Academic: Metacognition is the Key to Effective Self-Assessment
Kathleen Kryza

In 2000, cognitive scientists and cognitive psychologists combined their knowledge in a book titled, “How People Learn.” (National Research Council 2000) A key finding in their research is that “a metacognitive approach to instruction can help students learn to take control of their own learning by defining learning goals and monitoring their progress in achieving them.” The implication of this research is that “the teaching of metacognitive skills should be consciously integrated into the curricula across disciplines and age levels. We must teach students, from the time they enter our schools, to self-assess and self-monitor – to become metacognitive.

While many of us can define metacognition as “thinking about thinking”, we must ask ourselves if we have consciously integrated teaching students to be metacognitive consistently into our teaching practice.

We suggest you make an anchor chart of the ideas below and have them prominently displayed in your classroom to refer to when students say, “I don’t know what I am supposed to be doing!” Don’t give them the answers; remember that self-assessors know what to do when they don’t know!

Three Stages of Metacognition:

• BEFORE: Developing a plan of action
• DURING: Maintaining/ self-monitoring the plan
• AFTER: Evaluating and adjusting the plan

Metacognitive Questions Learners Should Ask Themselves…

BEFORE (Developing My Plan of Action)

• What in my prior knowledge will help me with this particular task?
• What should I do first?
• Why am I reading this selection?
• How much time do I have to complete the task?

DURING: (Maintaining/ self-monitoring my plan of action)

• How am I doing?
• Am I on the right track?
• What information is important to remember?
• How should I proceed?
• Should I move in a different direction?
• Should I adjust the pace depending on the difficulty?
• What strategies do I need to use if I don’t understand?

AFTER : (Evaluating and adjusting my plan of action)

• How well did I do?
• Did I do better or worse than I had expected? Where was my self-assessment off?
• What could I have done differently?
• How might I apply this line of thinking to other problems?
• Do I need to go back through the task to fill in any “blanks” in my understanding?

Metacognitive Self-Assessment Ideas:

• Create Exit Cards that have students self assess or self-monitor for the academic or behavioral skills you expect them to own. (see examples in this newsletter or in the Inspiring Learners books at www.inspiringlearners.com)
• Have students share “Think Alouds” on what they’ve done that helped them be successful.
• Post Anchor Charts around the room of strategies that effective learners use and expect students to refer to them when they are stuck
• Have student make metacognition books to keep a personal record of strategies they are learning
• Have students self-assess weekly on their mindset and use of metacognitive strategies

EXAMPLES OF SELF-ASSESSMENTS:
Early Elementary:
Plan: Students say or sign up (name on whiteboard) for their “plan” during center time.
Do: Students work in the centers
Review:

• Students come together and share three fingers self-assessments around a clear target. i.e. (I used my time wisely. I cooperated. I cleaned up my space. (3 fingers = Excellent, 2 = Good, 3 = Try Harder next time)
• Students share strategies they used when they got stuck

Learning Style Study Plan: