Page 35 - ELG1906 May-Jun Issue 465

RESOURCES .
REVIEWS & RESOURCES

Making strides with vocabulary to one side before organising they are making mistakes and how they
can improve. Eventually, the processes will
chosen language items into whole sentences.
be internalised and happen automatically
without being spoken.
metacognition 4 Think aloud
metacognition

This technique makes students aware of the 5 Slow down and focus
thought processes used to tackle any language
Gill Ragsdale explains the power of thinking aloud task. Students often rush ahead when something is
The teacher first models this in example confusing and challenging rather than stopping
e do not learn from experience…. example, the simple instruction ‘think aloud’ tasks such as, ‘Fill in the blank: ……………. and focussing. Students should regularly slow
we learn from reflecting on can signal the routine practice of explicitly they live near you?’ down and focus. This may require allowing
experience’, John Dewey, explaining what the learner is thinking during The teacher thinks aloud: ‘What kind of extra time for the activity although once this
Weducational psychologist. a task (as described below). sentence is this? It’s a question. So, how do we becomes routine, the time should be repaid by
One of the common challenges for teachers make questions in English? This sentence has overall increased efficiency. For example, when
is to teach students how to learn and so ‘they live,’ which is present simple. So, I need reading they should stop after each paragraph
in control of their own learning. Students who Six successful the verb ‘do’ or ‘does’ to make the question. and ask themselves:
become more autonomous, efficient learners
Here I will use ‘do’ because ‘do’ goes with ‘they’.’
think about and reflect on how they learn Next, students try one or more examples • Do I understand this?
• Is there some part that is more difficult to
strategies which generally help them learn strategies together with the teacher. Then they do it in understand?
language employ a range of metacognitive
pairs (either collaborating or taking turns)
more efficiently. or groups. Students can adapt and learn new • What does the writer want me to
understand here?
Metacognition is commonly defined as in groups or as a class. No task or topic will how well the strategy was used, what worked strategies from listening to each other. This is
‘thinking about thinking’. In education, this 1 Introduce the idea be so new that it cannot be linked to prior and how the planning could be improved. It an example of socially-shared metacognition • What can I do to try to understand this?
means learning about learning. knowledge, and the more links that can be should become clear to students that the quality that develops a classroom culture of using This can be modelled and practiced as a
Thinking in this way requires a self- made – to other language items, contexts, and content of the writing is much improved metacognitive strategies. ‘think aloud’ exercise.
awareness of mental processes and a body of All students (and teachers), whether they experiences or applications – the better. when preceded by organising and planning. Note that all the thinking should be spoken Encourage students to use other cognitive
knowledge to work with, so it is something realise it or not, have their own ideas and For example, given the title of a listening Writing tasks as short as single sentences aloud, including mistakes and trial and error. strategies to deal with challenges, rather than
that develops over time. Metacognitive beliefs about the learning process and task such as ‘Let’s have lunch’ students should can benefit from this approach. Lower level ‘Think aloud’ practice makes students more just ploughing on and reading all the words
thinking can be developed from childhood, themselves as learners. They may, for gather language items on any related content, learners can begin by collecting relevant aware of how they process language, where without understanding the overall meaning.
and it can be accelerated by instruction and example, have a fixed idea of their own such as types of food, places to have lunch,
regular practice. abilities and likely level of achievement. best time for lunch and so on. The greater
Metacognitive strategies should be used These fixed ideas can be an obstacle to the range of linked items (i.e. not just a list of
in the three stages of learning. First, when learning, and many students underestimate food options) the more long-term memory is Creative Materials for
learners prepare and plan to learn prior to a their potential to regulate their own learning. being activated, and the more likely it is that
task or topic. Then, to monitor the process At the very beginning of a course, students known language will be recognised and new Creative Teachers
during the learning activity. Finally, when can be asked to describe and discuss these items will be processed.
they evaluate the learning outcome. ideas and beliefs explicitly (for example, Students should continue to link new
Both teachers and students benefit from see this downloadable resource https:// language to prior knowledge during learning
consciously applying metacognitive strategies efltakeaways.home.blog/tag/metacognition/). and when evaluating learning.
throughout the learning process. The different Students can be encouraged to reflect on Stories Without End and What Would You Do?
strategies all employ a process of students what has worked well or been challenging get students thinking, talking, and writing!
asking key questions of themselves and/or previously and compare their reflections.
others and reflecting on the answers. Teachers Some of the strategies on this page may 3 Organise information
can use similar processes to plan, monitor and arise naturally from this discussion or can
evaluate their own teaching. be introduced by the teacher. Make it clear
Metacognitive strategies for learners should to students that adopting good learning Accessing prior knowledge and linking
by scaffolded by the teacher. Firstly, teachers strategies can greatly improve language information enables students to organise
name and present the strategy, explaining proficiency for all abilities. information for example graphically as
how it supports learning. Then they model checklists, concept maps or webs. Organizing
the strategy with an example. information graphically further decreases
Students practice using the strategy with cognitive load on short-term memory. There
scaffolding support, for example with hints 2 Use prior knowledge are many free graphic organisers online for
and suggestions. They then use them with children and adults.
less and less support, and finally without any For example, Venn diagrams can be used
support. This process might occur over several Before a lesson or specific activity, students to organise language items for a compare and
lessons. Pairs and groups of students can go should draw on what they already know that contrast exercise, where students write things
on to practice and give feedback on how well is relevant. Drawing on long-term memory in common in the overlapping space and
they are using the strategy. stores decreases the cognitive load of the new contrasts in the non-overlapping spaces. Word
In order for metacognitive strategies to information in short-term memory and makes clusters and timelines are also useful organisers.
become a common and regular part of lessons, it easier to move the new information to long- The teacher could model this, for example
teachers will need to teach not only the term memory for storage. In short – it makes with a writing exercise, by drawing a map of
strategy itself but also the language required new information easier to remember. ideas and language items to be used and then 19% off Taylor's books
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challenging for lower-level learners but often should ask themselves: ‘What do I already of the writing. Students then practice this
the language can be simplified and then used know about this language item or this topic?’ strategy in pairs or small groups before trying it AlphabetPublishingBooks.com
routinely so that it becomes familiar. For This could also be done my brainstorming individually. After writing they can peer assess

18 May/June 2019 editorial@elgazette.com 19