Saturday, January 8, 2011

#8 - Metacognition

Now wait just a minute there.  Where are you going?

Don't freak out, I'm not going to get all educational on you here (well, maybe a little, but still, don't freak out).

Disclaimer out of the way?  Good.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about thinking.  More accurately, I've been thinking about how wondrous it is that we can even consider the concept of thought.

Don't you think that it's interesting that even with as much as we know about the human body, including the brain, we still don't fully understand how our consciousness works?  Granted, we get how neurons send electrical signal, and what happens to people when there is damage to an area of the brain.

I promised you no edujargon, so I'll lay this out in a way that even I could understand:
"Metacognition is the process of thinking about thinking" (Kearsley, 2010).
So why am I fascinated so much by our consciousness, and our ability to philosophize in general?

I'm not sure.

I only know that, as a lay person, I've had an interest in the human mind for a long time (I'm sure that a parallel universe Damon is a neuroscientist of some sort).  Why else would I order some Philip K. Dick and Ray Kurzweil when presented with a Barnes and Noble gift card? (Of course, my father may have had something to do with the love of SciFi with his everchanging collection of hardcovers and paperbacks.  We're talking Asimov, Pohl, Heinlein, Clarke, the big hitters.)

I love curiosity.  I love creativity. As far as I know, and, to the degree that we display these traits, they are exclusively human.  Sure, some animals are curious, but how many of them compose blog posts on consciousness?

I'm currently reading The Element by Ken Robinson, Ph.D., and it speaks directly to the issues discussed above: how creativity and intelligence are not mutually exclusive. (note: I'm only in the third chapter of the book as of this posting.  I highly recommend the book, although you may find it a bit of a slow, circular start.)

Can I tell you a quick(ish) story?

When I was in the eighth grade, I knew what I wanted to do for a living; I wanted to be a band director.  Specifically, I wanted to come back to my (then future) alma mater and be the band director.

I was an adequate musician in a small school (big fish little pond), even though I didn't work hard at it.

As humbling as it is to admit, I was torn to SHREDS in my first week of music theory by one of the most brilliant musical minds I've ever met, the late Dr. Joseph Thomas.  In that week, we were required to submit some music theory workbook pages on key signatures and clefs and notes and other basic theory things that everyone else knew.

I had no theory background, so I got a D- on that assignment, with some fairly strong commentary, some of which suggested I might want to consider an alternate major.

I should mention that I was at the top of my high school class academically - not to brag, just to provide context.

I had no idea what a D- even looked like in person.

Still, I had the dream of being the band director, so I buckled down and actually learned.  Dr. Thomas' music theory and aural training classes were challenging but incredibly educational.  For example, in the second year theory course, we were often asked to write one sentence about a particular measure in a score he would supply.  The measure, or chord, or phrase, would be something pivotal to the piece and he would expect us to not only see that, but also to find a way to write about it eloquently.  He was as harsh on us regarding sentence structure as he was on the content of the writing.

I remember this, because I was engaged in the course.

Sadly, I don't remember much else about my undergrad coursework, primarily because I approached those classes as a means to an end: a degree.  Need the degree if you're going to go back to teach at your alma mater, right?

Wait.  Why am I telling you this, when the point of this post is thinking about thinking?

I'm just reflecting on my thought processes at the time, from the standpoint of a career educator, and realizing how any of my professors (or K-12 teachers) could have engaged me in their content.

In Dr. Thomas' classes, I was required to be creative.  One part of our final exam for my second year aural training exam was to select three traditional Christmas carol melodies (from memory) and supply the original harmonization as well as a reharmonization that we composed. Part writing rules apply!

Eventually, I passed my classes, did my student teaching, and earned my teaching credentials.  I subbed for a couple years, taught at a small Catholic school for a couple years, and eventually ended up realizing my childhood dream; I was hired to teach at my alma mater.

I only lasted four years, before leaving for a technology professional development position at another educational entity.

Even though I came to the conclusion that teaching music at the K-12 level just wasn't for me, I still believe that music is an integral part of who I am.

I play bass and guitar for a singing group that my children are in, once in awhile I get to play some worship music at church or at work, and I write some weird electronica pieces from time to time.  Writing or playing music allows my consciousness to enter Flow, and that's a good thing.  If it was good enough for Einstein (Foster, 2005), probably good enough for me, right?

Likewise, education, and the process of educating others, is also a big part of me.  Ask my wife, I struggle to turn off "teacher mode," regardless of my context.

However, both of these activities allow me to use my brain, and think about things, in a different way.

I charge you to let you mind wander, be creative, think big thoughts, and dream big dreams.

Will all of us be the President of the United States of America when we grow up?

Nope.

But that doesn't mean that your daydreams won't turn into something that could change the world.

Think about your thinking, in order to find ways that you are creative!






References:

Foster, B. (2005). Einstein and his love of music. Retrieved from http://www.pha.jhu.edu/einstein/stuff/einstein&music.pdf

Kearsley, G. (2010). The Theory Into Practice Database. Retrieved from http://tip.psychology.org/meta.html

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