Metacogni2ve  Strategy  Training    
for  English  Language  Teachers    
  autonomy  
 
Opening  a  Learner  Pathway  for    
Problem  Solving  and  Cri2cal  Thinking  

Teresa  Valais  
Fall  2014  

www.umbc.edu  
Unit  Objec2ves  
 
 
1.  Define  and  Introduc2on  to  Learning  Strategies  
2.  Define  Metacogni2on  
3.  Focus  on  Metacogni2ve  Strategies  
4.  Strategic  Competence  
5.  What  proficiency  are  you  developing?  
6.  Helping  Learners  go  Beyond  “Remembering”  
7.  Ac2va2ng  Higher  Order  Thinking  Skills  and  Problem  
Solving  Capacity    
8.  Connec2on  to  21st  Century  English  language  
classrooms  

 
2  
 
  
What  is  in  your  English  teaching  tool  box?  

gi es  
tra t e
S

How  do  you  implement  the  tools  you    

have  in  your  classroom  prac;ce?   3  
BIGGER    
Picture  

Source:  hYps://contentarealearningstrategies.wikispaces.com/   4  
 Categories  of  Learning  Strategies  

•  planning  
Metacogni2ve     •  monitoring  
•  evalua2ng    

•  using  resources  
Cogni2ve   •  note-­‐taking  
•   making  inferences  

•   coopera2ng  
Socioaffec2ve   •   clarifying  
•   self-­‐talk  

See  also  Oxford’s  taxonomy  for  direct  and  indirect  learning  strategies:    
hYp://mste.illinois.edu/courses/ci407su02/students/stansell/Strategies.htm  
5  
 
 Learning  Strategies  
Defini2ons    
 
 
Learning  strategies  are  complex  procedures,  which  are  applied  
to  various  tasks.  They  may  be  represented  as  procedural  
knowledge  acquired  through  cogni2ve,  associa2ve  and  
autonomous  stages  of  learning.   (Chamot & O'Malley , 1990)
   
         
         Learning  strategies  are  specific  ac2ons  taken  by  the  learner  to  
make  learning  easier,  faster,  more  enjoyable,  more  self-­‐
directed,  and  more  transferable  to  new  situa2ons.”  
(Oxford, 1992 as cited in Learning Strategies for English Language learners.)

Note:  
  Classifica.on  of  language  learning  strategies  varies  and  some.mes  overlaps       6  
 
depending   upon  the  defini.on  of  the  researchers.  
Language  Learning  Strategies,  (LLS)  
According to Rebecca Oxford, Language Learning Strategies

• allow learners to become more self-directed

• expand the role of language teachers
• are problem-oriented
• involve many aspects, not just the cognitive
• can be taught
• are flexible
• are influenced by a variety of factors.
(Oxford, 1990a)

...language learning strategies -- specific actions, behaviors, steps, or

techniques that students (often intentionally) use to improve their
progress in developing L2 skills. These strategies can facilitate the
internalization, storage, retrieval, or use of the new language.
Strategies are tools for the self-directed involvement necessary for
developing communicative ability. (Oxford, 1992/1993)
7  
 Metacogni2ve  Strategies  
 
“Metacogni;ve  strategies  enable  learners  to  
play  an  ac;ve  role  in  the  process  of  learning,  to  
manage  and  direct  their  own  learning…”  
(Chari  et  al,  as  cited  in  Rahimi  &  Katal,  2011)  
 
“…developing  students’  cri;cal  thinking  skills  is  
facilitated  through  metacogni;on.”    (Magno,  2010)  

See  Reading    2,  p.  76  and  Reading  3,  p.    137  
8  
Metacogni2ve  Strategies  

“A  successful  pedagogy  that  can  serve  as  a    

basis  for  the  enhancement  of  thinking  will    
have  to  incorporate  ideas  about  the  way  in    
which  learners  organize  knowledge  and    
internally  represent  it  and  the  way  these    
representa;ons  change  and  resist  change    
when  new  informa;on  is  encountered.”    
                                                                                                                                     
       (Schoen,  1983,  as  cited  in  Magno,  2010,  p.138)  
 
See  Reading  3,  p.138  
9  
Big  Understanding:  Primary  components  of  
MetacogniFon  
•  Preparing  and  planning  for  learning  

•  Selec2ng  and  using  learning  strategies  

•  Monitoring  strategy  use  

•  Organize  various  strategies  

•  Evaluate  strategy  use  and  learning  

 
It’s  Important  for  L2  learners  to  become  self  directed  learners  in  order  for  them  
to  be  able  to  handle  the  language  demands  they  will  experience  outside  the  
language  classroom  in  real  life  academic  (university  seRngs),  social,  and  
professional  contexts.   (Anderson,  2002)  
See  Reading  1     10  
11  
  
Example:  the  following  reading  strategies  involve  
learners  taking  an  ac2ve  role  in  their  own  learning  
process.  
 
 
1.  relate  the  text  to  oneself  
2.  relate  the  text  to  the  world  
3.  think  aloud  to  interact  with  the  text  
4.  make  inferences  from  the  text  
5.  create  mental  images  of  what  was  read  
6.  guess  the  meaning  of  new  words  in  context    
7.  iden2fy  main  ideas  in  a  text  
8.  monitor  your  text  comprehension  
9.  summarize  and  synthesizing  texts  
10.  predict  what  happens  next  

See  SILL  Inventory  and  template  for  more  extensive  lis;ng.  See  also  slides    13-­‐18.                                                
12  
MetacogniFve  Strategy:    Plan  and  Organize  

13  
Metacogni2ve  Strategy:  Annota2on    
Planning  and  organizing  

14  
Annota2on  –  Student  self-­‐directed  interac2on  with  the  text  

15  
 Metacogni2ve  Strategy:  Self-­‐reflect    
Think-­‐aloud  Requires  readers  to  stop  periodically  to  
reflect  on  how  a  reading  text  or  listening  text  is  being  
internally  processed  and  understood  by  themselves    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Teachers  model  think  aloud  strategies  to  help  learners  connect  what  
they  have  read  or  heard  to  learners’cultural  and  background  
knowledge  as  well  as  prior  experiences.    
 
 
 
 
See  example  on  next  slide   16  
 Think  aloud  ques2ons  and  responses  
“How  does  this  story  remind  you  of  something  
in  your  own  life?    
 
Students  are  trained  to  answer  using  these  
prompts:    
“It  reminds  me  of  .  .  .  ,”    
“I  can  think  of  .  .  .  ,”    
“I  remember  .  .  .  ,”  and    
“This  part  reminds  of  when  I  was  10  years  old  .  .  .  .”  
 
17  
MetacogniFve  Strategies:  Exit  Slips  for  self-­‐reflecFon  and  self  monitoring  

18  
 Benefits  of  Teaching  Metacogni2ve  
Strategies  

“The   metacogni.ve   ability   to   select   and   use   par.cular  

strategies   in   a   given   context   for   a   specific   purpose  
means  that  the  learner  can  think  and  make  conscious  
decisions   about   themselves   as   learners   in   their   own  
learning  process.”  (Anderson,  2002)    
 
 

Learners  ac.vely  self-­‐select  what  works  best  for  them.  The  process  of    
self-­‐selec;on  is  an  empowering  step  toward  building  strategic    
competence.  See  Slides  21-­‐23.  
19  
 Directly  Teach  Metacogni;ve  Strategies  

•  Incorporate  metacogni2ve  strategies  into  lessons  

•  Model  and  explain  the  usefulness  of  strategies,  so  

students  will  agree  to  the  added  effort  that  strategies  
require  in  the  learning  process  
 
•  Con2nue  training  students  to  monitor  their  own  use  of  
metacogni2ve  strategies  using  lesson  exit  slips  and  self-­‐
checklists.    
 
Important  Note:    It  is  ideal  to  select  certain  strategies  you  would  like  to  cover  in  the  period    
of  ;me  you  have  to  cover  them  ahead  of  ;me  pre-­‐term.  Openly  dialogue  with  learners  about  strategy    
use  and  make  them  aware  of  why  you  are  teaching/modeling  a  certain  strategy  for  them,  the  benefit  to    
them  in  using  the  strategy,  and  what  you  expect  them  to    be  able  to  do  with  the  strategy.  Graphic  organizers,
like  the  ones  illustrated  in  the  Academic  Language  Func.on  handout  are  a  great  example!   20  
 Strategic  Competence  
Canale  and  Swain  (1980)  describe  strategic  
competence  as  providing  a  compensatory  
func2on  when  the  linguis2c  competence  of  the  
language  user  is  inadequate.  
   
Ø  strategic  competence  consists  of  verbal  and  non-­‐verbal  communica2on  
strategies.  
Ø  strategic  competence  is  called  into  ac2on  to  “compensate  for  breakdowns  in  
communica2on  due  to  performance  variables  or  to  insufficient  competence.”  
Ø  strategic  competence  differs  from  the  other  three  components  of  
communica2ve  competence  in  that  it  is  not  a  type  of  stored  knowledge  and  it  
includes  non-­‐cogni2ve  aspects  such  as  self-­‐confidence,  readiness  to  take  risks,  
etc.  
21  
 What  is  Strategic  competence?  
Strategic  competence  is  knowing  how  to:  
   
•  recognize  and  repair  communica2on  breakdowns,  
•  how  to  work  around  gaps  in  one’s  knowledge  of  the  language  
•  how  to  learn  more  about  the  language  and  in  the  context.    
  (Canale  &  Swain,  1980)  
Strategic  competence  asks:    
 
Ø  How  do  I  know  when  I’ve  misunderstood  or  when  someone  
has  misunderstood  me?    
Ø  What  do  I  say  then?    
Ø  How  can  I  express  my  ideas  if  I  don’t  know  the  name  of  
something  or  the  right  verb  form  to  use?  
See  link  for  communica2ve  competence  overview  ,  jigsaw  technique,  and  video  example:  
22  
 
hYp://coerll.utexas.edu/methods/modules/speaking/01/jigsaw.php  
 For language learning, strategic competence is a vital
component of Communicative Competence

21 st   c.  English      

Learners  need  to  be  equipped  with  the  connec;ng  pieces  (strategic  competence)  to    
help  them  arrive  at  and  exceed  the    intended  language  learning  goals.  These  connec;ons  are    
facilitated  by  knowledgeable  and  strategically  trained  teachers  who  work  together  with    
learners  in  two-­‐way  “learning  to  learn”  appren;ceships.  (Valais,  2012)  
See  21st  century  skills:  hYp://www.thoughlullearning.com/resources/what-­‐are-­‐21st-­‐century-­‐skills   23  
   
 Helping  learners  go  beyond  what  
they  remember    
 
Teachers  need  to  have  a  clearly  defined  purpose  for  teaching  
and  a  formidable  pathway  that  helps  students  get  there.  
 
Answer  clarifying  ques2ons  such  as:  
 
Ø  Am  I  teaching  English  as  a  content  subject?    What  framework  am  I  using?  EFL?  ESP?  EAP?    
Ø  Am  I  teaching  English  for  learners  to  acquire  basic  social  skills  in  English?  
             Basic  Interpersonal  Communica2on  Skills  (BICS)  
Ø  Am  I  teaching  English  for  academic  purposes  for  learners  to  acquire  academic  language?  
Cogni2ve  Academic  Language  Proficiency  (CALP)  
Ø  What  type  of  metacogni2ve  and  cogni2ve  processes  do  my  learners  need  to  u2lize  for  the  
language  func2ons  and  language  use  targets  and  tasks  I  implement  in  class,  and  then  how  do  
I  go  about  infusing  cri2cal  thinking  and  problem  solving  into  my  prac2ce?  
 
     

For  an  overview  of  the  BISC/CALP  dis2nc2on  see  the  next  2  slides  and  also  the  link  below:    
hYp://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/bics_calp.php   24  
 
What  type  of  proficiency  does  your  prac.ce  focus  on?  
BICS CALP
• Needed for success in
• Conversational fluency grade-level academic
• Students can pick up
work
this language within a • Can take 5-7 years to
year and sound fluent
• Needed for a acquire
• Language acquired in
highly contextualized successful school • Provides little context
experience or clues to help with
situations
• Answering warm-up meaning
• Lots of non-verbal
questions • Generally involves
clues, like facial
• Expressing personal abstract concepts
expressions and real opinions • Reading textbooks
objects • Giving an oral • Writing lab reports
• Talking with friends presentation • Taking notes in a lecture
• Telling your teacher why • Answering exit ticket
you don’t have your question
homework • Analyze an historic
document
• Think alouds
• Word problems

25  
Cummins,  (1979)    disFncFon  between  two  kinds  of  language  proficiency    
CALP  is  more  cogni2vely  demanding  and  requires  
metacogni2ve  strategies  

BICS  -­‐  surface  learning  

CALP  -­‐    context  reduced,  cogni2vely  demanding  

Cummins’s (1981) model of language acquisition with four quadrants

26  
Going  Beyond  What  Learners  Remember  
 

See  Academic  language  funcFon  handout  for  using  techniques,  strategies,  classroom    
language  and  acFviFes  that  involve  HOTS  and  problem  solving     27  
      What’s  the  challenge  ahead?  
To  develop  
cri2cal  
thinking  and  
problem  
solving  skills,  
university    
Research  shows  
students  need  
that  most  
to  prac2ce  
classroom  
self-­‐reflec2on  
instrucFon  and  
and  employ  
assessment  only  
metacogni2ve  
acFvates    the  two  
strategies.  
lower  levels  of  
They  also  
cogniFon,  
need  
understanding  and  
“repeated”  
remembering  
exposure  to  
HOTS  tasks,  
assignments  
and  
assessments   28  
  How  do  I  get  started?  
For  tasks,  assignments,  and  assessments  use  the  ac;on  words    
-­‐verbs  -­‐  categorized  in  the  various  thinking  domains  of    
Bloom’s  Taxonomy  below  to  elicit  higher  order  thinking  

See  Academic  language  func.on  handout  for  various  examples,  strategies,  classroom    
29  
language  and  “cue  words”  that  ac.vate  HOTS  and  problem  solving    
  
When  developing  small    
group  tasks  or  whole      
group  ques2ons  that  
elicit  higher  order    
thinking  and    
involve  problem    
solving,  provide    
sufficient  wait  2me.  Second  
language  learners  need  more  2me!  
   
hYp://www.teachingmadeeasyprint.com.au/product/wait-­‐2me-­‐prompt-­‐junior-­‐primary/151  
30  
  
Reflec2on:  Are  we  there  yet?  
 
 
 
 

31  
 What  is  the  Connec.on  to  21st  century    
English  Language  Classrooms?  
•  To  fully  achieve  communica2ve  competence  and  acquire  21st  century  
skills,  learners  need  to  be  ac2vely  engaged  in  their  own  learning  process  
   
•  Guide  learners  to  think  about  their  thinking  
 
•  Develop  tasks  that  have  appropriate  rigor  and  are  relevant  to  their  lives  
 
•  Incorporate  problem  solving  collabora2ve  projects  that  require  higher  
order  thinking  skills  (analysis,  interpreta2on  synthesis,  evalua2on)  that  go  
beyond  surface  level  of  understanding  
   
•  Equip  learners  with  tools  (appropriate  and  effec2ve  learning  strategies  for  
all  four  language  skills  and  language  func2ons)  that  help  them  navigate  
through  the  cogni2ve,  linguis2c,  and  affec2ve  challenges  of  learning  
English.  

32  
Final  Comment  

Understanding  how  to  use  strategies  to  learn  

and  how  to  self  control  thinking  processes  
may  be  one  of  the  most  essen.al  skills  that  
teachers  impart  to  help  21st  century  second  
language  learners  develop.    (Anderson,  2002)

33  
 Sources  
•  Canale,  M.  and  Swain,  M.  (1980).  Theore2cal  bases  of  communica2ve  
approaches  to  second  language  teaching  and  tes2ng.  Applied  Linguis;cs  1  
(1),  1-­‐47.    
•  Cummins,  J.  (1979).  Cogni2ve/academic  language  proficiency,  linguis2c  
interdependence,  the  op2mum  age  ques2on  and  some  other  maYers.  
Working  Papers  on  Bilingualism,  No.  19,  121-­‐129  
•  Mango,  Carlo.  (2010).  The  Role  of  Metacogni2ve  Skills  in  Developing  
Cri2cal  Thinking.    Metacogni;on  Learning  ,  5:137-­‐156    
•  Rahimi,  Mehrak  and  Katal,  Naral  (2011)  Metacogni2ve  strategies  
awareness  and  success  in  learningEnglish  as  a  foreign  language:  an  
overview,  Procedia,  Social  and  Behavioral  Sciences,  31,  2012  73-­‐81  
•  Anderson,  N.J.,  The  role  of  metacogni2on  in  second  language  teaching  and  
learning,  Eric  Digest,  April,  2002  

34