Metacognition and the Learner Strategies for better academic - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Metacognition and the Learner Strategies for better academic functioning, thinking & learning Presented by B.OT; M.OT; PDME 12 March 2016

 Metacognitive  Occupational therapist therapeutic for 36 years intervention process  Mainstream high  Part of IACESA for 19 school in Durbanville years since 1998  Consultant &Trainer in  Private Practice in thinking /learning afternoons skills since 1998  Explicit cognitive  Immediate Past education for past 22 President of IACESA years (Feb 2013 – Feb 2015) 2

Overv rview  Lessons from Functional Medicine – What? Why?  Referrals & problems of learners  Connection to Executive Functions (EF’s)  Defining metacognition  Bridging the gap between weak EF’s and academic/learning demands by using a mediated learning process and metacognitive strategies & tools  Using a self-regulated learning process and Thinking Maps when the academic demands increase 3

Functional Medicine (FM)  My journey is one of thousands  Reasons for interest in FM  Common truths that we ignore 4

Functional Medicine Uses a systems- orientated approach Addresses underlying causes of disease Uses a patient centred approach Engages both Addresses patient and whole person practitioner in and not therapeutic isolated set of relationship symptoms 5

General l le lessons fr from Functional l Medic icine  We must search for the real  Addresses underlying causes causes of ineffective thinking and of diseases poor academic functioning?  Uses a systems orientated  We must understand how all the approach systems are connected, e.g.  Engages patient and mind-body connection? practitioner in therapeutic  We must have relationships with relationship our clients/learners?  Uses a patient centred  We must promote health beyond approach the absence of disease & problems.  Addresses whole person and not an isolated set of  We must understand the role of symptoms environmental and lifestyle factors that can influence long- term health and chronic disease. Functional Medicine involves understanding the origins, prevention and treatment of complex chronic disease. 6

Onli line summits and webin inars  Oral Health Summit – July 2015  Truth about Cancer – October 2015  State of your Health – December 2015  Fat Summit – February 2016  Metabolism Summit – February 2016  Tapping Summit – February 2016  Microbiome Medicine Summit – February/March 2016  Urban Monk  Etc … Critical thinking demonstrated explicitly 7

Sp Specif ific ic les lessons fr from Functio ional l Medici icine Su Summit its  Do not just believe doctors – look for the cause of problems/disease  Let food be your medicine  Eat whole, unprocessed, unrefined foods (as God created it) and all colours of the rainbow (super foods). Make 75 percent of your plate vegetables and plant- based foods (fibre-rich foods)  Eat organic foods and free range products if possible  Eat good fats like omega 3 fats and mono-unsaturated fats, such as extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil  Reduce/eliminate the toxic load (pesticides, hormones, sugar, sodas, refined foods, processed foods, ‘bad’ health foods, gluten, etc.)  Add fermented foods e.g. Sauerkraut that contains good amounts of probiotics  Read labels – avoid preservatives, additives, parabens, etc  Balance energy and eliminate/manage chronic stress  Learn to relax, give the body what it needs to be immune or heal itself  Exercise, get in the sun, do what our ancestors did  Supplement smartly WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? 8

Healt lth foods you should ld never eat! t!  Fruit juice  Soy protein  Farmed fish  Microwaved popcorn  Conventional meat  Margarine  Vegetable oils/Canola oil  Table salt  Artificial sweeteners  Conventional milk WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? 9

Mark Hyman on Gut Health  Optimal gut health has become a prominent focus in 21 st century health. Gut health has been linked to numerous problems – including autism, obesity, diabetes, allergies, autoimmunity, depression, cancer, heart disease, fibromyalgia, eczema, and asthma. The links between chronic illness and an imbalanced microbiome (or gut bacteria) keep growing every day.  Many scientists have begun to refer to the gut as our second brain , an idea that is reflected in amazing books like The Good Gut, Brainmaker, The Microbiome Solution, and The Gut Balance Revolution.  You can begin to understand the importance of gut health when you consider there are 500 species and three pounds of bacteria in your gut. There are trillions of bacteria in your gut, and they collectively contain at least 100 times as many genes as you do. The bacterial DNA in your gut outnumbers your own DNA by 100 times. You have about 20,000 genes, but there are 2,000,000 (or more) bacterial genes. 10

My referrals Majority are from  Parents of children with ADD/ADHD that struggle with organization, planning, self-regulation, learning, etc  Parents of children not coping academically that have ‘hidden learning needs’  Parents that lack skills to help own child 11

Good day Estelle, PROBLEMS OF As discussed – I got your number LEARNERS from H at Kenridge. I would like to send my son for some help on study methods – he says that he doesn’t know how to study. He is in grade 6. He is unfortunately only free on Mondays from 14:30 and Fridays from 14:00, Saturday afternoons after 14:30 and Sundays (any time). Please could you let me know when it would be possible to see him – thanks. 12

Goeie dag PROBLEMS My dogter is in Bastion in Graad 4 OF hierdie jaar maar kan nog glad nie LEARNERS op haar eie leer nie. Ek moet basies vir haar voorlees en vrae vra. Sy is egter baie oplettend in die klas en vaar akademies baie goed – het ‘n gemiddelde punt van 88.9% gehad vir die jaar so ver. Ek wil haar egter begin speen so dat sy op haar eie kan leer. Maar omdat sy die werk uiters vervelig vind, word haar aandag gou afgetrek. Bied jy dalk iets aan wat haar sal help om opsommings te maak? 13

Goeie dag Estelle PROBLEMS Ek woon in Namibia en kom OF Kaap toe om my jongste seun LEARNERS na L te bring. Ek wil graag my 2 ouer seuns na jou bring sodat jy ons asb kan help verstaan hoe hulle moet leer. My oudste seun leer baie moeilik en vaar nie te goed met die skool nie en ek wil weet hoe ek hom kan help om reg te leer. Hy is tans in Gr.4 en die ander een is in Gr.2. 14

PROBLEMS OF LEARNERS 15

Many learners struggle with ‘Clogged Funnel Syndrome?’ ( Meltzer, 2007) Academic tasks that involve These learners written output, often exhibit summarizing, symptoms that taking notes, than can be or reading compared to a complex text for “clogged meaning may be funnel” “Clogged Funnel” challenging for students…. (Meltzer 2007) 16

‘Cognitive Bandwidth’ (working memory) difficulties (Kaufman, 2010) A B 17

How can we cla lassify fy these kin inds of problems? 18

CORE STRANDS OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS (KAUFMAN, 2010) EF SKILLS Those elements of cognition that allow for the self- regulation and self-direction of day-to-day and longer term functioning; when you purposefully manage your thinking or behaviour to achieve an outcome METACOGNITIVE SOCIAL / STRAND EMOTIONAL STRAND 19

CORE STRANDS OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS (KAUFMAN, 2010) METACOGNITIVE STRAND SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL STRAND  Goal Setting  Response inhibition  Planning/strategizing (impulse control)  Sequencing  Emotional control  Organization of  Adaptability materials  Time management  Task initiation  Goal-directed attention  Task persistence  Self-monitoring  Working memory  Set shifting/cognitive flexibility 20

EXECUTIVE FUNCTION LOCATION IN THE BRAIN Pre-frontal Cortex 21

DEVELOPMENT OF EF More Inner self- Self- public self- directed directed directed talk talk – work talk develops in progress Pre- Primary First High School school School 18-24 years Years months 9-12 years 22

WHAT are core Executive Function processes that require support ? (Meltzer, 2007) Self- Monitoring Goal setting & & Planning Checking Organizing Cognitive & Flexibility Prioritizing Remembering & Accessing Working Memory 23

Metacognition  It is the self-monitoring that puts the meta in metacognition (Kaufman, 2010).  Metacognition is used to describe the skills and strategies involved in selecting, applying and monitoring one’s own cognitive skills in relation to a specific task or problem  Metacognition includes self-appraisa l (learning to stop, think and reflect on the quality of ones’ thinking) and self-management (monitoring ones’ thinking and making choices about the appropriateness of specific strategies for specific tasks)  A person that is metacognitively aware can evaluate how he is thinking and what he is thinking (Moonsamy in Green, 2014) 24