Self reflection for Meta-Cognitive Thinking

Take a moment to post your summary of how a portfolio can capture student learning… and archive student learning.  In Ch. 4 Solution fluency – how can the portfolio provide the place where students plan and finally debrief about the problem they are asked to solve?  

As we discussed in our first Skype session today a portfolio provides a place for the student a place to house their work.  Proper use of this tool can show a students growth and overall performance over the course of the class. Portfolios have been broken down into three different levels by Dr. Helen Barrett.  These three levels include:  level one (Collection), level two (Work-space), and level three (Showcase). It is important to note that the student has the ability to make their portfolio their own so they can make it more personal and something they are proud to complete.  One important aspect of a portfolio is it affords an opportunity to the student to use meta-cognitive thinking.  A descriptive pictorial of this type of thinking can be found under the e-portfolio to showcase Artifacts tab on the website provided on the Moodle site.  Meta-cognitive thinking is cyclical approach that encompasses goal setting, "capturing the moment", and most importantly reflection. As we discussed John Hattie described this concept as "thinking about thinking." The use of a portfolio allows the student to plan what they want to post, and then reflect on their work after they have posted which is key to fully grasping necessary material.  Another key aspect that can be applied is the concept of Solution fluency that was discussed in Ch. 4 of the class text Literacy is not Enough.  This concept consists of 6 D's including:  define, discover, dream, design, deliver, and debrief.  Each stage in this process is considered a learning progression were students can received feedback then move on to the next stage or step in the cycle.