Metacognition is a wonderful word! It simply means ‘thinking about thinking’.
In adult language we use metacognitive words and phrases all the time, like “What do you think …?” or “Imagine …”, “I guess …”, “What if …?”
The more awareness we are about any topic, the more likely we are to understand it better. This applies to thought and words.
Initially, when children learn to communicate, they are basically operating at a rate cause and effect level: they do or say something and something else happens as a result. As children learn to speak, they will practice speaking aloud from their game.
But as they get older, words become more and more involved in the thought process. Over time, they are able to use words mentally to work their way through complex thought processes. Some research supports the idea that thinking helps develop language skills.
By the time children finish elementary school, they should be able to think about the meaning of words and language, and have some awareness of the thought process. If you teach your child from toddler to think about thinking, you can improve this process.
As a speech pathologist, I find that I can improve children’s language skills by increasing their awareness of metacognition.
My top tips for helping kids develop good metacognition skills include:
- Speaking of the etymology of the words, where the words come from. This helps explain odd spelling, when children understand that words come from different languages. So many different languages have influenced English at various times in history.
- Talk about new words in our language, such as words for food from other countries (for example, sushi), or invented words for new technologies (for example, megabytes).
- Searching for homophones: words that sound the same but have different meanings (eg. Eight and ate). They are fun to find and it is important for children to know which is which and how it is spelled. Many, many homophones are everyday words.
- Make sure children understand non-literal language when people say something that is not exactly what they mean. This includes idioms (for example, “You make me crazy!”). You can have fun looking at these in everyday language and imagining what would happen if the phrase were literal. Make sure they understand the sarcasm as well.
- Introduce your child to poetry full of metaphors. Show how wonderfully words can say more than just words by conjuring up images in your mind. Encourage them to write their own poems.
- Make sure your child understands the tone of voice. Talk about the difference tone of voice can make. Try saying the same phrase in different tones of voice, to match different emotions.
English is a language rich in words that are used to describe thinking. It is a colorful and dynamic language that grows every day. A love of the complexities of words and language is one of the most precious gifts we can give our children.
And by fostering their metalinguistic development, we help improve their speaking, writing, and thinking skills in the process.