#4 The Vital Role of Mistakes

What do mistakes have to do with metacognition? I will answer that question shortly, but just a few reminders first! We have been looking at how schools can integrate 'thinking differently' into school policy in a way that benefits both the mental health and academic progress of their students. (Also of interest to anyone wishing to help children and young people become more effective, independent learners of course.)

For schools that have tried introducing the idea of metacognition with their students and been disappointed by the results, the problem usually stems from beginning too far down the line! A large percentage of students are not yet ready to start thinking differently (for a whole range of reasons), so we need to consider the pre-requisites required, and what preparation needs to be done with learners beforehand if you want to have real impact.

Lots of minor changes can be incorporated easily into the regular curriculum, so its just about making a bit of time for planning and then you're away! We have established that the most influential factor in any learning situation is what the learner brings to it. That includes prior knowledge of course, (or lack of it), but includes as well, all the other distractions of life, plus very personalised attitudes towards school and learning.

Those thoughts and feelings around being a student in school emanate from a child's self-concept, including what they believe to be true about themselves as a learner! Recognising 'self' and believing in their own ability to engage with education are two of those important pre-requisites we mentioned earlier for being able to think metacognitively. It is important to start there, rather than with the questioning process that is so frequently considered to be step one.

The key to embedding metacognition into school policy therefore is to focus on the 'development' of it in every learner. Quick fixes don't work, but investing in helping all learners to develop their own thinking processes, will raise attainment and improve well-being across the school. Yes, even those who have learning difficulties make progress within the bounds of what is possible for them, if you create the right environment.

The traditional school environment is not one that complements our natural way of learning, ie; through our own experiences, and driven by curiosity. Instead we are provided with information, not of our own choosing, with the added expectation that we will remember what we have 'learned' for future assessment. The brain is not designed to work that way, and so struggles to comply.

For that reason, it's really important that students have a grasp on what the learning process actually looks and feels like. Otherwise, how can they even begin to fulfil the expectations laid upon them by the education system. Last time we established that the first step in the learning process is the ability to face challenge successfully.

A sense of challenge is created when we meet something unfamiliar, so it's important for students to realise the normality of feeling that way prior to learning something new, and and that it's not a signal to run! How many students could actually articulate that to themselves in order to successfully rise to the challenge? Once they can do that, the next step in the learning process is to start making mistakes. Ah, finally we get there!

Those mistakes are absolutely vital to the learning process because the brain is waiting for relevant information that will enable it to make adjustments in understanding. Each time we get it wrong, the brain adjusts a bit more, until mastery is reached. If that feedback loop is not utilised, as when teachers just tell or show students what they want them to know, a much weaker memory trace is created. If we continue to short circuit those natural cognitive processes, what are the chances of our students progressing onto meta-cognition?

Make sure that you are not actively inhibiting the development of metacognitive processes in your learners by spoon feeding them information or making activities 'easy' for them. We need to ensure that we allow the time and space for making mistakes and openly encourage it as an effective learning tool. Actively praise those who have been willing to follow a trial and error path, referring to the 'great' mistakes from which they have learned.

Learners should always feel safe and be able to trust what's going on inside their own heads, so we should never have the situation where they are afraid to start on something in case they make a mistake! Metacognition involves being able to analyse the way in which you're thinking, and subsequently change those thoughts in order to get a different result. Students who don't appreciate the value of learning from mistakes will struggle to 'change their minds' about anything, so get them started on that idea as early as possible.

See you next time to discuss a third part of the learning process that is vital to the development of metacognition.