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Week 6 Research Blog Post

 In Chapter six of Rigor by Design, Not Chance by Karin Hess, Hess focuses on engaging students in metacognition and reflection. Hess begins the chapter by explaining how metacognition and reflection are interrelated, but they are not the same. “Metacognition happens “in the moment” during learning; reflection is the act of looking back on past learning, determining the meaning of what was learned; building (not building) confidence as a learner; and carrying that mindset forward” (Hess p. 127). Through peer and self-reflection learners can find their strengths and challenges, allowing themselves to evaluate their personal goals for learning. By learners being aware of their learning, they engage metacognition. Hess refers back to chapter one, when she discusses emotional engagement, “rigor by design brings engagement into greater focus” (Hess p. 128). Active engagement is important for educators to help facilitate. Teaching learners to self-monitor their own engagement and provide opportunities for metacognitive and reflective activities, including collaboration and group work, increase active engagement. For productive group work, Hess explains the structured GPS-I rule;

  • Group processing

  • Positive interdependence

  • Simultaneous engagement

  • Individual accountability

Providing opportunities for learners to self-reflect is conducted by design, not chance. “Self-direction is a complex competency that includes both the intrapersonal skills of self-awareness and reflection, and the interpersonal skill of collaboration” (Hess p. 134). Hess comes full circle again, applying metacognition and reflection to the Actionable Assessment Cycle. 

After reading chapter six of Rigor by Design, Not Chance, I started searching for an article that relates to student engagement through metacognition and reflection. I found an article titled, Metacognition: How Thinking About Thinking Can Help Kids by Rae Jacobson. Jacobson begins the article by explaining metacognition, “Metacognition is a big word for something most of us do every day without even noticing: Thinking about our own thoughts. Reflecting on our thoughts is a big part of understanding our feelings and learning new things”. Teaching learners how to use it proactively can create independence along with it being a powerful, life-long tool. Jacobson goes on to discuss how metacognition can be helpful for kids with learning issues by teaching them to reflect on their own learning process and manage their feelings. By modeling how to use self-regulation, eliminating negative self-talk and replacing it with metacognition can encourage students to manage their challenges. Jacobson shares ways to encourage metacognition through questioning:

  • Open-ended

  • Non-blaming

  • Solution-focused

  • Process-oriented

Along with educators encouraging and teaching metacognitive thinking, parents can help at home too. By asking the types of questions Jacobson provided and allowing time and space for kids to reflect is encouraging metacognition and self-awareness.  

Overall, both texts display how metacognition and self-reflection are important on the path to rigor. Hess and Jacobson both make connections on how teaching metacognitive strategies to students can allow them to engage in self-reflection and active learning. By being actively engaged, deeper learning happens within the learners.

References

Metacognition: How thinking about thinking can help kids. Child Mind Institute. (2023, October 30). https://childmind.org/article/how-metacognition-can-help-kids/ 

Hess, K. (2023). Rigor by design not change deeper thinking through actionable instruction and assessment. ARLINGTON VA. 

Comments

  1. Dr. Beth Walsh-MoormanNovember 27, 2023 at 2:43 PM

    I wonder how you see this relating to rigor and engagement? I love the examples of specific questions in here.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Abby PlassardDecember 1, 2023 at 8:01 PM

    Katie,
    I loved how your article complimented the reading. What stuck out to me most was your discussion about questioning. Questioning is a super important instructional strategy for teachers. I appreciated how you highlighted open-ended questions, specifically. Open-ended questions are a great way to expand students' understanding of different concepts. Open-ended questions allows students to expand on their thinking by providing rationale for what they think. Using a strategy like this can help encourage students' metacognition.

    ReplyDelete

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