Metacognition and Problem-Solving Skills at School
Teach a problem-solving procedure. Have kids answer the following questions: 1) What is the problem? 2) What is my plan? 3) Am I following my plan? 4) How did I do? Have them apply these questions to academic and social problems.
Give assignments that require evaluative skills. You might ask students to decide what grade they think they deserve on a paper or a report card, and to write a justification for that grade.
Demonstrate “thinking aloud” during lessons. The more you talk about how you think your way through a problem or an assignment, the more likely your students are to use self-instruction as a learning strategy.
Praise students when you see them using metacognitive skills. Say, “I like the way you went back and checked your work before handing it in. I saw you correct some spelling mistakes, and I saw you change a couple of sentences so they sounded better. That was good work.”