Teaching Students to Drive Their Brains: Metacognitive Strategies, Activities, and Lesson Ideas

I enjoyed this book a lot, and used parts of it with a metacognition workshop that I taught teachers in NJ. We met for the second time today and many teachers shared how they used some of the principles in this book with their students and how their students took these ideas and ran with them. One RTI teacher said they have a new classroom motto: Be the driver, not the passenger.

The book touches on various aspects of metacognition: Brain Plasticity, Practical Optimism to Improve Motivation, Goal Setting (the best one in my view), Maintaining Attention, Self-Monitoring and Learning with Peers. There are actionable steps given in each chapter. Also, in each chapter, there is a section to help you use the material presented in your own professional practice. As with most K-12 books, there is a good part of the book that you will not use. The examples for high school were not that applicable to my Algebra classes.

This book is a fabulous resource to provide guidance for integrating metacognitive strategies into the classroom. I coach teachers and therapists in finding ways to more intentionally support a metacognitive foundation for their students, and this book is a go-to resource for me!

Practical applications of how to teach with and for metacognition in the classroom are offered. The science behind metacognition is briefly explained as are the reasons for teaching students how to learn. I found the book to be instructive and of value to classroom teachers.

Worth the read. Lots of great thinking and planning.

great book

Wow! Wilson and Conyers have hit it out of the park again. Teachers and students need to know that they are indeed in charge of their own brains. IQ is not fixed, and effort trumps talent. This book guides teachers at all levels to make this concept a part of their own classrooms through the use of metaphors, strategies, instructional tips, and sample lessons. Equip students for lifelong success through the metacognitive strategies in this book. You won't regret it.

This book is a valuable tool that veteran and novice teachers alike will benefit from reading. The research and strategies provided are applicable to today's diverse classrooms, and will help to support learners who struggle with attention challenges. I find the suggestions and research-based strategies within the text to be informative for educators aiming to provide opportunities to generate independence and instill a sense of confidence in their students. I will be using this book to support my project-based approach to learning in my classroom as well as recommending Teaching Students to Drive Their Brains to my fellow faculty members this school year.

Perfect book to enable me to support Primary aged pupils to understand their thinking and hopefully start making their own connections in their learning.

Superficial Book with poorly prepared ideias. The book could have explored the examples more deeply. The chapters are short and have paragraphs organized in a bullets points.