Skills for Effective Learning in School

Supporting Emotional Health and Wellbeing

Alison Waterhouse

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• eBook ISBN: 9780429765865
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

One of the five books in the Mental Health and Wellbeing Teacher Toolkit, this practical resource focuses on the topic of 'Skills for Learning'. The book offers research-driven, practical strategies, resources and lesson plans to support educators and health professionals. This is a resource book for practitioners looking to have a positive impact on the mental health and wellbeing of the children and young people in their care; both now and in the future. Chapters span key topics including Metacognition, Learning Dimensions, Problem Solving and Cognitive Strategies. A complete toolkit for teachers and counsellors, this book offers:

• Easy to follow and flexible lesson plans that can be adapted and personalised for use in lessons or smaller groups or 1:1 work

• Resources that are linked to the PSHE and Wellbeing curriculum for KS1, KS2 and KS3

• New research, 'Circles for Learning', where the introduction of baby observation into the classroom by a teacher is used to understand and develop self-awareness, skills for learning, relationships, neuroscience and awareness of others

• Sections on the development of key skills in communication, skills for learning, collaboration, empathy and self-confidence

• Learning links, learning objectives and reflection questions.

Offering research-driven, practical strategies and lesson plans, Skills for Effective Learning in School is an essential resource book for educators and health professionals looking to have a positive impact on the mental health and wellbeing of the children in their care; both now and in the future.

Chapter 1
Metacognition

THINKING ABOUT THINKING

PLANNING OUR PROJECT

MONITORING OUR LEARNING

REVIEWING OUR WORK

METACOGNITIVE TALKING

Thinking about thinking!

Session objectives

To develop an understanding about what a thought is and how thinking about our thinking supports us with our learning.

Session outcomes

• To be able to share our ideas about thinking.
• To be able to verbalise our thinking about learning.
• To be able to define metacognition.

Lesson plan

• Remind the children about a time when they watched their class baby ‘think’ about a task.
• Support the children to remember and think about a time when they watched their baby undertaking a task and their parent watching and thinking about them.

For those classrooms not able to undertake the Circles for Learning Project, video clips or photographs can be used to support the discussion around the topic and stimulate thoughts and ideas from the children and young people.

Task

• KS1: To explore where they think best and what they need to be able to think well.
• KS2: To create something using a selection of ‘junk’ and share their thinking process.
• KS3: To explore ways that they learn facts for a test and then create their own revision resource.

KS1

1. Read the book I am Henry Finch by Alexis Deacon and Vivian Schwartz.
2. Ask the children about how Henry felt about thinking and what he needed to be able to think.
3. Explore where they think best and what they need to think.
4. Ask the children to draw a thought that they had about the book.

KS2

1. Read the book Going Places by Peter and Paul Reynolds.
2. Discuss what they thought about the book.
3. Ask the children to work individually or in small groups. Give each group the same variety of ‘junk’ and ask them to make something as a group.
4. As they work, ask them to draw the different thoughts that they had inside the thought bubbles to create a thinking timeline.
5. Create a small exhibition showing the creation and their thinking timeline.
6. Discuss their thinking as a group after the exhibition. What did they learn about their thinking process?

KS3

1. Share a short historical information sheet with the young people.
2. Ask them to create a resource to help them learn the information for a test.
3. Discuss their immediate thoughts – even if they are negative? Share them as a group.
4. Ask the young people to work in small groups, pairs or on their own and document their thinking process using the metacognition question sheet.
5. Ask the young people to create their resource.
6. Share the resources and the metacognition question sheet as a walk around exhibition.
7. Discuss what they have learnt from undertaking the task and from looking at what other people have done.

Resources

1. I am Henry Finch by Alexis Deacon and Vivian Schwartz
2. Thought bubbles
3. Going Places by Peter and Paul Reynolds
4. Thought bubble timeline
5. Metacognition question diagram

Important points

We are often not aware of our thinking. However, if we stop and think about our thinking it can help us to learn and review our learning.

Learning links

Metacognition, planning and reviewing work.

Reflection

Questions:

Positive comment from child:

Positive comment from adult:

LEARNING DIMENSIONS		SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL SKILLS
Strategic awareness		Emotional literacy
Learning relationships		Neuroscience
Curiosity		Self-regulation
Creativity		Self-development
Meaning making
Changing & learning
Resilience

Metacognition Question Diagram

Planning our project

Session obj...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 Metacognition
• Chapter 2 Learning dimensions
• Chapter 3 Problem solving
• Chapter 4 Cognitive strategies
• Bibliography