Awareness of Self-Awareness
Most teachers are able to implement a lesson plan but not all teachers have developed lesson plans that help students to reflect on their own thinking and experience.
One of the ultimate aims of most education syllabus is to develop metacognition. The neuroscientists identify metacognition as the ability to think and reflect about our own thinking.
Self-awareness can help students to be aware of their own mental state especially during stressful times like examination or deadlines of assignments.
The below is a short videoclip about self-awareness.
Self-awareness can lead students to become critical thinkers and they can develop the awareness of their areas for improvement.
This short article will discuss some ideas to nurture self-awareness.
Reflect on confusion
As teachers, we are all guilty of rushing through a lesson without getting students to think about the lesson conducted.
By getting students to reflect on which part of the lesson that they are still confused with regularly, we are raising the awareness of what they still need to know or find out more to clarify and clear up the confusion.
Thinking about their own confusion is a good starter in developing metacognition.
Once reflection on confusion becomes a habit, metacognition becomes part of their thinking process.
Key ideas of lesson
Before starting the lesson, indicate to students the expectation to identify the key ideas of the lesson by the end of the lesson.
By stating this requirement, students will be actively listening and trying to pick up the key concepts of lesson.
We can get them to write down some key ideas that they pick up at the end of the lesson.
We can share our key learning outcomes to let students see whether they have matched them.
This simple conscious effort can raise the awareness of active learning rather than passive listening.
Debatable issues
Academic subjects, like history and social studies, have moved from simply writing out facts to justify a stand that challenges human and societal biases with evidence that comes from reading.
Teachers can get students to debate about issues that do not have right or wrong but it is a matter of opinion.
This can cultivate independent thinking to become critical thinkers based on facts and self-awareness of their own principles as an individual.
They can even challenge their own opinions and become reflective thinkers of their own beliefs after having a good debate with their teachers and classmates.
Summary of personal learning
Students can be encouraged to keep their own learning journals to keep track of the learning points for each lesson.
It is a great way to reflect on learning and putting the ideas into their own interpretation promotes thinking about their own learning.
This learning journal is also a good resource when they need to revise their work for assessment.
Understand metacognition
Teach students the meaning of having a growth mindset in comparison to a fixed mindset.
Getting them to have the awareness of their own learning habits and how they can develop further learning on their own can empower them to become more effective learners.
Students can learn how to stretch and extend their own learning through reflection.
They can understand how they can improve their own thinking skills with the awareness and understanding what is metacognition about.
In conclusion
Self-awareness allows students to know oneself and develop their cognitive capability more effectively.
There are many different ways how teachers can incorporate intentional activities to cultivate metacognition.
There is no shortcut and it takes time to develop but students can reap future benefits of self-directed learning as well as effective management of challenges that they may face as adults.
Reference:
Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory into practice, 41(2), 64-70.
Saunders, P. A., Tractenberg, R. E., Chaterji, R., Amri, H., Harazduk, N., Gordon, J. S., ... & Haramati, A. (2007). Promoting self-awareness and reflection through an experiential mind-body skills course for first year medical students. Medical Teacher, 29(8), 778-784.
Nilson, L. (2013). Creating self-regulated learners: Strategies to strengthen students? self-awareness and learning skills. Stylus Publishing, LLC..
Ridley, D. S., Schutz, P. A., Glanz, R. S., & Weinstein, C. E. (1992). Self-regulated learning: The interactive influence of metacognitive awareness and goal-setting. The journal of experimental education, 60(4), 293-306.
Disclaimer: This is my personal reflection and I am not in any position to instruct anyone what they should do. I am not responsible for any action taken as a result of this post. My post can only be a reference for your further research and growth. By reading this post, you acknowledge and accept that. All images and pictures were taken from google images that are free from copyright under labelled for reuse.
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://fun2learn.vornix.blog/2018/09/16/awareness-of-self-awareness/
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really cool post. The older we get the more aware we become))
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Excellent article very interesting to reflect and learn!
Thank you for your positive comment!