Professor CHIU Ming Ming
Why do some students solve complex problems more easily than others?
Many students can follow directions well and apply solution procedures to simple problems
successfully. Some of these students, such as Siu Ming, can organize their ideas and their thinking
to solve complex combinations of these simpler problems but other students cannot. Siu
Ming can divide the complex problem into simpler problems, decide how much time to
spend on each part, match specific solution procedures to the current problem(s),
evaluate partial solutions and adjust their solution plans accordingly. In sum, Siu Ming
plans, monitors and controls his thinking better (better meta-thinking or metacognition).
Metacognitive monitoring Metacognitive control
Metacognitive level
__________________________________________________________________
Knowledge and Strategies Cognitive level
Feelings Emotional level
How can we, as teachers, help students best orchestrate / manage their thinking tools?
Siu Ming's teacher, Ms. Li, guides her students' metacognition during class activities.
Before asking students to read an essay, Ms. Li puts a poster with two questions on the
board: a) What is the main point of the dinosaur extinction essay? b) How did some
animals survive? She asks them to think about these two questions (advance
organizers) while they're reading for the next 10 minutes, and to write down their
answers as well as any questions about words, phrases, or themes that they do not
understand. Using these questions and this time limit, Ms. Li helps her students plan
their reading by organizing their thinking and their time.
Plan
Continuing a regular classroom ritual, many students stretch A. ~~~
their arms up and take a deep breath, so that they're comfortable and 1. ~~
focused on the reading task. As the students read, Ms. Li scans the 2. ~~
room for students who may need help. B. ~~~
Siu Ming has difficulty understanding many of the words, and
stops reading. Seeing the frustration on Siu Ming's face, Ms. Li walks over and asks him, "Siu
Ming, feeling unhappy?"
Siu Ming nods.
Ms. Li tells Siu Ming, "When you feel frustrated, rest for a few seconds…. Ok. Now, what
do you think is making you frustrated?"
Siu Ming complains, "the words are too hard!"
Ms. Li then asks, "What can you do to find the meanings of the words?"
Siu Ming says, "Uh, look them up in a dictionary?"
Ms. Li agrees, "Yes, you can use the dictionary next to the window."
Ms. Li encourages her students to monitor and tend to their feelings, and then
identify and address the causes of their unhappy feelings.
While monitoring her students' work, Ms. Li writes the names of students with
interesting answers to ensure that they discuss them later. After ten minutes, she facilitates
a discussion around the two questions, asking each student to evaluate ( or X) and elaborate on
other students' ideas, so that they can later internalize these learning behaviors. Ms.
Many students (students) can follow directions well and
apply solution procedures to simple problems successfully.
Some of these students, such as Siu Ming, can organize their
ideas and their thinking to solve complex combinations of
Li adds information not mentioned during the discussion and then
these simpler problems but other S cannot. Siu Ming can
divide the complex problem into simpler problems, decide
how much time to spend on each part, match specific
solution procedures to the current problem(s), evaluate partial
solutions and adjust their solution plans accordingly. In sum,
Siu Ming plans, monitors and controls his thinking better
Key points summarizes the key ideas and the relationships among them, especially
(better meta-thinking or metacognition).
Siu Ming's teacher, Ms. Li, guides her students'
metacognition during class activities. Before asking
students to read an essay, Ms. Li puts a poster with two
1. Monitor
questions on the board: a) What is the main point of the
essay? b) Why does the author repeatedly use panda imagery
the ways in which a poet can use an image to help organize the ideas in the
in the essay? She asks them to think about these two
questions (advance organizers) while they're reading for the
2. Control
next 10 minutes, and to write down their answers as well as
any questions about words, phrases, or themes that they do
not understand.
While monitoring her students' work, Ms. Li writes the
poem. Then, students can use these ideas to make sense of other poems.
names of students with interesting answers to ensure that
they discuss them later. After ten minutes, she facilitates a
class discussion around the two questions, asking each
student to evaluate and elaborate on other students' ideas,
so that they can later internalize these learning ehaviors. Ms.
Li adds nformation not mentioned during the discussion and
then summarizes the key ideas and the relationships among
them, especially the ways in which a poet can use an image
to help organize the ideas in the poem. So, students can use
this information to help them make sense of other poems.