Yesterday a parent stopped by to share some good news! Her son came home sharing the new word he learned in Kindergarten - "me ta cog ni tion"! Of course the parents said - what does this mean?? He slowly said - "thinking about your thinking!" Woo hoo!The elementary students are learning reading comprehension strategies for their developmental level. Metacognition is the latest buzz word in psychology. Metacognition enables us to be successful learners, and has been associated with intelligence (e.g., Borkowski, Carr, & Pressley, 1987; Sternberg, 1984, 1986a, 1986b). Metacognition refers to higher order thinking which involves active control over the cognitive (thinking) processes engaged in learning.
We are teaching the process of good thinking strategies for reading. Kids know that good readers think about what they are reading. If we don't engage our brain when we read it is "fake" reading and only "real" reading helps our brain grow! The thinking strategies we are teaching can carry over to math, science, social studies and writing. We must engage our brains with everything we do. Plus young kids love to say big, juicy words. Its the hook that makes the learning stick.
Tanny McGregor wrote a wonderful book, Comprehension Connections. We are implementing many of her ideas K-5. Many of the teachers at South Side will readily share - we are learning right along with the kids and it's exciting. Raising our expectations and raising our students to be life-long learners.
Is there anything better than picking up a good book and reading?
Happy Reading! Mrs. Speake
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