The Metacognition Handbook (Jennifer Webb)

Question 1

Define Cognition and meta-cognition

Answer 1

Cognition = thinking
‘meta cognition’ = thinking about thinking OR
Metacognition is a set of behaviours which maximise the potential for and efficacy of learning.

Question 2

Define ‘baby bird syndrome’

Answer 2

Baby bird syndrome = students exhibit strange helplessness when facing something, even when they have all the tools they need.

Question 3

List some habits of unicorns

Answer 3

They are aware of the overview
They have questions about vocabulary and do pre-reading
They make notes and annotate
They see where they have improved
They refer to useful resources
They communicate with their teacher about learning
They use recall strategies

Question 4

How do we know that metacognition has an impact?

Answer 4

EEF toolkit ranks metacognition and self regulation as the second highest impact strategy of all

Question 5

What is the biggest challenge in terms of implementing metacognitive practice?

Answer 5

Metacognition is something which students do themselves.

Question 6

What are the three separate areas of metacognition?

Answer 6

Meta cognitive Knowledge
Metacognitive Regulation
Meta cognitive Motivation

Question 7

Define metacognitive Knowledge

Answer 7

Knowledge that a learner has about the task at hand, what they know about themselves as a learner, and what learning strategies they know which will help them to complete the task

Question 8

Define metacognitive Regulation

Answer 8

The learner’s ability to plan, monitor and evaluate their own learning whilst completing the task.
This is about actively applying the metacognitive knowledge in real time.

Question 9

Define metacognitive Motivation

Answer 9

Extent to which a learner wants to perform a task, related closely to their interest in the task and belief in their ability to succeed (self efficacy).

Question 10

1. Our aim in metacognition is to be training students to ask themselves a series of internal questions when they are working. Webb uses Knowledge, Regulation and Motivation.

What structure does Webb advocate for training students to be metacognitive?

Answer 10

Comprehension, connection, strategy and reflection.

Question 11

What are the Knowledge ‘internal questions’ for comprehension?

Answer 11

What is this task/event/information about? What do I understand about it? What is it asking me to do?

Question 12

What are the Knowledge ‘internal questions’ for connection?

Answer 12

What do I already know about this? Have I seen anything like this before? What are the similarities and differences between this and other things in my past experiences?

Question 13

What are the Knowledge ‘internal questions’ for strategy?

Answer 13

Do I know any strategies which would be appropriate for this task/problem? Which strategy would be the most helpful to me now?

Question 14

What are the Regulation ‘internal questions’ for strategy?

Answer 14

Have I used the strategy before? Was it successful? How can I ensure the time is successful this time?

Question 15

What are the Regulation ‘internal questions’ for during the task?

Answer 15

How is this going? What are my common errors in tasks like this? How can I avoid making those? What am I finding difficult right now? Why? What am I doing well? How do I know?

Question 16

What are the Regulation ‘internal questions’ for reflection after the task?

Answer 16

Does my finished work look successful? Does it make sense? How do I know? Could I have approached this in a different way? Is this work an improvement on things I have done in the past? How?

Question 17

What are the Motivation ‘internal questions’ for during the task?

Answer 17

How do I feel about the work? Am I motivated to complete this task to a high standard? What can I do to improve my motivation level right now?

Question 18

What are the Motivation ‘internal questions’ for reflection after the task?

Answer 18

How did my motivation level affect my performance in that task? What emotions did I experience during the task? Why? How can I motivate myself in a different way in the future? Explain.

Question 19

At the beginning of the process, what can support students to think, talk, act and write metacognitively?

Answer 19

Sentence stems, such as beginner reflection after a task, beginner premortem, focused reflection on exam skills, reflection on knowledge

Question 20

2. Define modelling? (Metacognition Handbook)

Answer 20

Revealing the thought processes of an expert learner.

Question 21

What are the three stages for modelling?

Answer 21

One explicitly modelling for students yourself
Two move into co-creating work with students
Three students complete work independently using the principal do you have taught them

Question 22

What else can we model (apart from finished tasks)?

Answer 22

We can model the quality assurance process or ‘work review’?

Question 23

3. How might we apply Vygotsky’s ideas on metacognitive talk to three discrete stages?

Answer 23

1 - external talk and guidance (usually from a teacher)
2 - individual self-talk (out loud, to themselves)
3 - internal self-talk (an internalised process)

Question 24

4. What zonal system can be helpful when thinking about challenge? (CCP)

Answer 24

Comfort – Challenge – Panic
Students place different elements of a particular task into one of these three boxes
The final step would be to ask what steps a teacher or student needs to take to move aspects from the panic into the challenge box.

Question 25

With regard to challenge, what will the best students do?

Answer 25

Students who explicitly consider levels of challenge in the moment are more able to identify the impact on their own motivation and manage their resilience in the face of difficulties.

Question 26

5. For feedback to have the maximum impact, we need students to be metacognitive which means ..?

Answer 26

… taking feedback on board, internalising it and improving future performance

Question 27

What are exam wrappers?

Answer 27

An exam wrapper is a set of planning or reflection questions which students complete before and after an assessment.

Question 28

6. What will we want to create if attempting to build a vocabulary for metacognition?

Answer 28

A taxonomy… For example “I’m aware of myself as a learner… I can: observe, identify, notice, recognise, monitor, assess, judge and analyse my learning behaviours..”
I can understand my work and make connections…
I can strategise…
I can self regulate…
I can reflect on my performance…’

Question 29

7. What can we do to help students develop ‘schemas’ for metacognition?

Answer 29

Tell them about how the brain works and stores information
Encourage students to make connections between new and existing information
Help students to organise new information
Teach organisational structures

Question 30

Visualise the metacognitively effective student completing a timed essay.

Answer 30

Question 31

How might we wrap metacognition around the unit of work?

Answer 31

Question 32

What might a pro forma for task setting look like?

Answer 32