Metacognition

Sometimes it is a challenge to get students to read, even if they are given an opportunity to choose their own novel.  Some kids just dislike reading.  It is an even bigger challenge to get those students to think about what they are reading and to engage in the text.  I’ve often asked myself: what is the best way to get students to think critically about what they read and to make connections?  How does an educator go about teaching students this skill?  Good readers are active readers, so how do we make our kids read actively?

I went to a conference over the weekend, and one of the speakers I saw had also considered these questions, and has employed the “Questioning as Thinking” (QaT)framework as a solution.  If students become aware of their thoughts while reading, they will become more active, and hopefully, better readers.  Using a framework such as this one, students can virtually read anything – magazines, newspapers, fiction, or non-fiction – and still benefit from the exercise in metacognition.    

Most reading teachers have heard of and have likely employed metacognition strategies such as this and  QAR (Question-Answer Relationships), so it really isn’t anything new or innovative, but hearing the speaker reveal how she uses QAR and QaT to motivate her 11^th and 12^th grade Intensive Reading students was inspiring and gave me many ideas on how I can continue to incorporate strategies to engage students, get them to really think while they read, and ultimately become better readers as a result.

What other strategies can teachers use to engage their students and guide them to think critically about the texts they read?