Self-instructions
Overview
When students engage in a dialogue with themselves, they are able to orient, organize, and focus their thinking. By talking through steps and procedures, learners are able to go through the Composition process and consciously direct their Attention to relevant aspects of their learning.
Example: Use This Strategy in the Classroom
Beginning at 6:15, watch this fifth grade teacher conference with a student about his writing. As he explains his plan, he shares his thinking and how he can improve his writing. Now when he continues to work independently, he can work on these next steps that he voiced to his teacher.
Design It into Your Product
Videos are chosen as examples of strategies in action. These choices are not endorsements of the products or evidence of use of research to develop the feature.
Watch how Turnitin's Revision Assistant can help students plan their writing based on immediate feedback. Through targeted comments and ratings on a rubric, students know how to improve their writing, and they can apply these suggestions to other areas of their writing, creating a plan to enrich their pieces.
Additional Resources
Additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.
Factors Supported by this Strategy
More Metacognitive Supports Strategies
When annotating, students engage deeply with a text and make their thinking visible while reading.
Checklists and rubrics help students understand expectations as they navigate more complex tasks and assignments.
Setting overall goals with actionable steps for achievement can help students feel more confident in their skills and abilities.
Journaling allows students to reflect on their thinking and feelings, process their learning, and connect new information to what they know, supporting their identity development and Sense of Belonging.
When students reframe negative thoughts and tell themselves kind self-statements, they practice positive self-talk.
Pre-assessments are tools or activities used before instruction begins to help educators understand what students already know, understand, or can do—and where they may need support.
Student reflection on learning, particularly when done collaboratively, is critical for moving knowledge of content and strategies into Long-term Memory.
When students monitor their comprehension, performance, and use of strategies when reading and writing, they build their Metacognition and actively participate in the reading process.
