Using Videos to Teach About Metacognition

YouTube features many videos about metacognition and learning-power: some aimed at educators and some more suitable for use in the classroom. Here's one of our favourite ones, for example, from The Smithsonian Science Education Center...

It's a great video to show to your students to introduce them to metacognition. However, as any teacher worth their salt knows: no matter how good a video is, steps need to be taken to ensure learners get the most out of it instead of being rendered as passive learners through a lack of well-planned learning activities to accompany a given video.

One fantastic way to get more value from video-based learning activities is to supply students with a well-designed and engaging worksheet that they add information to whilst they watch a video or series of videos.

Our Metacognition Video-Learning Pack is a substantial resource with two main components:

1. A set of 10 video-learning sessions, each with its own specific worksheet

2. A separate set of 10 double-sided video-learning worksheets that can be used with any videos or documentaries in all school subjects.

The first component covers the following topics, all of which relate to metacognition and learning-power:

1. Introduction to Metacognition

2. Building Memory Palaces

3. How to Improve Concentration

4. Mind-Mapping & Effective Note-Taking

5. How to Improve Memory

6. Revision Tips, Tricks & Strategies

7. Increasing Motivation & Energy

8. Critical Thinking & Higher-Order Thought

9. Boosting Learning Power (Video-Learning Session)

10. How Emotions Can Impact Learning

Each one comprises a full learning-session that can last 40-60 minutes and contains integrated assessments and plenaries. The sessions contain links to YouTube videos: this means that an active internet connection is required for teachers to use these videos in their class.

The second component of this resource, the set of video-learning worksheets, allows teachers to enhance learning when students are engaging with video or documentary materials: it is a useful resource for teachers to have access to and will improve student engagement, reduce "coasting", encouraging the creation of useful notes, and help students to organise the information they encounter.

The first component is a way to teach students about metacognition and metacognitive strategies directly: it is a straightforward way to foster metacognitive awareness and deliver metacognitive knowledge and understanding. The second component is a tool that will allow your teachers to enhance the effectiveness of their teaching whenever they are using a documentary or series of videos in lessons; the worksheets can be used to structure and guide learning and ensure that students are engaging with information from the video-material instead of just coasting through the lesson.

Combined they form a substantial whole-school metacognition teaching resource. Have a look at this preview of our Metacognition Video-Learning Pack...