I meet with parents weekly who share their fear that their child won’t survive in college. Moms tell me that if it wasn’t for them and their constant reminders of what is due, when it is due, and making sure that it gets done, their child would fail.
Does this sound familiar? Are you trying to figure out what skill prevents your smart kid from doing what you think should come easy and you know that they are capable of doing?
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The Secret to Problem Solving Skills
The answer is metacognition, and it is vital for helping students become self-directed managers, good problem solvers, and lifelong learners.
What Metacognition Is
Metacognition helps you navigate the complexities of a changing world, and we need it now more than ever.
Metacognition happens when students analyze tasks, set goals, implement strategies and reflect on learning. These thinking strategies allow students to be aware of their knowledge and memory and improve them.
Behavioral Signs of Weak Executive Functioning
Does your child have difficulty with any of the following tasks?
- Knowing how to start homework on their own
- Finding answers to questions that are NOT included in the textbook or study guide
- Struggle to answer questions on the tests if they are not written exactly like they were on the study guide or in their notes
- Planning, organizing, and managing the time for an upcoming project
- Reading comprehension
Metacognition is the behavioral output of executive function skills.
How Executive Function Skills Work
Executive Function (EF) skills assist in learning by using working memory. For example, a student reading has to keep the information from the beginning of a passage to the end. EF also helps to support the focus and reflection needed to complete these metacognitive tasks. Many professionals want to offer strategies for metacognition support but fail to understand that if a student is weak in EF skills, those strategies most likely won’t work.
Metacognition and Executive Function
The relationship between metacognitive skills and EF skills is interconnected. These two cognitive processes are like the tandem bike of the brain. If you want optimal drive, they both need to be pedaling.
This is part one of a two-part blog. It is essential to know what is causing the problem before learning how to fix it. For example, I just received an email from a mom whose son struggled. Here is what she wrote:
I don’t recognize my son. In just one month, we went from fighting every evening to get started on his homework to a kid who has it finished. His confidence is improved, he wants to finish it on his own, and our evening routines are no longer miserable. Thank you.
Executive Function Skills + Metacognitive Skills
Executive Function Skills (EF) and Metacognitive Skills. EF is the set of neurocognitive processes that help with attention, impulse control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. These skills are associated with the prefrontal cortex and other areas of the brain. Metacognition, on its most basic level, is thinking about thinking. It is defined as the awareness and understanding of one’s thought processes. When they are weak, smart kids struggle to meet parents’ and teachers’ expectations.
How to Improve Cognitive Skills in Your Child
If you are worried that your child is struggling in this area and you want to know how you can help. I encourage you to book an appointment with me and let me assess their cognitive skills, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and give you a solution to the problem.
My work is solution-focused and results-driven. I have 27 years of clinical experience and a passion for changing lives. When I evaluate your child, my goal is to find the root of the problem, offer a solution, and change the trajectory of how your child learns.
Do you have questions? Schedule a free 10 Minute phone call with me and let me answer your questions: https://thecognitiveemporium.com/10-minute-evaluation/