Improving Thinking about Thinking in the Classroom: What Works for Enhancing Metacognition

What are the best ways to enhance metacognition in the course of classroom teaching? This research-to-practice book shows how to go beyond simple student reflection to use any of 19 different practical strategies. Each chapter describes a different method, gives the research evidence to support the effectiveness of the method and then provides guidelines for implementation. You will learn about programs within traditional curriculum subjects, programs across the traditional curriculum, programs focusing especially on self-regulation, programs for disabled and special needs students, and programs embedded in a digital environment. You will also discover common features of the methods, so you can see the similarities across the methods and ultimately devise your own ways to develop metacognition and self-regulated learning. With the powerful practices in this book, students will develop a refined ability to think about how they think and learn, preparing them for their futures beyond school.

Keith James Topping is a researcher, educator, author and international speaker. His special interests are peer learning, parents as educators, social competence, computer-assisted assessment and inclusion. Topping has written 29 books and over 400 other publications including over 200 peer-reviewed journal papers.