Using a Metacognitive Bookmark

Hello Book Study Readers,

Question 13 - Chapter 4

I discovered something that suits my learning style on page 106.  It is a sample of a Metacognitive Bookmark.  I really like this visual cue and think that it would be well received for adult learners.  Has anyone tried something like this for their students?  I am a visual learner and having tips right at my fingertips would really help me.

Meryl Becker-Prezocki, SME

Comments

Hi Meryl,

Isn't that a neat bookmark? I really like it too. I have not used a "bookmark" per se , but I do implement the questions listed in the bookmark. For example, I require that everyone reads at least once as we go around the room. Before we move onto the next paragraph, I ask questions. One question might be, what is the main idea of this paragraph or what do you think this paragraph is about? Then, that prompts conversation to what they might predict or question about the material. Last, we move onto the next paragraph to discuss its new content with what we already know and broke down within the first paragraph. Does this make sense?

Holly

Hi Holly and others,

Thanks for sharing the way you structure your class during reading.  When I was going through chapter 4, the bookmark (page 106) really gave me a jolt. I like it because I think that it serves as a guide and a reminder for independent reading.  It made me go back some years, and I thought of an 8th class in middle school.   I frequently had my students in that class use bookmarks with a few points that I wanted them to connect to while reading.  It was a good way to set the stage for their homework and out discussion the next day.  The example shown in Box 4.7 is certainly more comprehensive but I think it could work very well with adults.  What do you think?

Hi Meryl -- I have tried using this bookmark with Math online students. I used it as a guide when doing a think aloud for a lengthy math problem.  We meet once a week for an online class and then the students work independently until the following week's online session. The students used it first with me and now  have continued to use this independently and have found it to be a helpful way to breakdown the problem and understand vocabulary.

Hi Meryl and all, I started using this bookmark with my class last semester. The English learners in my class are reading at around the third grade level. I think it would be most effective to introduce each of the strategies one at a time, especially with English learners and other low level readers. Even so, I think the bookmarks were useful to the students. They helped us begin the conversation about metacognition. One thing that was especially effective was having each student share with a partner or small group to identify a problem they had with the text. These conversations between and among students--without the teacher's help-- almost always resolved the comprehension problems. This was wonderful for me to discover. Learning through meaningful interactions with each other was far better than having me explain everything.

Cheers, Susan

Moderator, Assessment CoP

Hi Susan,

It's good to hear that you've used the bookmark successfully with English learners with lower reading levels. One of the preoccupations I've had while reading these chapters and encountering these activities has been how to adapt in a way that will make sense in the context. A good reminder for me going forward is not to conflate language ability with cognitive ability here. If lower-level English learners encounter these concepts in a way that's comprehensible, I'm sure they will participate in the process as yours did. As the teacher, it's "translating" the method that's going to be the challenge.

Jen

Hi Jen and all, Thanks for drawing a distinction between cognitive and language abilities. What I have found especially helpful with language learners (these students are at about the 3rd grade reading level on TABE), as I noted in a previous message, was to have students work with one or two partners to share one of the specific items on the metacognitive bookmark. For example, depending on the particular text, I might ask the students to complete specific prompts in conversation with their partner or group. Prompts might be:  "I predict that ..."  or "When I read this part, I pictured _________________ in my mind." or "One thing I have a question about is ...." , etc.

One of the things that is emphasized in the RA text is to take time to debrief with students after they engage in an activity by asking them to reflect on how the activity helped them to better understand the text. This is a step that I want to be sure to include with my new class.

I have found the partner and small work work to be hugely beneficial as students readily share with one another. The conversations have been more meaningful and --I would also say-- more academic compared to previous lessons I've taught since these prompts take students directly to the text.

I'm eager to hear from others who are starting to engage students in using the metacognitive bookmark.

Cheers, Susan

Moderator, Assessment CoP