As a teacher, you are always looking for ways to improve your lessons and help your students learn more effectively. One tool that has gained popularity in recent years is the use of lesson wrappers. Lesson wrappers are a reflective tool that teachers can use to help students process and internalize the information they learned in a lesson. In this article, we will discuss what lesson wrappers are, the benefits of using them, and how to get the most out of using them in your lessons.
What are Lesson Wrappers?
A lesson wrapper is a reflective tool that can be used at the start and end of a lesson (thus 'wrapping' the lesson) to help students process and internalize the information they have learned. It is a brief activity that allows students to reflect on what they have learned and to think about how they can apply it in the future. Lesson wrappers can take many forms, such as a journal entry, a discussion, or a quiz, and can be completed individually or in groups.
Benefits of Using Lesson Wrappers
There are many benefits to using lesson wrappers in your lessons. First and foremost, they can help students to better understand and remember the material they have learned. By reflecting on what they have learned, students are able to consolidate their knowledge and connect it to prior knowledge. This can help them to retain the information and apply it in future contexts.
Lesson wrappers can also help to improve metacognition and self-regulation skills. When students reflect on their learning, they become more aware of their own thinking processes and can identify areas where they need to improve. This can lead to better self-regulation, as students learn how to monitor their own learning and make adjustments as needed.
Finally, lesson wrappers can help to improve student engagement and motivation. By providing students with an opportunity to reflect on what they have learned and connect it to their own experiences and interests, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated to learn.
How Lesson Wrappers Boost Metacognition & Self-Regulated Learning
Lesson wrappers are a type of reflection activity that are used at the start and end of a lessons to help students think about what they have learned, how they have learned it, and how they can use that knowledge in the future. These activities are an effective strategy for raising levels of metacognition and boosting self-regulation and self-regulated learning in the classroom for several reasons; use of lesson wrappers:
Promotes Reflection: By engaging in a reflective activity, students are encouraged to think about their learning process, identify what they found challenging, and consider strategies that could help them overcome those challenges in the future. This promotes metacognition and helps students to better understand how they learn.
Encourages Self-Assessment: Lesson wrappers often require students to evaluate their own performance, which helps them to become more aware of their strengths and weaknesses. This self-assessment can be a powerful tool for promoting self-regulation, as it enables students to identify areas where they need to improve and take action to address those areas.
Provides Feedback: Lesson wrappers can also provide feedback to the teacher about how well the lesson was understood and how effective the teaching strategies were. This information can be used to adjust future lessons to better meet the needs of the students.
Fosters Autonomy: By encouraging students to take an active role in their own learning, lesson wrappers foster a sense of autonomy and ownership over the learning process. This can lead to increased motivation and engagement, which are important factors for successful learning.
Encourages Engagement in 'The Metacognitive Cycle': Lesson wrappers engage students in all stages of the metacognitive cycle (planning, monitoring, evaluating, and regulating learning).
In summary, lesson wrappers are an effective strategy for promoting metacognition, self-regulation, and self-regulated learning in the classroom. By encouraging students to reflect on their learning, evaluate their own performance, and take an active role in the learning process, lesson wrappers can help students to become more effective and efficient learners.
How to Get the Most Out of Using Lesson Wrappers
To get the most out of using lesson wrappers in your lessons, it is important to keep a few key things in mind. First, it is important to choose the right type of wrapper for your lesson. Different types of wrappers may be more effective for different types of lessons, so it is important to choose one that is appropriate for the content and goals of your lesson.
Second, it is important to provide clear instructions for completing the wrapper. Make sure that students understand what they are supposed to do and how they should do it. You may want to provide a model or example for students to follow, especially if they are unfamiliar with the type of wrapper you are using.
Third, it is important to give students enough time to complete the wrapper. While it may be tempting to rush through the reflection activity in order to move on to the next lesson, it is important to give students enough time to really engage with the material and think deeply about what they have learned.
Finally, it is important to use the information gathered from the wrappers to inform future instruction. By reviewing the responses from the wrappers, you can identify areas where students may be struggling or where they need additional support. This can help you to adjust your teaching to better meet the needs of your students.
We've created lesson wrappers that you can download and use today. Our printable lesson wrappers are ideal for making progress visible whilst our 'Virtual Lesson Wrapper' is a way of using the lesson wrapper technique without needing to print!
This download contains ten different lesson wrappers and is a comprehensive collection that will enhance learning in your classes!
This lesson wrapper is delivered via PowerPoint and features fifty metacognition and self-regulated learning activity slides; twenty-five that can be used at the start of lessons and twenty-five that can be used at the end of lessons.
