#10 - Paying Attention to Thoughts

Welcome back to the newsletter that gradually builds into an instruction manual for schools wanting to implement a whole school approach to metacognition. You will also find the information helpful if you work with children and young people in any capacity, or if you are just interested in finding out more about this strange word that is often translated as 'thinking about thinking'. If you have been following along with previous issues, you'll know that it goes way beyond that!

If metacognition is a topic that fascinates you, then you might enjoy a recent podcast that I guested on with The Question Guy - Keith McNally. His focus is on the idea of people starting to think differently and having their own light bulb moments that lead to change. Keith invited me to chat with him about my take on that, particularly in relation to education, so obviously the conversation was all about metacognition. Why not take a look?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCxTJ3RzFKg

Getting back to the topic for this newsletter, a quick reminder that last time we discussed the idea of helping learners become more responsible for the care of their physical brain, as a more tangible starting point for taking greater responsibility for their thinking. This time, we consider the small psychological changes that make a massive difference to the way in which a child engages with education. Remember, we are looking at how to start developing metacognition in learners.

The first thing to eliminate completely from all students' language around learning, is the word 'can't'! If our conscious brain is either thinking that way, or if that word is coming out our mouth, it's treated as 'information received' by the sub-conscious! That part of our brain does not 'think' for itself, so it just registers the message that we can't do something and obeys that instruction! Self fulfilling prophecy and all that.

It's no good even saying "I can't do it ... yet" as some educators recommend, because that still features the same negative message to the sub-conscious. We have to get rid of the 't' altogether so that the statement; "I can do this" is the alternative message going to the non-thinking part of our brain. That positive vibe is a big improvement, but you may have recognised the flaw in that one too! If we say "I can", but don't really believe it's true, then the brain recognises the lack of conviction and will still register "I can't".

How do we solve that one! Easy. You just add something that makes it believable; "I can do this...I just need some help"! The sub-conscious receives that statement as a positive and changes it's perspective accordingly. Now we have a child who is ready to move forwards. So, they have a go, and get it wrong, what then? Doesn't that fulfil their original conviction? No, this is the next psychological change we need to help individual learners to make.

Making mistakes is a vital part of learning. We use our innate cognitive abilities to engage with all kinds of activities as young children in order to learn about the world around us. We make all kinds of mistakes and happily try again and again in order to achieve mastery. Somewhere along the line, we get put off making those mistakes and start holding back if there's a risk of not getting it right first time.

Our learning slows down as a result, because the brain is designed to learn from feedback whilst making those mistakes. Without the feedback, the brain can't make the adjustments it needs to in order to gain mastery. We therefore need to convince students that mistakes are an essential part of the learning process and are actually a positive sign that we're truly 'learning'. Create a learning environment where mistakes are encouraged and elevated, so that students proudly share where they had to adjust their thinking.

Some schools use the acronym F.A.I.L. in order to help their students take a different view of failure. It stands for 'First Attempt in Learning' with the inbuilt suggestion that there can be more attempts without the need to view it as something to be ashamed of. That in turn brings up the idea of the need for 'practise' which requires another minor, but powerful shift, in the thinking of students who are moving closer to thinking metacognitively.

Another common statement we hear used with children is that; 'practise makes perfect'. Please don't say that! You're setting them up for failure because whatever they do achieve will never be perfect and they know that! Explain to them that 'practise makes permanent', a very different concept. Repetition in any activity, strengthens the neural pathway in the brain relating to that particular piece of information or skill. Permanence is achieved when the brain coats all the cells in that particular pathway, with myelin, speeding up our recall of whatever we have been repeating, and making it an integral part of our long term memory.

Need help with integrating the development of metacognition in your school? You know where I am!