Each month we take a closer look at one of the metacognition or self-regulated learning teaching resource that we offer. The aim of self-regulated learning is to empower students to take control of their own learning-processes; metacognition is the cognitive aspect of self-regulated learning and emphasises the awareness, understanding & regulation of thought.
Reading these monthly posts can contribute to your continued professional development and give you new ideas for classroom practice: why not try a new resource each month and, slowly but surely, become a master of metacognition? Perhaps you’ll be inspired to make a new resource to use with your students or, if you’d like to save time, you might download and try one of the resources from our site.
Our teaching resources are aimed at teachers of students aged 11-16 and can be used by all teachers: regardless of their subject-specialism. Our resources emphasise student-reflection, metacognition and self-regulation.
This month we’re looking at the use of tracking worksheets for self-regulation & metacognition. You can download, save & print a free sample of a self-regulated learning tracking worksheet here. Links to order and download the full resource can be found at the bottom of the article or you can click here.
What Are Tracking Worksheets?
Our metacognitive tracking worksheets go in the front and/or back of student workbooks (exercise books) and allow students to reflect on various aspects of self-regulated learning and metacognition: the worksheets contains quick tasks that are to be completed on a regular basis at the start and end of lessons. The complete set includes a selection for teachers to choose from: there are five pre-lesson tracking worksheets and five post-lesson tracking worksheets.
What Are These Tracking Worksheets For ?
Tracking worksheets, in this instance, are used for the regular monitoring, evaluation and regulation of various factors relating to metacognition, self-regulated learning, and learning power. For example in this free sample students are encouraged to evaluate their levels of, amongst other things: recollection of previous the lesson, emotions/moods and energy levels.
How Do I Use Them?
Download our set of tracking worksheets and print of the designed of your choice: with the complete set you can use a different tracking worksheet with different school-years (grades) and provide a degree of variety for students. The full download includes five tracking-worksheets for the start of lessons (focused on preparedness and readiness) and five tracking-worksheets for the end of lessons (focused on self-assessment and self-regulation).
Ideally students will be allowed a few minutes at the start and end of each lesson to update their tracking worksheets: it’s a good task for students to be getting on with as soon as they enter the lesson.
You may choose to use either the pre-lesson or post-lesson tracking worksheet alone instead of using both: however, by using both one creates a very time-efficient (and paper-efficient!) ‘lesson wrapper’ effect which can be advantageous and create a sense of continuity. Over time students can be encouraged to find links between how their preparedness and readiness (as shown on their pre-lesson worksheet) impacts their performance in the lesson (as shown on their post-lesson worksheet).
How Do These Tracking Worksheets Foster Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning?
Our tracking worksheets foster metacognition by encouraging students to monitor and evaluate their cognitive-processes in relation to learning and encourage further evaluation and self-regulation in the post-lesson tracking worksheets. Some of the pre-lesson tracking worksheets, for example, focus on the student’s attitudes and preoccupations when entering the classroom whilst also fostering reflection on non-cognitive dimensions of self-regulation such as their emotional state and energy levels.
Regulation is further enhanced by the inclusion of self-evaluation and target setting activities in the post-lesson tracking worksheets.
Which Teachers Can Use This Resource?
This collection of tracking worksheets is suitable for teachers of any subject working with students aged 11-16.
Which Students Is It Best to Use Tracking Worksheets With?
This resource is particularly useful for students who have low levels of metacognitive awareness, who lack metacognitive knowledge and understanding of the factors holding-back their learning and struggle to regulate themselves as learners so as to be optimally prepared for learning.
How Else Does Using These Tracking Worksheets Benefit Students?
One of the main additional benefits of this approach to metacognition and self-regulation is that, due to the regular nature of the strategy, it helps students to gain an understanding of how their lifestyle choices might be impacting their learning power: it helps students to self-regulate their lives in such a way so as to improve learning power over time.
This strategy is a great way to put the theories of ‘growth mindset’ into practice by encouraging students to actively grow their learning-power over time through regular monitoring, evaluation and regulation of the factors that lead to success.
Where Can I Get Them!?
This resource can be ordered or downloaded by clicking here. Membership Plan holders can download the complete resource freely via the ‘Member’s Area’ by clicking here. You can browse our other metacognition and self-regulated learning-resources here.
You can also use the site menu to navigate and download our large collection of metacognition & self-regulated learning teaching resources. Don’t forget to check-out the ‘Free Downloads’ section of the site: you'll find a free sample tracking worksheet there that you can try out!
