Christie Caron Metacognition

While attempting to reason with myself about the way I think I began to realize the complexity and intricacy incorporated and found it to be a struggle to pinpoint exactly how the ways that which I organize my thoughts help me succeed in everyday tasks. Before I heard of this word, the concept never even went through my mind that one should think about the way they think and how beneficial this strategy can be. Upon my own interpretation concerning the ways I read, I develop the feeling at the end of a page that I really didn’t know any key points or events that occurred on that page, most likely because my mind is always racing, thinking non-stop of the next item of business I must complete in order to have some time to relax. However, when reading an important text for a class, I take notes in the margins of the paragraphs, highlight key ideas, and usually write reflections or summarizations of each chapter on a separate piece of paper. I keep the chapter summaries in order in a binder or notebook to help me remember in the future sequence of events and how each main idea in a chapter is built upon. Additionally, I use schemas to help myself relate to what I am reading with past experiences or past learning activities. Likewise, at the end of each chapter, I contemplate what key ideas are extremely important to the direction the books seems to be heading as well as what I believe my teacher is urging us to find in the reading. When I find these important quotations or passages, I mark them with sticky notes and write why I believe these to be important.
Before I begin a writing assignment, I like to incorporate outlines, webs, or a concept map. Each of these methods help me to pick out the main ideas and supporting facts for the main ideas and give me a less stressful way in devising topic sentences and main ideas for each paragraph.

Then, when writing, I find it simple to begin the paragraphs in such a way that provides a direction that proves the main ideas using the highlighted supporting facts and evidence from either the web, outline, or concept map I had made.

When thinking about the way I organize my thoughts, I realize how beneficial metacognition is for both excelling and struggling learners. When I realize what helps me study or absorb information, I use these more often as a reading or writing tool that will aid me in achieving a quality grade. Teachers must reinforce this idea in order to help their students find their own methods and be able to help themselves as well.