dig deeper into the research

aN EXCERPT FROM MY ARTICLE ON METACOGNITION 

Improvement research was used as a methodology for this research. Improvement research is focused on learning by doing “iterative cycles of change” which are all meant to enact an aim (Carnegie Foundation, 2016, p. 1). This aim, in my case, improving students’ writing through teaching them metacognitive strategies, was developed after conducting empathy interviews and identifying drivers that affect it. My measurable goal was twofold: to see improvement in student’s claim-evidence-reasoning style writing and on a metacognition rubric, but also to make metacognition building activities accessible and engaging to my whole classroom.  Improvement research emphasizes understanding the problem you are trying to solve in a deep way before actually making changes.
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This student example and many others provided evidence that my students were exposed to metacognition by being able to access to activities that were scaffolded to their level. Often, I saw the gatekeeper to metacognition take the form of complexity and confusion; however, once I could break down metacognition into small steps, students were able to utilize it.

AN EXCERPT FROM MY THESIS REPORT ON METACOGNITION

Think about how you learned to write: Was it a worksheet? Was it a sentence diagram? Was it during the process of creating a piece of writing that you really cared about refining to the best of your ability? Santangelo, Hayes and Flowers, and Graham all argue that students really learn how to write after they understand and utilize an emboldened form of the writing process; “Writing development and performance are enhanced when teachers: blend process-embedded skills and strategy instruction with writing workshop elements; provide intense, individualized, and explicit instruction to students who need it; create a positive, collaborative, and supportive climate in the classroom; provide extended writing opportunities with authentic, relevant, and engaging tasks representing multiple genres; and utilize multiple resources, including technology” (e.g., Graham & Harris, 2003, 2005; Graham & Perin, 2007). ​