Metacognition in a gifted classroom : planning, note-taking, and checking for accuracy

• Main Author: Cotton, Graeme
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2010
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/27280

Previous research indicates that planning, note-taking, and checking for accuracy encourage metacognitive awareness and better self-regulation. Facility with these particular metacognitive skills is important for researching and producing long-term projects, a major component of this program. Fourteen intellectually gifted grade four and five students in a gifted education class were instructed in the metacognitive strategies of planning, note-taking, and checking for accuracy over the course of one school year. This teacher directed study investigated if these students were capable of learning metacognitive strategies essential for successful self-regulated learning. Students were instructed in metacognitive strategies through a variety of highly interactive instructional techniques, including modelling, whole class activity, partner work, and independent assignments. Student work was evaluated by independent raters at the end of the study and was subjected to repeated measures of variance. The data demonstrates that explicit strategy instruction supports the development of metacognition in gifted grade four and five students. They are capable of learning to plan, note-take, and check for accuracy thus improving self-regulating behaviours.