Module 6

Engagement to Metacognition and Self-Reflection    

Chapter 6: "Engage Students in Metacognition and Self-Reflection"

    In Chapter 6, "Engage Students in Metacognition and Reflection", of Rigor by Design, Not Chance, author Karin Hess emphasizes the importance of metacognition in the classroom, leading the chapter with the statement, "The fifth essential teacher move to deepen learning is to engage students in metacognition and reflection activities- not as an afterthought, but as crucial to students becoming independent learners" (2023, p. 248).

    In the chapter opening, Hess mentions the difference between metacognitive skills and self-reflection which she states are often incorrectly used interchangeably. She states that while the terms are interrelated, "metacognition happens 'in the moment' during learning; reflection is the act of looking back on past learning" (2023, p. 248). She goes on to state that metacognitive students can attend closely to their learning, ultimately in some control of where their path leads. Similar to rigor, metacognition is especially beneficial when it is student-led, which can be accomplished when engagement is high. To achieve student engagement, a teacher can help the students to understand the continuum so they can subsequently self-monitor and provide ongoing opportunities for metacognitive and reflective activities. In addition to engagement, teachers can also assist in teaching students' self-reflection through modeling and assistance.

   Following the reading of Chapter 6, I chose to look further into maintaining engagement. Hess mentions engagement being necessary in developing student reflection and metacognition, so I decided to start there. While this may sound like a simple task, I am currently facing a classroom who lacks motivation, perseverance, and engagement despite many, many attempts at making learning fun. So much so for example that on Friday following their first end of module assessment (which proved to be incredibly taxing and difficult for the majority of the students) we planned a fun Friday where they could work with partners of their choosing, in the classroom of their choosing, and complete a math mystery. The math mystery is essentially math in game format- solving clues and working together to reveal the mystery and earn a prize. In previous years, this game has always been highly sought after and requested. However, this year, the announcement of the math mystery was met with sighs, moans, "no's" and even a child who threw themselves to the floor. That being said, I feel this topic closely relates to my current classroom and am looking for any and all suggestions as how to increase their engagement and ultimate work ethic.

    Within my search on Edutopia I found the article "4 Classroom Design Tactics to Motivate Students" by Cathleen Beachboard. Giving what I mentioned about lack of motivation in my classroom, the opening statement, "Motivating students can sometimes feel like a battle", immediately intrigued me to continue reading. Beachboard goes on to further mention needing to nudge students into desired behaviors using a simile of individuals using the stairs but only when the elevator is broken. She credits behavioral economist Richard H. Thaler and legal scholar Cass R. Sunstein who discusses successful nudging in Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness. It is there she states they reveal "the environments we create often shape behavior more than we realize" (Beachboard, 2025). Beachboard mentions the following tactics in nudging the students: reduce friction: make engagement easy, engage the brain with visual cues, visually spark curiosity to sustain engagement, and illustrate progress to reinforce behavior. She categorizes these nudges as having the ability to "create a classroom environment where engagement and success feel natural" (Beachboard, 2025). To reduce friction, Beachboard states "behavioral science shows that even tiny obstacles can have a significant impact" (2025). She relates tiny obstacles in a classroom to being missing supplies, which her solution to was creating a grab-and-go supply station for independent access for her students. To engage the brain with visual cues, Beachboard suggests using "cleverly placed visual cues" which "can prompt action more effectively than a dozen verbal reminders" (2025). Her visual cue strategy is using a question parking lot where students can post advice or questions during independent practice. Following practice, the notes in the parking lot are addressed as a group. To visually spark curiosity to sustain engagement, Beachboard suggests placing a fun fact or intriguing question related to the topic on the board. To illustrate progress to reinforce behavior, Beachboard suggests "creating a visual space to recognize progress is critical for maintain momentum" (2025). In her classroom, she does this through a living wall- "a shared space where students post sticky notes highlighting their achievements" (Beachboard, 2025).

   I found one connection between Cathleen Beachboard's "4 Classroom Design Tactics to Motivate Students" and Karin Hess's "Engage Students in Metacognition and Self Reflection". Hess and Beachboard both relate engagement to self-reflection despite them mentioning different reflection strategies. Hess mentions using reflective journaling to "provide ongoing feedback opportunities between a student and teacher" (2023, p. 274) while Beachboard mentions using visual cues and a question parking lot. 

   Overall, I found both articles to be very educational and my takeaway from the combination of them is to support engagement using a variety of resources, modeling, and support, while simultaneously teaching self-reflection and metacognitive skills. The combination of these three items will support a more student-led, successful classroom.

Beachboard, C. (2025). 4 Classroom Design Tactics to Motivate Students. Edutopia.

Hess, K. D. (2023). Chapter 6: Engage Students in Metacognition and Self Reflection. In Rigor by Design, Not Chance: Deeper Thinking Through Actionable Instruction and Assessment (pp. 247–292). essay, ascd.