Metacognition has really been remembered as 'thinking about one's thinking' ... this can help get us started. When you study metacognition in- depth then the learning takes place and you become in control of your own 'constructs' and much more. Where is the brain in this....I thought this was a brain forum...well, it is and that is what you are using right now.
:o
Best,
Rob
URL #1 Retrieved from internet on August 1, 2005
URL:
http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework...s/SEC1.HTM
URL #2 Retrieved from internet on August 2, 2005
URL:
http://www.hku.hk/cepc/taccasu/ref/metacogn.htm
Does metacognition have biological underpinnings? Does thinking have biological underpinnings? Yes.... Is metacognition thinking? Hummmm. Metacognition has been "over used" as JUST "thinking about thinking"....We have heard the term so often that we have become conditioned to it....Well, guess what...there is a great deal to metacognition and learning.
Best,
Rob
Retrieved from the internet August 2, 2005
URL:
http://coe.jmu.edu/mathvidsr/metacognitive.htm#intro
This is an excellent piece on metacognition:
Schoenfeld, A. H. (1987). What's all the fuss about metacognition? In A. H. Schoenfeld (Ed.), Cognitive science and mathematics education (pp. 189-215). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
All the best,
Christina
:o As we continue to look at the metacognitive learning, it is probably best to get an anchor for a bit before going too far. But I could not resist retrieveing this URL on August 18, 2005 Metacognition.....
URL:
http://www.aacu-edu.org/liberaleducation...ature2.cfm
Best,
Rob
Hi,
The word metacognition is meaningless until you incorporate the meaning on an everyday natural basis. Actually 'thinking about your thinking' is more profound when you actually do it. I found that over a sixth month period I was able to set priorities better, change priorities when needed and assess my thinking without having really work at it. It seems as if it is nondeclarative now. I do a much better job of placing a ladder against the correct wall before taking the arduous climb upwards. This of course means that we are things about the end results first and then working backwards.
Have you ever climbed a ladder (figuatively) for years only to find out that you had originally placed it against the incorrect wall (career, or college major or whatever) More time is spent climbing than setting the goals and objectives. Well, one of the best things that I have been able to do is to stop a bad dream by just opening my eyes. That took a little time but it works. Also when you are thinking bad thoughts or depressive thoughts, you can recognize these and say enough is enough!
There are a million different uses for metacognition...try it you might like it.
Best,
Rob
January 3, 2006
Good Evening,
It took me almost a year to apply metacognition to my daily thinking. Now it comes naturally and works much better as all cognitive functions do when we are rested. It is pretty exciting to be able to physically change my way of thinking about thinking and [do something about it].
Best,
Rob
Helping children understand the way the brain learns could provide them with a new metacognitive tool. For example, one teacher on our form shared an experience in which a student’s understanding of the brain helped him to persevere in the face of difficulty:
"A guest neuroscientist came to visit my classroom from the University of Washington. Shortly after, one of my more capable students was very frustrated by not being able to remember all the steps of the division algorithm (divide, multiply, subtract, bring down). I told him to remember what the guest neuroscientist said about learning as making new pathways, and repeating those pathways more and more. I told my student, the more he practiced, the better his brain would get. He continued to practice and, lo and behold, the next day he was faster. Learning about pathways gave him reassurance that his brain was still functioning."
It might be worthwhile to consider the following: What do we know about the way the brain learns that is simple enough to be communicated to a young student?
OECD expert Wrote:Helping children understand the way the brain learns could provide them with a new metacognitive tool. For example, one teacher on our form shared an experience in which a student’s understanding of the brain helped him to persevere in the face of difficulty:
"A guest neuroscientist came to visit my classroom from the University of Washington. Shortly after, one of my more capable students was very frustrated by not being able to remember all the steps of the division algorithm (divide, multiply, subtract, bring down). I told him to remember what the guest neuroscientist said about learning as making new pathways, and repeating those pathways more and more. I told my student, the more he practiced, the better his brain would get. He continued to practice and, lo and behold, the next day he was faster. Learning about pathways gave him reassurance that his brain was still functioning."
It might be worthwhile to consider the following: What do we know about the way the brain learns that is simple enough to be communicated to a young student?
Christina,
Now that I know that it does work, it seems that you have addressed the manner in which we can communicate this with children. "We can discuss and actually practice reflection [part of Lewin's learning cycle via Kolb"]. These can be made into games and the pathways of each child could be made stronger with their own assessment and with approbation from the other students and teacher [especially if they got to pick the subject that they wanted to strengthen]. This is very exciting.
Be well,
Rob
Christina,
Now that I know that it does work, it seems that you have addressed the manner in which we can communicate this with children. "We can discuss and actually practice reflection [part of Lewin's learning cycle via Kolb"]. These can be made into games and the pathways of each child could be made stronger with their own assessment and with approbation from the other students and teacher [especially if they got to pick the subject that they wanted to strengthen]. This is very exciting.
Be well,
Rob
[Quote from Christina:]
It might be worthwhile to consider the following: What do we know about the way the brain learns that is simple enough to be communicated to a young student?
Good Question Christina
I am going to address the brain and alcohol and street drugs...children can learn how alcohol and street drugs can destroy brain tissue etc. and at the same time impair learning and memory.
It seems that humans take three paces forward and either two or four paces backwards. We teach our child the brain and how to store and retrieve long term memory. As we age we lose neurons and we expect that...to an extent. However, when we are teenagers and adults we tend to let down with many of our considerations for a good healthy life.
Alcohol in large consumtion literally destroys brain neurons and I suppose glial cells also.....Alcohol and street drugs can also destroy memory pathways and synapses thus hurting oneself to the point of termination. It is kind of hypocritical to espouse a heathy life verbally and in truth scarf down deleterious drugs that destroy life's being.
Best,
Rob