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I recently heard Judy Willis (of "syn-naps" fame) speak at a conference.  In her pre-teaching life, she was a neurologist and she brings her knowledge to the classroom and to her lectures.  (See my recently published article in Teacher Magazine, "My ...

So I looked at my 8th grade students' scores after they took the MMA and sighed.  Their scores sucked.  

Science Daily is reporting that there has been a shift in how students are thinking as a result of their use of technology.  They believe it possibly lowers critical thinking skills and analysis.  Additionally, they wonder just how much schools ...

OK, you know when you get a new puppy and you love it and you couldn't live without it and then you find out it has hip dysplasia?   That's a little of what my relationship is like with my new ...

So I just got the January MindWare catalogue and I realize that here we have a toy catalogue that is solely for metacognitive purchases.  So this got me thinking: how can schools market metacognition?  I realized, of course, that until ...

I was reading this great article from Slate Magazine about the cheese that is Billy Joel.  And I thought back to many a car trip singing his "Themes from an Italian Restaurant."  I also remembered just how many times I'd ...

Here's a great metacognitive lesson that integrates poetry.  Or is it a poetry lesson that is metacognitive?  (Shrug)  I believe that good writing and great structure can be taught through mimicking great authors.  Using this philosophy as my guide, my ...

I've been working on metacognitive lessons with my middle schoolers in an attempt to teach reflection and the act of thinking about thinking.  Anyway, one of the most important elements in teaching about thinking is in your own remembering of ...

I recently watched John Merrow's interview with Michelle Rhee on the NewsHour.  Michelle seems like a real mixed blessing for education. On one hand, she's willing to clean house, and education does seriously need it.  On the other hand, however, ...

The Boston Globe is reporting that some students deliberately "shoot themselves in their own foot."  Some of the reason is that trying hard is frightening.  Now, don’t get all uppity.  Let’s face it; even the most mature of adults may ...