Metacognition and the G.R.R

Metacognition is the notion of “thinking about thinking”

From September 10th 

About metacognition, what is metacognition, why is it important… what is the GRR model, and how are GRR and metacognition connected?

• Metacognition:  “Thinking about thinking”, it is the action of thinking about your thought process and learning processes – It is important for students to practice metacognition when participating in class (asking why? and how did I get here?)
• Metacognition can help students become more self-aware both in and out of class surrounding their behaviour and learning

 

1. 1. 1.  i.e. Being aware of understanding a text and being able to put past knowledge and one’s own input into comprehension. Making connections and analyzing those connections is also key. The students must also be able to monitor progress while also making adjustments to their learning. Teachers must give students tasks that will allow the teacher to monitor their comprehension and evaluate their progress. 
      2. (helps students recognize, where they are succeeding and where they are struggling so they can make adjustments and become more equipped with the tools they use to do their best)

 

• Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR): Teacher Modelling (explains, demonstrates, thinks aloud) ↔ Guided Practice (teacher and students practice, teacher scaffolds the students’ attempts and gives feedback, students share their thinking with each other) ↔ Independent Practice (students apply strategy on their own, students receive feedback from teacher and students) ↔ Application of Strategy (students apply strategy to new situations)

 

1. 1. 1. The goal is for students to become independent learners.

 

1.Teacher Modelling             (preparation and groundwork is done until the students are 

2.Guided Practice                 ready to apply what they have learned on their own)

3.Independent Practice 

4.Application of Strategy

Key Points:

1. The use of speech as a tool for thinking

– Exploratory talk vs. Polished talk

– Represent an idea and represent your opinion of an idea, thus your idea can aid others to develop their own ideas

– “Writing to learn approach” (journaling in class, free write, etc.)

– ex). Games: speaking in turn to create a story helps with grammar

– The flow of speech can aid students to formulate their own ideas

 

2. The role of emotions in thinking

– Emotion and cognition are intertwined

– Use of drama and roleplay to think and feel what one may never have felt before

Dysforia and feelings of inferiority

– Intellectual blockage when students correlate a topic with “I’m bad at that”

– Roles that evoke emotion and connection to a given topic

– Developing empathy in students in a large aim

research that bullies don’t have the ability to imagine another’s feelings

 

3. The social nature of thinking

– Different forms of cognition

Understand and listen to others to develop one’s own way of thinking as we learn from people who view the world differently (consciously and subconsciously learning and being influenced by others)

– “Children grow into the intellectual life around them”

– Teachers to accept all Primary Discourse, access different ways of thinking, not take away but aid them into an intellectual life as well (Secondary Discourse)

– Indigenous ways of knowing and being and how school discourse could be different

– Latinas: School forms them into more individuals

 

4. An emphasis on meaningful activity

– Everyday concepts vs. Scientific concepts

– Drama Article: Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads, a meaningful activity that allows children to immerse themselves in a safe space, and build emotional connections with the activity through meaningful play.

– Students need to know the relevant

– Metacognition and developing understanding, not “being taught”.

– Using reading and writing (cultural tools) to understand oneself in society.

 

 

5. ZPD: Zone of proximal development (Zone of potential). What is the ZPD? How does Smagorinsky

As Smagorinsky reveals in both his “Vygotsky” and “Zone of Next Development” articles, Vygotsky’s metaphor, misinterpreted and misread about literally doing group work then individual work, on the zone of proximal development has been all too often misinterpreted by the general public, and deflating for Vygotsky’s career.

ZPD is the scaffolding development through group work to later (short term) work individually. More stagnant.

But it’s now understood that is a very complex term that starts as soon as a student develops cognition. A long term developmental process of social, cultural, historical process.

Zone of Next Development is a better term than ZPD, more of a step; Where you’re going to, nit just moving on and done.

He introduces the idea of separating the relation between Vygotsky’s controversial inquiry and the scaffolding concept. His statement, “scaffolding had survived on its own for four decades now”, implying that separating Vygotsky from the identity of scaffolding would benefit the reputation of scaffolding process, and Vygotsky’s other wins, allowing him to still be seen as the phenomenal educator he is.

Gradual release of responsibility and scaffolding to build on itself to become independent.

What would this look like in the classroom??

• Using texts with multiple points of view
• Giving evidence to prove points
• Allowing students to venture out into different genres

 

Schemata (Schema): The cognitive structures conceptual filing system. Schema are mental frameworks in which children and adults organize and store the information derived from their experiences. Schema decay occurs as we get older. Students invent new categories and personalize them according to their values, interests and cultural history.

 

Consider the pedagogical implications of Smagorinsky’s points about this concept:

• The teacher will have to be more flexible, x amount of time wont work for every student
• Group work means responsibility from the get go

 

Writing to learn; Meta-experience; Exploratory talk; Funds of knowledge (Moll & Gonzalez):