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“Simply put, students welcome feedback that is just in time, justfor them, just for where they are in their learning process, and just what they need to move forward.”

As I read the article, it was cool to see how I was able to connect to the article personally. I know that for me as a future teacher, feedback is extremely valuable and powerful, which gave me an personal connection as to how it might also be powerful for my own students. Feedback has pushed me more than any reading, homework assignment, research or lecture could have. However, when I think back to the feedback that I was given, it all seemed to align with the reading: it is a good balance of criteria to improve and praise, the goal is clear and it has met me where I am at. In my practicum, I see how my teacher engages in feedback right away in the classroom (for example during math time she doesn’t let students move on until she has checked at least 1 of their problems), however I am not sure how clear of a goal she gives each student. This article gave me a better understanding of what I can do in order to help my students achieve an individual goal based on where they are at. I loved how this article was research based and very relatable.

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What stuck with me the most about metacognition was the importance that each of these people placed on it in reference to student success. I guess through my schooling i always thought of metacognition as kind of a given and never really thought about how important it is for a teacher to facilitate a students metacognition skills. the metaphor referring to metacognition as driving your own brain like a car was something that stuck with me; However, the five ways to teach students metacognition is definitely what stuck with me the most and I can see myself utilizing in the future.

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One of the main overall ideas that became apparent to me throughout the course of the blogs and videos is how attainable the skill of metacognition is for students in the classroom, even for early elementary. Often, it seems that people see or hear the word "metacognition" and think that it involves some very intense process or activity, is something that is too complicated for young students to do, or is too difficult to incorporate into lessons. However, through these articles and readings, it became clear how easy, simple, and most of all effective it can be to incorporate metacognitive activities and questions into everyday classroom lessons and activities. From simple ideas such as using metaphors with younger students to talk about "brains as cars," reviewing problems students may have gotten wrong, student choice in reading and activities, and learning journals or activities that require reflection. This is something my CT has been trying to incorporate into our first grade class, especially in math with questions such as "How do you know?", so reading these articles made it very apparent how important, and attainable, of a skill metacognition is for younger students.

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What stuck with me the most was realizing how children don't know how to think anymore. The lego example especially resonated with me. When our parents were younger, they could just buy a box of legos and make whatever you wanted. Now, when you buy a box of legos it comes as a kit with specific directions. Kids are lacking in imagination and do not know how to think of themselves. This becomes more evident when you present them with a problem with no obvious solution, or without step by step instructions.

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While the article were very interesting, I found the Ted talk video to be of particular interest to me. Although it has never occurred to me before I watched this video, it is 100% true that kids are no longer encouraged to think. Everything is given to them, done for them, or comes with step by step instructions for how to create it. Little kids no longer simply play with legos and create anything their mind can think of. Instead, they create models of things that don't get me wrong are really cool but they did little to no thinking in creating them. Kids need to learn how to think and solve problems and make connections. I liked the fact that he did not just say that this was a problem for little kids, but is also a problem for big, college aged kids. If students are taught how to think in creative and meaningful ways as students in k-12, then by the time they reach college or the real world, they are able to apply everything they have learned.

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The articles and video really made me think about how critical thinking skills are developed through self-assessment. The metacognitive skills children are developing not only help them think and learn more efficiently but help them understand why they are learning and its relevancy to their own lives. The TED talk discussed how children in our schools are not necessarily learning the proper metacognitive skills. Without the ability to reflect upon their learning and work, students will struggle to use their skills and learning efficiently or properly. Failing to help children develop these skills in the classroom means we are failing to prepare them to succeed in their future professional (and personal!) lives.

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Overall, I was most impacted by Derek Carbrera's metaphor linking scholastic processes to pre-made lego kits. I agree with his stance 100%. Creativity and innovation are truly missing from the core of our education system today. It is my opinion that educators feel that open-ended and metacognitive practices are add ons rather than essential components of teaching. Instead of thinking deeply, students really are coached simply to "do school." The crisis here is obvious: we all graduate eventually. Not everything, in fact hardly anything, that individuals face in the real world comes pre-packaged and uniform. Rather, students must learn their own agency as critical thinkers and problem solvers and they must start now. Even though metacognitive thinking does not begin until adolescence according to Marilyn Price, Carbrera's son Carter organizing his snack provides a perfect example of human's hardwired nature for metacognition. Instead of continuing to develop and foster this asset, schools are extinguishing the skill. I agree that in order for reform to work, wide-spread change is needed. Students as young as pre-K as well as doctoral students need to be coached through a process of either relocating their powerful agency or enriching it. Ultimately, this power rests in our hands. As future educators, this is an issue that cannot go unnoticed. There is simply too much at stake.

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Out everything I read/watched, I think the thing that really stuck out to me the most was the fact that even though millions of dollars of research shows the importance of teaching students how to think, it is still not being incorporated into our curriculum. Like Dr. Derek Cabrera said, we are simply providing them with an overload of information and expecting them to pick up on the thinking skills on their own. Some students may manage it, but the majority do not. Even the gifted students Cabrera mentioned struggled when they were expected to do anything outside of the usual regurgitation of information. While some teachers may recognize metacognition as important to a student, I would imagine many do no know how to integrate it into their classroom curriculum and structure. This is why I was particularly appreciative of the various steps and examples included in the different articles. Not only should this be included in professional development opportunities for teachers, but it also should be heavily emphasized in preservice teaching.

I personally find this interesting because not only have I often found myself thinking about my own thinking, but I also think that this pairs incredibly well with my own research. With the stronger emphasis on testing and attempting to teach students as much information as possible, teachers do not have time to foster the more creative aspects of learning and deeper thinking skills. This includes environmental education and outdoor education. A lot of the EE trainings I have gone to emphasize the importance of using the outdoors to foster student-directed learning by having them create their own questions and construct their own knowledge. I believe a combined emphasis on environmental education, project-based learning, and metacognition would have profound impacts on our students' learning.

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From the TED talk and the articles that we read, I was able to understand what Metacognition means as it correlates to students. Metacognition is being conscious of one's own thought processes, combined with the ability to monitor one's flow of thought consciously. Metacognition involves knowledge of three things: the person, the task, and the strategy to use to accomplish the task. A student needs to be able to analyze the demands of a task. Next, the student needs to compare those demands to his or her abilities and skills, and decide on a way to go about performing the task. Therefore, to be successful, the student needs not only to understand the task and his or her own learning abilities, but also have a set of strategies from which to choose when approaching a task. Another aspect of metacognition involves knowing how one is doing in making progress toward goals. After identifying or generating an effective strategy to use to tackle a task, he or she also monitors the problem-solving to see if the strategy chosen is effective. Self-monitoring is also important here because it includes being able to follow through and make changes when needed. As teachers, it is our duty to teach our children with metacognition principles and techniques because it will help and encourage them to go deeper into what they learn.

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One of the main things that stuck with me with watching the video in particular, was that teachers need to guide student thinking in order for them to dig deep with their metacognition. I never realized how important it was to teach students to make distinctions between their thoughts instead of it being a long train of thought. This is important, I believe, to allow students to make valid connections to various aspects of the curriculum. Also, having the students organize their thoughts and connect isolated thoughts to make relationships allows students to think more critically about their own thoughts and ideas. Lastly, I think it is definitely an important 21st Century skill to understand multiple perspectives, so having students be able to understand and accept other perspectives is an important skill.

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An overarching theme among the readings and video is that metacognition can be learned, and thus should be taught. Being metacognitive leads to a higher self awareness, which leads to a better understanding of ones own behavior, as well as others.

The video really brought the articles home by going a step further with the idea of metacognition; students now a days "can't think." Dr. Carbrera means that students can do anything that is structured, because they've learned to be good at school, but when it comes to structuring something themselves, students are lost. He explains that we are removing the thinking from the curriculum and replacing it with following instruction and getting a grade.

He also discusses the four thinking skills - DSRP and their benefits. He expressed that these skills are being taught from preschool to grad school. However, I found this interesting because he explained that we're hardwired to do DSRP, so why is it being taught? I realized its because the education system pushes us away from using these skills by enforcing structure in instruction and grading.

We need to be able to think about our own thinking.

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Metacognition is such an important skill! According to the TED talk, even students who are amazing at school might not be able to metacognate, and that is a problem. Knowing how to answer questions on a test is not going to prepare children for life. Schools should be assessing students in ways that require them to think and create.

However, it can be difficult to include metacognitive skills into classrooms where students are not used to them. We need to spend time explicitly teaching children to veiw things in terms of parts and wholes, how they relate, and see things from different perspectives so they can learn how to think.

These days, we do all the thinking for them, and we are killing creativity in today's youth. If we don't change this, the future of our country will be in bad shape.

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"This higher-order thinking strategy actually changes the structure of the brain, making it more flexible and open to even greater learning."

This quote stuck with me from the Edutopia blog "Metacognition: Nurturing Self Awareness in the Classroom" because I had never thought about metacognition in that way. Students are becoming self aware when they are thinking about their own thinking. They are able to figure out what works best for them in the classroom for them. As a teacher right now and as a full time teacher later on, I want to make sure that I start having students think about their own thinking and become aware of what works bests for them. I want to make sure that they know how to work well in the classroom for them selves but, I plan/ want to figure out away even with my first graders to create self awareness within the classroom. I also want to find a way to record it so that I can fit my students needs and thinking processes best.

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One interesting aspect of metacognition that noticed while reading the blog posts and watching the TED talk was the true importance of encouraging students to develop a growth mindset. The lego example that Derek Cabrera mentioned during his talk was a perfect example of how children are being set into a fixed mindset without having any control over the circumstance. Separating the school day into distinct subjects without relating them to one another is another way that we fail to connect ideas and show students an overall picture of what thinking should entail. Reading the blogs was a great opportunity to see what a teacher can do to disrupt this cycle and instead encourage students to think through things and really implement DSRP. One way that teachers can do this is by modeling. As teachers, we should naturally be modeling metacognition for students regularly to encourage them to pursue a mindset that involves thinking through problems. Another way to do this is to encourage reflection and use essay questions or discussions as a means of assessment rather than multiple choice. By encouraging students to think more deeply and make more connections, this can create a growth mindset that will help students in the real world.

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Although we know that metacognition is important so that students are able to monitor their own progress, I have never thought of it in the broader context of them being independent learners in their lives in general. Across the board, students who have developed their metacognitive skills will succeed in their academics and in their self-awareness. In order for students to be successful in life, which is what we are ultimately preparing them to do, they must have a good grasp on who they are as people. As teachers, we have the power to develop students' metacognition so that they are not only able to reflect on how to improve themselves as students but also as human beings. As Dr. Cabrera said, these critical thinking skills and self awareness will determine what kind of people our students become and the future of our country.

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"Provide opportunities to reflect on coursework. Higher-order thinking skills are fostered as students learn to recognize their own cognitive growth. Questions that help this process might include:

Before this course, I thought earthquakes were caused by _______. Now I understand them to be the result of _______.

How has my thinking about greenhouse gases changed since taking this course?"

Providing opportunities to reflect on on coursework stuck with me. As a student, I have had many misconceptions about concepts, topics, and/or ideas before learning about them. Reflections provide an opportunity to address and correct your previous thoughts and ideas. Right now, I am teaching about the moon, sun, and the stars. Many students have misconceptions about the moon and sun because they have not learned the facts. It would be cool to use a question like this (obviously tailored to my unit) :

Before this course, I thought earthquakes were caused by _______. Now I understand them to be the result of _______.

To address any incorrect ideas and skewed perceptions to see how far students have come. It's like a deeper version of the L in KWL.

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Providing students with multiple opportunities to use metacognition will provide them the opportunity to really gain a deeper understanding of not just the content, but also themselves as learners. It is especially crucial in the younger grades, because students will be more successful in later years when they know what works for them and what does not work for them. I think teaching students to be "slumpers" is also incredibly important, because breaking apart and grouping ideas is important to understand the greater issues of our world. Almost as important as teaching students to be "slumpers," is teaching students to create meaningful relationships. These relationships have several benefits, including breaking down stereotypes or misconceptions, help students expand their thinking, and more. I  see "slumpers" working together everyday in my classroom in our math lessons where students are expected to think about mathematical processes and must be resilient through solving problems. Students must also expand on each other's thinking in order to create a classroom full of thinkers.

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After reading the articles and listening to the TED Talk, I am much more aware of the specific value of metacognition but also the plethora of ways it can be applied in the classroom. In regards to its value, my biggest takeaway was realizing that students' developing habits of actively reflecting not heir thinking and their personal lives is the key to students engaging with and valuing the reflections and thinking of others. As someone who highly values the sense of a true community of learners, this connection and explanation stood out to me!

The practice that most stood out to me was the modeling of metacognition. The article stated that "we've found that students learn a lot from listening as their teachers use higher-order thinking strategies aloud. They often laugh when their teachers make "mistakes," and they learn when their teachers stop, recognize the miscue, and step through the process of correcting. This "teachable moment" underscores that everyone makes mistakes, and that mistakes are best seen as opportunities to learn and improve." This practice shows how modeling should not only take place with direct strategies and content as we've learned many times, but also with thinking! I look forward to modeling this as my it progresses into more difficult math work so that students know how to "rive their brain" and figure out the solution.

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"Being metacognitive can be likened to being more conscious, reflective, and aware of one's progress along the learning path."

This particular quote stuck with me from the reading titled, "Metacognition: The Gift That Keeps Giving." It made me realize how big of a role metacognitive thinking plays in a student's development. It is obviously important for the student to learn the material being taught but it may be even more important for the student to reflect on what was taught and think about why they are learning that or how well they are progressing in their thinking. This article made me think about how I can better help my students "drive their brain" during lessons and how I should focus more on on that when planning.

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The metaphor of "driving your brain" stuck with me from the Edutopia blog, "Metacognition: the gift that keeps giving." The author gave explicit ways to teach this concept to students by making the topic more relatable to their everyday lives and giving examples through think alouds of how we control our thoughts. Also, in the other reading that focused on nurturing self-awareness, I found it interesting that they suggested the students address what they find confusing during the lesson. By recognizing what was easier and harder to grasp, they are actually developing self-awareness and fostering cognitive growth. Overall, the Ted Talk did a great job to summarize how teachers can focus on thinking and metacognition in the school setting. With the purpose of encouraging "thinking at every desk," the speaker addressed the ideas of distinctions, systems, relationships, and perspectives to highlight the importance of how thinking can positively impact learning. All in all, these three sources were beneficial to me as a future educator, so I can try to promote reflection and self-awareness in my classroom.

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I was particularly interested while reading the articles/watching the video because of the interconnectedness I saw between metacognition and a growth mindset. After our class discussions this semester, a growth mindset is something I definitely want to teach to all of my students and they cannot have that mindset if they are not actively thinking about their own thinking. One of the points that really emphasize this for me in one of the blogs was the seven strategies students can use to practice metacognition, including the recognition of what you don't understand and the idea of keeping a learning journal. This seems like a concrete way to enforce the importance of thoughtfulness and a growth mindset.

Finally, I liked when the TED talk discussed how the "little kids" were doing the same things as the "big kids." I think it is so important to remember that while kindergartens may not be learning the same nuanced information as older students, they are perfectly capable of learning in complex and advanced ways.

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"Self awareness...serves as a 'tool for monitoring and controlling our behavior and adjusting our beliefs of the world, not only within ourselves, but, importantly, between individuals.'"

This quote helped me to realize that you use self-awareness and metacognition to understand your own thinking, but you also use it to inform how you think about others. We have to use metacognition within the classroom to help students think about the content they are learning as well as the how their thoughts and actions impact the other members of the classroom. This structure of promoting metacognition allows students to have a gradual release of responsibility for both their learning and the actions that they have that impact that learning.

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The ability to analyze your own thinking to enhance your learning has immense benefits inside and outside of school. Metacognition is a life-long skill that should be fostered in the elementary school years. These deep thinking skills transfer across all grade levels and encourage students to look at the the bigger picture and see how concepts connect. This truly prepares them for the real world because they can be more productive when they understand how to reflect upon and grow from their experiences. In my third grade class, my CT promotes metacognition in terms of academics and behavior. When students consider the reasoning behind their choices they learn how to self-regulate and be more aware of their actions. As students begin to realize how they learn best, they can alter their behavior to ensure they are maximizing their learning. I hope that students see the benefits of metacognition in different parts of their lives and utilize these skills in their learning.

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Elena Goldman "Beyond academic learning, when students gain awareness of their own mental states, they begin to answer important questions"

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Elena Goldman "Beyond academic learning, when students gain awareness of their own mental states, they begin to answer important questions"

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In my kindergarten classroom, we begin teaching the students metacognition by having them make choices about how they learn best. Do they need to sit at a different spot on the carpet so they don't talk to a friend? Do they want to sit at the back table to do work because they want to spread their work out? Is the center that they're assigned to, too easy and they want a challenge problem? These are beginning stages of metacognition, they aren't academically focused but require self-assessment.

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Can't wait to hear your thoughts or ideas on metacognition!

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Can't wait to hear your thoughts or ideas on metacognition!