In the LTWN’s last blog post, we discussed metacognition (also known as metacognitive skills), more commonly defined as “thinking about thinking.” Metacognition is the practice of self-reflection on one’s learning, most notably making connections to prior knowledge, identifying strategies, and applying skills to successfully and effectively complete tasks. It requires deep, complex thinking and application of methods, sometimes through trial and error, until students identify the best methods for their learning style or task. This awareness allows students to improve over time and make adjustments when needed, ultimately making it one of the most critical learning tools a student has in their arsenal. So, how can students apply metacognition to improve their comprehension and writing skills in terms of English and Language Arts?

Metacognitive Skills Specific to Reading and Writing

• Active reading with annotation
• Prediction
• Inference
• Summarizing
• Paraphrasing
• Comparing and contrasting
• Determining relationships between ideas 
• Note-taking
• Using graphic organizers or making concept maps

Mastering these specific skills utilized while reading and writing will improve a student’s ability to absorb, retain, and recall information acquired while reading. They will also help students organize their thoughts and make meaningful connections when writing.

Three Successful Metacognition Habits for ELA Tasks

1. Accessing Prior Knowledge: In a previous article, we addressed how a deep well of content knowledge is the best means of improving reading comprehension. Even if a student understands the word they are reading, it is meaningless if they don’t understand its application in terms of context to their reading. Metacognition is required to recall any previously learned material, specifically terminology, to understand a reading topic. Step one for any reading task is asking oneself: “What do I already know about this topic?”
2. Planning and Revising: Prewriting and drafting are essential to effective writing. Most students tackle writing assignments in a single session without developing their ideas, organizing their information, or taking the time to read and revise their work once they finish. Using metacognitive skills to brainstorm (ex: generating lists, creating concept maps, using graphic organizers such as Venn diagrams) and outline (using graphic organizers to arrange those ideas cohesively) before drafting helps students orient their focus when writing. Specifically, during the revision process for any writing, students should ask reflective questions about the quality of the work, whether they met the objective of the task, and whether the writing cohesively and concisely demonstrates their objective.
3. Self-reflection: Before beginning an ELA task, students should assess their personal strengths and weaknesses regarding the task. By doing this, they apply their strengths to the task, seek alternatives, and help compensate for weaknesses. Over time, by seeking help or scaffolding for their weaker skills, they gradually improve using methods that suit their needs. Assessing their abilities and asking questions about their work improves problem-solving by developing creative solutions when students encounter problems, making them resilient, resourceful, and less likely to give up when encountering difficulties.

Awareness is the first step in improving metacognitive habits. When students know their strengths, they can lean on those skills, and when they can embrace their weak spots as opportunities for learning and improvement, they embrace the metacognitive mindset of growth. Students become life-long learners and creative problem solvers by harnessing metacognition in ELA and beyond.

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