Teaching the Vocabulary of Metacognition
By Kimberley D’Adamo, with Julia Marshall
with quotes from the field study
“Transfer of Metacognition from Visual Arts to Core Classes”
By Holly Michelle Cullum
Kimberley D’Adamo, 2016
Protected under Creative Commons The Metacognition Project, Thinking As Art
© 2008, 2017 & 2023 by Kimberley D'Adamo
is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
Participants will understand
Assumptions About Thinking
We all mean the same thing when we talk about “thinking”.
There are some basic “thinking functions” that cross disciplines.
To begin learning how to think in these various ways, we need to learn the words that describe these thinking functions.
from-
The Vocabulary of Critical Thinking by Phil Washburn
“How am I supposed to explain what is going on through my head?
That is impossible!”
What Students Say About Metacognition
“I feel more comfortable talking about my work.”
“I find that writing them (my thoughts) down helps me make my thoughts more concrete, rather than just sort of flowing thoughts in my head”
“Metacognition has really helped my writing ability.”
“I find myself wanting to connect everything to everything.”
Overview of Unit Plan:
Lesson 1
Know/Understand/Do
Know: What metacognition is.
Understand: Metacognition is at the heart of how kids’ learn and what we should focus on in our classrooms
Do: Read, Watch and Make a chart of how kids are asked to be metacognitive in each discipline
Culturally Responsive Thinking Activity-
Reflect in your Journal
Take a few minutes in your journal, to think about HOW YOU THINK, feel it out. Describe your own thinking process in a few sentences.
New Teams
Define Metacognition
Prompt-How do we structure metacognition in each discipline?
Using large paper, create a poster that outlines activities or thinking routines teachers use to help students be metacognitive in each discipline.
Meta-Moment
In what ways do you already scaffold a community of thinkers, dialogue about thinking and thinking routines in to your classroom?
How could you adapt this activity for your own curriculum to help students put thinking at the center of their time in school?
Lesson 2
Activity 2: Identify the types of thinking you ask students to do in your classroom
In groups of 4, identify “thinking words” you use in your teaching. Note these on a piece of paper.
For example:
brainstorm, reflect…
Analyze, reflect, brainstorm, compare/contrast, define, cause/effect, visualize, is/is not, categorize, infer, summarize, synthesize, explain, defend, consider, respond, process, share, predict, hypothesize, what if? work why? context/empathy, describe, illustrate, present, model, improvise, conceptualize, note, wonder, connect, elaborate, explore, imagine, dig deeper, say more/tell me more, what led you to this? Think, I used to think/now I think, identify, develop, engage, express, in your own words, envision, examine, justify, give an example, simplify, interpret, tell how?, evaluate, jot, coach, show, storyboard, sketch it, map it,
Activity 2.5: Identify accessible visual metaphors for thinking processes
On other side of paper:
Kitchen
Garage
Sewing Room
Garden
Meta-Moment:
Discuss with your peers-what does this activity reveal about how we approach teaching thinking in schools?
How is this a culturally responsive teaching/ equity-building activity?
Lesson 3
Thinking as Art
HS students
Teachers from all across Bay Area
K-6 students in Oakland schools
Jen Bockerman’s pre-service teachers
YOU!
Your students!
Join a movement across the country!!
Sidney Doty
Sidneydoty2000@gmail.com
PHOTO OF YOUR ARTWORK HERE
Lexis Dworak
lexisdworak@gmail.com
I chose a to do list for my artwork because I feel like my brain works very much in list and in bullet points. I always feel that things have a certain order and need to go in that order, just like a list. I made half of the page black and half in white because I feel like my thinking is very black and white. I think about morality in the same way- not a lot of grey. Finally, some of the list is in different colors because I feel like I still like things to be colorful and pretty and interesting.
WHITNEY FLOROM
wflorom2@huskers.unl.edu
For my metacognition artwork, I tried to visually represent my thought process and how messy and convoluted it can feel for me. The bed is my brain, and the dirty dishes are all of the things that are clouding my brain.
PHOTO OF YOUR ARTWORK HERE
Annie Timmerman
atimmerman4@huskers.unl.edu
Addison Johnson
ajohnson123@huskers.unl.edu
This picture describes my thinking as a garden of flowers in my head. Flowers need sunlight and rain to thrive and grow. Sometimes I need help when it comes to thinking creatively. You can also notice that the roots are a little shallow. Sometimes I think that my thoughts cannot go very deep, but in the end the garden is still beautiful.
PHOTO OF YOUR ARTWORK HERE
Activity 3: Visual Metaphor
for Your Thinking
Think again about your thinking process-describe it in writing.
Use a metaphor from our word walls or come up with new ones. Write a new description of how you think.
Then draw/collage a picture which illustrates how you think.
Worktime
Activity 3: Visual Metaphor
for Your Thinking
Think again about your thinking process-describe it in writing. Use words from our word walls. Then draw a picture which illustrates how you think.
Meta-Moment:
How did the presentation and activity change or deepen the way you understand your own thinking?
How would doing this as an activity in your class, help your students succeed as interdisciplinary thinkers?
How would you modify this for your grade level and students? Join the Metacognition Movement!