#99 Metacognition and Creativity

Hi Everyone

We have over recent weeks been looking more closely at how to naturalise metacognition in the classroom as a means of ensuring progress for a diverse range of learners. Formalising the process obviously has its place, but taking a long-term view of developing a more metacognitive way of thinking for everyone, ensures that our students gain a transferable life skill.

It has been well documented how the ability to use metacognition improves students’ academic progress, and I have on more than one occasion highlighted the essential role of metacognition in decision making. There is however another really good reason why our learners need to develop a more metacognitive way of thinking, and that is to encourage their creativity.

Think about it for a moment. Absolutely nothing would exist if it weren’t for those who dreamed them into being. Every system, every invention, every piece of art, every book, every item of clothing, every film, every service that we benefit from, are just a few examples of how our lives are impacted by the creativity of those around us.

So many of our great scientists, inventors, craftspeople, and business innovators were not in the least bit academically inclined and were glad to leave school so that they could finally use their creativity to achieve greatness. We are fortunate that these individuals were strong enough to conserve their ability to ‘think differently’ despite negative experiences whilst in ‘education’.

Every innovative or creative idea requires dedication to the iterative process. That’s what metacognition is; the ability to analyse your own thought processes, identify what’s not working for you and switch to a more effective method. It involves constantly looking for solutions and being prepared to keep changing your mind until you reach the desired result.

History throws up so many names that we’re familiar with, people who took an idea and just kept going with the experimentation process, (sometimes for years) in order to produce something that others reckoned couldn’t be done. Henry Ford, Albert Einstein, Coco Chanel, Thomas Edison, Richard Branson, and Beatrix Potter all come to mind immediately, and I’m sure that you could list many others.

So, my question is; are we making sure that the current cohort of students in our schools have the ability to ‘think’ effectively when they leave school, or are we depriving both them, and the world, of their potential creativity? Colleges, universities and employers have noticed how a growing number of young people are less able to organise themselves, use their initiative or take calculated risks.

They see this as a result of too much ‘spoon feeding’ in school and not enough opportunities for students to engage in more creative ways of thinking. So, let’s give some thought to the significance to metacognition in all of this. We have discussed previously how vital it is that every student appreciates the role that challenge, experimentation, mistakes and practise have on their own progress, in order to become more independent of the teacher or support staff.

Creativity requires the willingness to think independently, so just how independent are your students? Hopefully the last few issues of this newsletter have helped you to stop and consider the impact that the classroom environment, teacher attitudes, and the right kind of learning opportunities have on what they can achieve. Those things lie within our locus of control as teachers, so you can personally make a real difference to progress in your classroom with relatively simple, but significant changes to classroom practice, whilst continuing to teach a curriculum.

Remember that developing metacognition in your students is what’s required if they are going to reach their full potential, and that needs to include opportunities for creative thinking. Conventional teaching does not always acknowledge the neuroscience behind learning, so please make sure that students are genuinely working things out for themselves to encourage independence and creativity.

See you next time for the 100th edition!

Warm regards

Liz