Becoming an Intentional Educator Through Metacognition
Being intentional about your teaching strategies and lesson planning often requires you to slow down and reflect on the choices you’re making. But what questions should you be asking yourself? These prompts are great to jumpstart your journey as a metacognitive instructor!
While I am deliberate and purposeful in my teaching and course design, I find I skimp on the reflection part and avoid asking myself the hard questions. Why, I wonder, am I not taking time to reflect? Do I think I intuitively “get it” and that “it” is correct or the best way? Do I think that being a deliberate educator is enough (no reflection necessary)? Additionally, when I more closely consider what metacognition means, I realize I am missing the self-regulation component, the intentional changes I may need to make after the lesson or course. Reflecting and noting my observations and ideas coupled with deliberate action to improve (self-regulating) will result in my becoming a more effective metacognitive instructor.