#64 Making Wise Choices

Hi Everyone

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that the main focus of this newsletter is usually about helping schools to plan the introduction of metacognitive thinking into classrooms, whilst continuing to teach the curriculum. But I’m going to deviate slightly this time and invite you to come with me, as what I’m about to say is really relevant to every one of us.

The reason that metacognition is so vital for successful learning is because it’s the mechanism by which we can analyse whether what we’ve been thinking is leading to the results we’re aiming for. Even more importantly it’s also the mechanism that prompts us to change our minds if things don’t appear to be working for us, and to find a more successful route.

In order to ensure that all students, including those facing some kind of barrier to learning, get the opportunity to develop a metacognitive way of thinking, I help all the adults around them to see how best to support that kind of growth from the perspective of their role in a child’s life. Hence, all my courses for parents/carers, support staff, teachers and school leaders, which support everyone to ‘be in their corner’!

On this occasion though, I’d like to deviate slightly and look at metacognition from an adult perspective. We know the benefits of being able to think in a metacognitive way on progress in school, but what about its impact on adult life?

I’m not just talking about the benefits of life-long learning, but the reason why we have this special mechanism linked to the decision-making part of the brain in the first place. It’s what makes the difference between a successful life and a mediocre or miserable one. Just stop and think for a moment about how our lives work. Whatever we are experiencing now is the sum total of any resulting consequences (good or bad) from all the decisions we’ve made up to this point.

Maybe we’re living through consequences due to decisions made for us by others, but under most circumstances, and most of the time, we have the freedom to ‘change our minds’. It’s important to know how to take a different approach when new information causes us to question our current ‘results’. In that sense we continue to ‘learn’ from experience.

We’re on autopilot a lot of the time, so sometimes it takes a while for us to realise that things are not how we want them to be. But, when we do, that’s when metacognition comes into its own. Those who haven’t developed the skill, will often live in default mode, bemoaning everything that befalls them. But we don’t actually have to be a victim because we can choose for things to be different.

One of the joys of metacognition is that we can take responsibility for our own thoughts and responses. So, are you getting the results you want, is life the way you planned it?

Maybe it feels like circumstances have conspired against you, but remember metacognition is all about taking responsibility for making changes. Where can you take control, what new choices can you make to improve the situation? Remember that in order to change your results, you need to change what you’re thinking, so be honest about whether you’re holding onto thoughts that have been put there by other people or whether they’re really your own!

As metacognition is so vital for wise decision making and being able to adjust to what life throws at us, don’t you think that makes it doubly important to improve the educational and life chances of children and young people by helping them to develop metacognition. Universities and employers continue to complain about young people coming to them with no ability to think for themselves, being afraid to use their intuition, and waiting to be told what to do all the time.

It doesn’t have to be like that, so I plead with you to use your own metacognitive powers to analyse the situation and make some new decisions in relation to how you can make a real difference for any learner(s) in your life. I’ve seen firsthand over and over again, the way in which students thrive when taught to think differently about themselves and their relationship with learning.

If you need any help with that, you know where I am! Just get in touch to arrange a no commitment chat about what you’d like to achieve and afterwards, I’ll let you know how I can help and what it would cost, then leave you to make up your mind. Easy as that!

Take care till next time.

Warm regards

Liz

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