Metacognition: What is it? Why is it crucial for

success?

Nancy Weinstein, MBA nancy@mindprintlearning.com

@MindprintLearn

Today’s Discussion

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1. Skills that drive academic achievement beyond “book smarts”

2. How to develop metacognition

3. Case studies

4. Q & A

Skills for Academic Success go well beyond Content Knowledge

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Sweetspot

Academic Skills: We Know What to Do Most of the Time

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Schools do a great job teaching academics to most students most of the time…

Cognitive Skills: Help Us Understand Why a Student is Not Learning

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“I don’t follow…” “I can’t focus…” “I don’t know…”

“I can’t remember…” “I need more time…”

“I CAN’T DO THIS!”

Cognitive Skills: Identify the Cause & Tell Us How to Help

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Chunking Fewer distractions

More time

Help organizing thoughts

Spaced & multi-modalrepetition

Working Memory Attention Critical Thinking

Memory Processing Speed

Practical Constraints of Evaluating Cognitive Skills

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• Reliable identification of cognitive strengths & needs

• Teacher training

• Time – large class size and too much to cover already

Reliable Identification of Cognitive Skills

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Reliable Tools

• Psycho-educational evaluation

• Observation by psychologist/clinician

• Valid cognitive screener (e.g. Mindprint)

• Valid skill questionnaires (e.g. BRIEF for executive functions)

Not Reliable Alone

• Observation by adults who are not specialists

• Student self-reports/self-perceptions

• Unvalidated instruments• Myers-Briggs• Learning Styles

Inventories• Other questionnaires

without research-backing

Self-Reports and Observation Aren’t Reliable During Periods of Growth

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Understanding Cognitive Skills is Now Practical

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• Identification of cognitive strengths & needs• New online screeners like Mindprint enable

identification affordably and efficiently

• Teacher training• Education schools catching up. Teach faculty

with PD (Mindprint offers a 2 hr training)

• Time – large class size and too much curriculum to cover

• Metacognition! Enable and empower students to take responsibility for their learning

Develop Metacognition

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Metacognition: The knowledge and capacity to

understand one's own thinking. It includes an awareness of learning

processes and strategies used, which requires an understanding of strengths

and needs.Source: Mindprint Learning Glossary https://mindprintlearning.com/free-resources/glossary-of-terms/

Metacognition Simplified

(1) Thinking About Your Thinking (2) Learning How to Learn

Metacognition is the foundation for “Habits of Mind”

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Metacognition

Risk taking

Grit

Collaboration

Creativity

Mindset

Persistence

Growth Mindset: “I understand why I’m not getting this. I know if I take a different approach I can do this.”

Grit: “I don’t just need to work harder, I need to work smarter. I need to figure out how this will be easier for me.”

Persistence: “This is going to take me longer because it relies on using my weaker skills. It’s ok, though. Other things will come more easily.”

Why Metacognition is the foundation for other “Habits of Mind”

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Risk Taking: “I know this might be hard for me because it’s not one of my stronger skills. But I will try it anyway. And I know there are other things I’m good at.”

Collaboration: “I need to give him more time or help. This probably doesn’t come easily to him. I know that feeling, just like when I do xxxx. But I bet he can do xxxx really well.”

Creativity: Everyone is most creative when she has a solid foundation of knowledge to build from AND self-confidence! (see the research)

Metacognition is the foundation for “Habits of Mind”

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General Approaches to Building Metacognition

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1. Acknowledge strengths & weaknesses• Start with strengths• Have data, not opinion; use specific examples• How depends on age, maturity, social/emotional factors

2. Discuss performance, including successes & failures• Use ongoing, balanced feedback (3 strengths followed by 1

constructive criticism is a good rule of thumb)• Don’t expect consistently strong performance, even from

your strongest students• Truly embrace mistakes/failures (not lip service)

3. Recognize When to Use Strategies• Help students identify when they need to adjust• Understand that skills can be practiced and improved• Rely on stronger skills to support weaker skills

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Example Profiles and Specific Metacognitive Strategies

Case 1: The Gifted Learner

1. Use visual prompts for text-based materials

2. Anticipate studying taking longer (than you might expect)

3. Contingency planning: Accept change/ unexpected circumstances

4. Practice problems with more than one right answer

1. Regular breaks/exercise

2. Visual prompts for text-based materials (draw on visual memory)

3. Provide context and analogies to help with retention (draw on verbal reasoning)

Case 2: The Struggling Learner

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1. Celebrate ability for problem solving—offer multiple ways to help understand a problem

2. Offer visual-spatial activities that use strengths and build self-confidence

3. Teach verbal remediation when memorizing visual information

Case 3: The Problem Solver

Learn More About MindprintContact us:

admin@mindprintlearning.com(609)356-1480

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Three Steps to Improved Learning

Step 1:Assessment

Step 2:Learning Profile

Step 3:Toolbox/Action Plan

Step 1: Mindprint Assessment

Mindprint Skills Assessed

Speed• Visual Motor Speed• Processing Speed

Executive Functions• Attention (accuracy & speed, identify

students who are compensating)• Working Memory• Flexible Thinking

Complex Reasoning• Abstract Reasoning• Verbal Reasoning• Spatial Perception

Episodic Memory• Verbal Memory• Visual Memory

Coming Soon!• Social-Emotional Recognition• Auditory Processing

1.Entirely online

2.Self-administered

3.Approximately one hour

Scientifically Valid Assessment

Normed on10,000+ children ages

8-21

Developed in the Brain Behavior Lab at HUP

Used in scientific research and clinical trials

Reliability reviewed in scientific journals including

JAMA Psychiatry, APA Neuropsychology

High correlation with WISC-IV and WRAT

Additional tests in development by

researchers to expand offering

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Step 2: Unique Learning ProfileVisual presentation with focus on skills over scores

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Step 2: Unique Learning ProfileSummary Takeaways

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Step 3: Personalized Toolbox

• Student primers to understand strengths and needs

• 350+ instructional and study strategies focused on weaker skills

• 1,600+ activities to nurture strengths and bolster weaknesses

• Articles to better understand strengths and needs

All you need to get started supporting the learner in one place

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Step 3: Action Plan