Metacognition

[|Metacognition] is thinking about our own though processes, and developing an awareness of what we know and understand, and what we need to develop. I find it is important for students to be aware of their own learning styles and to present them with a variety of auditory, visual, and kinesthetic input.  "Approximately 20 to 30 percent of the school-aged population remembers what is heard; 40 percent recalls well visually the things that are seen or read; many must write or use their fingers in some manipulative way to help them remember basic facts; other people cannot internalize information or skills unless they use them in real-life activities such as actually writing a letter to learn the correct format." (//Teaching Students to Read Through Their Individual Learning Styles//, Marie Carbo, Rita Dunn, and Kenneth Dunn; Prentice-Hall, 1986, p.13.)

 When a person can identifies his or her unique learning style, he or she can begin to build upon it. Therefore, student will have many options in my classroom. This will range from note taking styles to book projects to visual and or written assessments. I would like children to recognize their thought patterns, to be able to make connections with prior knowledge, and develop a sense of self awareness. The sixth grade is an ideal forum for the children to be made aware of metacognition as I hope they will continue to make choices that will maximize and enhance their learning abilities as they continue through their educational career. For example, if a student finds that accompanying notes with artwork help to solidify the information presented he/she will parlay that metacognitive information in their science or math class.