So, I love metacognition. And teaching about learning. You know this if you’ve read more than a post or two here.
And, I love talking with teachers about teaching, and I know that many teachers are kind of daunted by this (“metacognition” sounds so Latin, or Greek, or something, and the to do list is already long). But it doesn’t have to be hard or super time consuming to incorporate.
(I have a keen sense of how long my teaching to-do list is, and little desire to extend it unnecessarily)
So I put together a workshop to talk to other teachers about metacognition, and learning about learning, and fostering student independence, and keeping it all manageable.
And I took it on the road. At least, I took it on the Zoom. (Silver linings of pandemics, it is easier to present at out of state conferences and events)
But, the people who organize conferences have a lot to fit in. And the people going to conferences have a lot to get to, and also, zoom fatigue. So, I had 75 minutes.
75 mins sounds like plenty of time. Except, I tried to make this presentation work three different times over 6 ish months, and I’ve learned a lot about delivering online PD, and let me tell you, it is not a lot of time.
I have started over from scratch before each conference, trying to make it work the way I wanted it. And, after a very work-y weekend, I am happy to say, the third version is so. much. better. (Finally.)
But, making it better meant acknowledging that 75 minutes was short, and I needed to focus, even if I have a million things I could talk about.
That old writing advice: “Kill your darlings”
Or, at least, relocate your darlings.
So, here my friends is the darling that just doesn’t quite fit in the 75 minutes:
You can fit teaching about learning into any class.
I have a colleague with a whole unit in an ESOL.
And, I know another teacher with ideas for a science class about brains.
There’s definitely the intense, high-prep way to do this (see the phrase “a whole unit”)
That’s cool, but not, actually my darling.
I’m interested in the version you can manage on a random Wednesday, without a major curriculum design.
The formula to teach about learning in any class:
Replace a text or prompt or topic with one that focuses on a learning process.
You’re going to be looking for an article to read, or a topic to read about, or a video to watch or whatever anyways, so it’s not that much more work to look for one that helps students learn about the learning process.
“One that helps students learn about the learning process” might be study tips, or research on how memory works, or a profile of a student who has succeeded, or encouragement, or something about neuroplasticity (brains change!) that supports a growth mindset.
And then, you do your thing.
Newsletter subscribers, I added a list of readings, videos and other materials to get you started to my free subscriber resources. Click here to access or sign up.
That seems like it should fit, even if 75 minutes is kind of short. And, it does, more or less. What doesn’t fit are the 39 examples I generated to show how in might work in math, ELA, ESOL, science, social Studies, ESOL, or digital literacy class.
Fortunately they fit here:
39 Ideas to Incorporate Teaching about Learning
(1) Read articles about learning to practice vocab or (2) fluency with emerging readers. (3) Practice finding topic sentences and supporting details. (4) Use a passage from a learning article to practice punctuation in an ELA class. or (5) as comprehension or (6) dictation activity with ESOL.
(7) Practice visual literacy by analyzing an infographic.
(8) Research and write guides for other adult learners with study tips. (9) Or write the guides for kids. (10) Display your research as a bulletin board. (11) Or make a video to show at orientation or in classes. (12) Practice presenting or speaking skills by teaching peers.
Read or watch profiles of successful students. (13) Write a summary, (14) map it out with a graphic organizer or (15) compare it to story arcs or other narrative structures. (16) Read several and write a compare/contrast.
(17) Interview peers about what helps them learn for speaking and listening practice (18) Or, ask about challenges. Then (19) brainstorm with a mind map or other visual or (20) research solutions to common ones.
(21) Watch videos as a brain break. (22) Or make the video a listening comprehension exercise for ESOL. (23)Analyze it for persuasive techniques.
(22) Do a survey about learning. Use the data to (24) make graphs. (25) Analyze it with percents, (26) ratios, (27) fractions or (28) central tendency. (29) Ask survey questions on a number line with(30) fractions, (31) decimals or (32) signed numbers.
(33) Make the survey with GoogleForms, or (34)practice formatting in Word. (35) Or compile data and make graphs with Excel to practice digital literacy.
(36) Use the survey to talk about representative and biased samples, (37) or about sample and population, (38) or about research methods. (39) Make a hypothesis and discuss whether the data confirms it.
39-Ideas-to-Incorporate-Teaching-about-Learning-in-Any-Class
