognitive language (vocabulary), for example, in the use of words such as “guess” and “think.”

Metamemory that is expressed in language, or declarative metamemory, is already present in preschool children and is thought to develop in stages during the elementary school years. It is related to the declarative knowledge that recalls facts in language, as mentioned above. Here, declarative metamemory refers to metamemory mediated by language and is opposed to what is called procedural metamemory. Even after entering puberty, metacognition is thought to continue to develop to enable the reading, comprehension, and memorization of complex texts.”

Beliefs About Learning Development Executive Function Metacognition Preschool

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“Learning to learn” Vocabulary: A Place to Start in Understanding the Development of Metacogniton/Executive Function.

by Fran

I recently got a post from a blogger I follow (The Reading Sage) with a link to vocabulary lists. One of the lists he shares in from Marzano’s Research on Academic Vocabulary (Vocabulary for the Common Core © 2013 Marzano Research Laboratory • All rights reserved). Marzano says:

“For Tier 2 words, we included all cognitive verbs from the CCSS and all cognitive verbs listed in Designing and Teaching Learning Goals and Objectives…. “This includes words like accomplish, analyze, comprehend, determine, distinguish…. [Bolding mine].

http://reading-sage.blogspot.com/2017/01/grade-3-tier-2-vocabulary-word-list.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ReadingSageReviews+%28Reading+Sage+Reviews%29

It reminded me of a similar vocabulary list I constructed for a wiki on Reading Comprehension. The page was titled the Thinking Cognitive Operations Glossary; it was posted September, 2010.

http://explorience1.pbworks.com/w/page/48819344/Thinking%20Operations

This list was constructed from what was then the Vermont version of “CCSS” It was described as VT. GLEs for History/Social Studies. Definitions were adapted or adopted from Collins CoBuild Dictionary Some of the words were:

Abstract (abstractly, abstraction) Talk and think in a general way, rather than about a specific for particular thing or event.

Allege: If you allege that something bad is true, you say it but do not prove it.

ANALYZE: IF YOU ANALYZE SOMETHING, YOU CONSIDER IT CAREFULLY. YOU MAY USE SCIENTIFIC METHODS IN ORDER TO FIND OUT WHAT IT CONSISTS OF.

ARGUE If you argue that something is true, you state it and give the reasons why you think it is true. His lawyers are arguing that he is unfit to stand trial…

Assess: When you assess a person, thing, or situation, you consider them in order to make a judgment about them.

Assert: If someone asserts a fact or belief, they state it firmly.

Assure: If you assure someone that something is true or will happen, you tell them that it is definitely true or will definitely happen, often to make them less worried (or more confident about what you say).

And this brings me back to the current blog sequence. I believe that a good place to start understanding the development of Metacognition/Executive Function is by paying attention to the vocabulary that children use. I remember that my grandson used words like remember, think, “teached,” and learned as a preschooler. A little later, though still in preschool, he used words like actually and mistake. His most recent word of interest, as a 6 year old, is the word “literally.” He wasn’t able to give the meaning of this word, but he used it correctly any number of times and in different contexts. In my experience in preschool and kindergarten, it is not uncommon to hear preschool and kindergartners use words like forgot, remember, think, know, don’t know.

Using these “mind” words is not uncommon in educational contexts and there is an expectation that children will learn and need to learn these kinds of “thinking” words. For example, in a 2013 text by Neuman and Wright titled All About Word: Increasing Vocabulary in the Common Core Classroom, PreK-2, they refer to words they describe as “supportive role” words, words that facilitate the understanding of content words. So, for example, for the content words about the human body (brain, blood, chest, chin), there are related supportive words (observe, predict, discover, examine, notice, recognize).

A related starting place for the development of Metacognition/Executive Function is the adult’s directive to children to “use your words.”

Executive Function Learning How to Learn Metacognition

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How, When and Where Do Students Begin to Use Their Voices for Learning?

by Fran

I just finished a post on my Dialogue blog about being “Open to Learning” that was addressed to Educational Leaders. It consisted of excerpts from a pdf and video by Viviane M J Robinson,

The University of Auckland, an expert on school based communication. This particular link addresses the ways in which educational leaders/administrators can communicate with teachers about learning.

file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/Open-to learning_Conversations_Background_Paper_In%20(1).pdf

As I finished the post and began to think about students’ voices, I began to wonder where the awareness of having a “voice” in one’s education/learning begins. When and How do students learn to speak about their learning to those who have the power to respond to their views, interest and concerns? And when/where to they learn to be silent?

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately in preschool and kindergarten. Maybe that is a good place to start to understand how children/learners (students?) begin to think and talk about learning, their learning.

Beliefs About Learning Collaborative Learning Learning How to Learn Preschool Student Voices

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Giving Students Voice Through “Evaluation” of Their Work

by Fran

One of ways students have and use their voice is during the process of evaluation.

http://www.ethicalela.com/7-reflections-quiet-ghosts-gradings-past/

by Sarah J. Donovan, PhD on January 8, 20

Here is a short excerpt from an article well worth reading about one teacher’s approach to student evaluation. In her approach, students become collaborators.

“Grades are letters that conflate the learning from the entire semester or quarter. I have to assign a grade for my seventh and eighth grade readers at the end of every quarter, and I struggle with this every time because their learning defies such neat, confining symbols, which is somewhat ironic because we talked a lot about symbolism in literature this term. Such is my perspective of grades.

Some students, however, see grades as part of their identity….

Students in junior have been carrying around these identity markers for many years and have, in some cases, committed to this the identity of a perfectionist or failure or resigned to the good enough “C’ or passing “D.” When it comes to final grades each quarter, I find myself battling these identity markers like they are ghosts hovering over and among us. The Ghosts of Grading’s Past.

In the portfolio process at the end of each quarter, I invite these ghosts into our individual grade conferences to see if we can illuminate the narratives they are whispering in our ears in the hopes that I can make space for some new, healthier perceptions of learning and self.”

Voices and Choices

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Metacognition as Expressed in Students’ Voices

by Fran

There is a growing focus on “metacognition” in the “learning/education” literature as reflected in increasing use of “educational” terms like self-regulation, self-control, executive function, self-management. As well, leaners are increasingly being encouraged to take more responsibility for their learning by demonstrating certain behaviors (attitudes?) such as growth mindset, grit, perseverance—terms that we assume involve an understanding of what is involved in learning, especially learning content (or skills) that challenge the learner.

Up to this point, I have attempted to share ideas and links that describe, discuss and encourage the development of “metacognition.” I am going to shift my emphasis slightly by focusing for the next while on the idea of learner voices. How do leaners “tell” us that they are or are not learning?

What do learners “say” that helps us to understand what they understand about learning–their learning and learning in general? By “say,” I do not mean that they explicitly use terms like metacognition or executive function or growth mindset. Sometimes they say things like “huh,” or “what,” or “do you mean,” or more explicitly, “I don’t get it.” And sometimes they don’t say anything. They look confused, puzzled, bored or discouraged.

How can we understand, catalogue and use the expressions of student’s “voice” to help us to help learners to be successful?

If you check my “Meta” blog by typing student voice, you will see the tag “student voice”. I will be reviewing those over the next few weeks to see which of these posts are still relevant.

Uncategorized

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