LIBE 477B 63A Reading Review #3 October 4, 2020

Reading Review Synopsis

I included the following links and added a synopsis to each:

https://www.edutopia.org/video/whats-metacognition-and-why-does-it-matter

https://www.ted.com/talks/thandie_newton_embracing_otherness_embracing myself?language=en

https://web-a-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=b5421165-6ce3-4db1-93bf-af2dc96c4325%40sessionmgr4008

They served primarily to define key words like metacognition, self-awareness, and  e-portfolio (EP).  

As I focused on key words like metacognition, e-portfolio, and self-awareness, I cam across numerous articles using the UBC Library on studies made to find empirical evidence that yes, EPs and digital reflection increased meaningful learning.  Many focused on certain EPS created and university students that were able to complete questionnaires independently.  It was challenging to find resources on school-age children. 

 

Here are my thoughts on pertinent articles:

 

Ashley, G. C., & Reiter-Palmon, R. (2012). Self-awareness and the evolution of leaders:

                        Applied Management, 14(1), 2-17. Retrieved from

                        http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=https://www-   

                        proquestcom.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/1082324501?accountid=14656

 

BC's New Curriculum. (n.d.). Retrieved October 03, 2020, from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/english-language-arts/3

Church, Allan H. (June 1997). Do you see what I see? An exploration of congruence in ratings 

            from multiple perspectives. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 27(11): 983-1020.

 

Ashley & Reiter-Palmon focused on “...how self-awareness may be related to the context of ... leadership development” (2012).  The outcomes of their study demonstrated that “...leaders higher in self-awareness tend to get better outcomes than those with lower levels of self-awareness” (2012).

 

In early literacy, students are expected to learn that “stories can be understand from different perspectives”, as taken from the BC’s revised curriculum Grade 3 Language Arts Big Ideas.  When children are given more opportunity to interact with more than one side of the story, they are also given the experience to interpret perspective other than their own.  As we try to guide 21st century learners and prepare them for their global community, it made me think of collaboration, empathy, and inclusiveness.  All in all, practicing activities, digital, oral, or written, that support self-awareness would benefit students to become more flexible learners.

 

The study involved a large population of young American university students using an online survey program, like Survey Monkey to answer questions on cognitive and affective qualities of self-awareness and their perspective, as well as using a role-play activity between employer and employee.   Ashley and Reiter-Palmon found that “although a good case can be made that self-awareness is related to all four of these causes, self-awareness especially is important in the context of adaption, transition, and changes because this context speaks most directly to the issue of self/standard gaps” (2012).  They found traits like creativity, emotional intelligence, empathy, feedback, and metacognition played a large role in what the students believed a strong leader would possess. 

So, is self-awareness and the reflective process teachable?  According to the researchers and Church, “...interventions could be used to increase self-awareness” (1997).  This study does not pertain to using EPs and its benefit or lack thereof, towards supporting metacognition and self-awareness, but it does give strength to the encouraging thought that we have the means to help students foster this skill and be more effective learners.  Is this something that we could do in one year, or share and collaborate with colleagues to start at a very young age, continue through to middle school and so on, and gather empirical evidence ourselves to show its efficacy, using a common digital platform?  Perhaps.  MBP is designed so that the year could be archived and saved.  The student’s EP follows them to Grade 12 as long as they are in the same school district.

Abrami, P.C., Venkatesh, V., Meyer, E.J., & Wade, C.A. (2013). Using electronic portfolios to     

        foster literacy and self-regulated learning skills in elementary students. Journal of 

        Education Psychology, 105 (4), 1188-1209.  Retrieved from https://doi-

        org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/10.1037/a0032448

Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Attaining self-regulation: A social-cognitive perspective. In 

        M.Boekaerts & P. R.Pintrich (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (pp. 13–39). New York, NY: 

        Academic Press. doi:10.1016/B978-012109890-2/50031-7

 

This next study helped me better understand how electronic portfolios support elementary students and whether or not skills of self-awareness and metacognition were being fostered.  Finding research on age-appropriate learners (for my own inquiry), Canadian, and using a e-portfolio similar to that of MBP (My BluePrint) gave me more specific insight before I delve into putting focused lesson plans in to place for my present classroom.  ePEARL, the e-portfolio in the study used, focused on forethought, performance, and self-reflection to promote student learning.

Researchers in this study used Zimmerman’s model of self-regulation.  Forethought outlines goal setting, planning, intrinsic interest.  Performance includes self-control, attention-focusing and task strategies, and self-observation (self-recording), and the last phase is self-reflection.  Zimmerman’s model “...puts great emphasis on social, environmental, and personal influences in efforts to self-regulate effectively” (2000).  This model also involves not just the participant, but also peer and teacher feedback; collaboration that really supports 21st century learning.

Some thoughts came from the researchers’ initial posits: If my students have no background knowledge on self-regulation, goal-setting, I cannot realistically expect them to practice self-awareness tools on a digital platform right away.  There needs to be more teaching around forethought and practice before introducing the technology bit.  At present, I will be taking a virtual orientation on MBP next week, and a district support teacher will be working with the students virtually (as well) as we are on iPads and just beginning to log on to the program.  In this sense, my progress with using e-portfolios as a tool for fostering metacognition and self-awareness will be a lot slower than I expected.  From the images of ePearl, I can tell already that MBP is a more engaging and accessible platform for students, teachers, and parents.  Because MBP is backed by the Langley school district, I feel support is put in place.  I have ensured a class set of iPads between my cohort teachers, and have asked for co-teaching support from our TL.  Our school theme is the “Power of Yet” so I can tell we will have technology “bumps” and we will be making many mistakes, but it will all be done in the sake of learning.   

The study described the frequency of use of ePearl and sample reflective comments by students.  It gave me some insight as to how many times I would like to use MBP monthly and how I could help students with meaningful, reflective observations.  I noticed students would enter “I had fun.  It was okay” as responses which doesn’t really give clear, thoughtful feedback on the item/assignment/project being entered in the portfolio.  Because I know many of my students already have low written output, I will be giving the recording video option, and perhaps even interview students with guiding prompts to help with their e-portfolio entries.

The study itself focuses more on metacognition when entering data into an EP (e-portfolio).  It follows the template of entering a task description, criteria, goals, goals re-visited, strategies used, strategies re-visited, content (picture/video of task), reflections, feedback.  In the end, the results of student/teacher interviews, questionnaires before/after, showed a positive impact of EPs on students’ literacy skills and self-regulation strategies.  I found this research article to be extremely helpful and plan on using it as a guide when using MBP with my current class.  It helped confirm that it is worthwhile to use an EP to practice self-awareness and metacognitive skills as it is 1) engaging and dynamic and 2) technology piece supports 21st century learning.

Paris, S. G. (1994). Becoming reflective students and teachers : With portfolios and authentic assessment American Psychological Association.

Paris’ book on Becoming reflective students and teachers may have been published in the early 90s, but has relevant examples and processes that can be utilized for today when assessing EPs.  Portfolios have been endorsed because they offer viable alternatives, or at least mean- ingful supplements, to traditional testing, and because portfolios can foster self-regulated learning in ways that testing cannot (Paris, 1994, 62).  The seven dimensions of literacy development that seem important for students in all elementary schools include:

 - engagement with text through reading

 - engagement with text through writing

 - knowledge about literacy,

 - orientation to literacy

 - ownership of literacy

 - collaboration, and

 - connectedness of the curriculum.

(Paris, 1994, 63)

As this author focuses on literacy for their portfolio, and the portfolios mentioned are physical, I can see the benefit of EPs here.  The multimodality of EPs as well as the differentiation that can occur, would benefit all learners as opposed to a physical portfolio.  The ideas presented that portfolios in themselves, help students learn to value their own work and due to the collaborative piece, can examine their work from other perspectives.

To be truthful, I have yet to put the assessment piece in my inquiry.  I can see the benefits of establishing a third point when conferencing with students and parents, or giving guidance to our one-to-one feedback interviews when a student has clearly reflected on their goals, the process of reaching them, what changed, and how they see themselves as a learner.

The book offers many templates and examples of ways to assess portfolios that I can take into consideration when carving a more succinct view of the inquiry question: how can I best use EPs to foster metacognitive and self-awareness skills?

images from Bitmoji