Direct Your Metacognition

“Those who know how to THINK need no teachers.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Sirens, flashing lights, bent metal, and broken glass… close your eyes for a minute and visualize a car accident. We’ve seen them on the news, driven by them on the road, or maybe even personally experienced them. Every time you get behind the wheel you are making a promise to other drivers that you will obey the speed limit, keep a safe distance behind other cars, and pay attention to street signs and signals. Your ability to consistently monitor and adjust your driving is directly related to arriving safely at your destination. Unfortunately, some drivers speed, lose control, and take their eyes off the road which causes chaos for other drivers.

Believe it or not, reading demands the same behaviors. Mature readers know their ability to monitor and adjust their speed, apply strategies, and pay attention to the author’s signs and signals (text features) is directly related to arriving with the deepest understanding possible. On the other hand, immature readers take huge risks by procrastinating. As a result, the reader creates pressure to finish the reading as fast as possible. Often they read late at night when their mind should be resting. Then their eyes get blurry from fatigue, they lose their focus and don’t take breaks when their mind is full of new information. Consequently, their mind crashes and they destroy any chance at retaining the new information.

BREAKING IT DOWN:

Your mind does not have a “cruise control” or automatic pilot you can switch on and think about other things. Every thought your mind has can and should be controlled by you. Metacognition, meta means about and cognition means thinking, is a term used to describe a reader’s understanding about their thinking. Metacognition gives you a framework to support and guide your thinking. Once you are aware of how, what, and why you are reading, you will gain better control over your thoughts. As a result, you will create a deeper meaning, become more focused, and retain more information. Mature readers are constantly aware of their thoughts and are able to self regulate or control their thoughts by applying strategies when comprehension breaks down. Read this simple sentence:

Sit still, be quiet, and wait until something pulls your string.

How did it go? You probably read the above sentence quickly, easily, and with 100% accuracy, but do you truly understand what the author is talking about? I call this FAKE READING. It feels like you’re reading, it looks like you’re reading, it even sounds like you’re reading, but you’re not! I know you think reading is being able to identify words on the page; however it is not enough to just read the words correctly. You have to construct meaning.

Let’s do another drive by this sentence while I show you the strategies I used to construct meaning from this sentence.

Sit still, be quiet, and wait until something pulls your string.

1. ASK A QUESTION: What activities can I do with string? Fly a kite, play with a yo-yo, go fishing, jump rope

2. IDENTIFY UNKNOWN WORDS: I need to clarify the word “string” by changing it to the word “line.”

3. MAKE CONNECTIONS: When I read the sentence again; Sit still, be quiet, and wait until something pulls your line, I can make a connection to a day I was sitting by the pond with my father while we tried to catch fish.

4. CREATE PREDICTION: I am going to predict this sentence is about fishing because I don’t have to sit still or be quiet when flying a kite, playing with a yo-yo, or jumping rope. (I know some of you know it alls are thinking I don’t have to be quiet when I fish either but let’s save that argument for another day. I’m trying to illustrate a point here, not teach you how to fish.)

DRIVE involves flexible strategic thinking, which becomes automatic with repeated practice. Remember how long it took you to learn how to drive. It took days, weeks, and even months to be the fabulous driver you are now. Learning how to notice your thinking doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to condition your cognition. Being able to sustain a focused thought takes practice. You must be patient with yourself and allow the mind time to rest. Your mental capacity to direct your metacognition is strengthened every time you adjust the pace of reading, apply different strategies when you’re confused and stop when your mind needs a break. (See Condition your Cognition for suggestions on strengthening your metacognition.)