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Language and Language Development

Assignment

Metacognitive Strategies and

Multiple Intelligence Tests
To teach well, it is important to know a students strengths. Once a teacher is aware of how a
student learns, that teacher has the power to manipulate the learning environment to best suit
the student(s). For example, according to the Multiple Intelligence test, a person can work well
in cooperative groups and/or independently. As a teacher, if I know this about my students, I will
implement both cooperative group and independent study activities so as to reach all of my
students. It is imperative to know the degree of a students multiple intelligences as well as to
teach them to utilize metacognitive strategies in order to accommodate each individuals
learning style and to be able to reach students struggling to learn English.
The Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA) is a method to help English
Language Learners (ELLs) obtain academic fluency in English. In the late 1970s, Dr. Jim
Cummins categorized two types of ELLs BICS and CALP. When a student shows he/she is
conversationally fluent in a second language, it is considered basic interpersonal
communication skills (BICS) whereas when they are at a higher learning level of cognitive
academic language proficiency is it referred to as (CALP). His research found that ELL students
are able to be conversationally fluent (BICS) in approximately two years, but it took them 5-7 years to
be considered fluent in academic language (CALP). So although a student may be
conversationally fluent in your classroom, he/she may struggle with the actual mechanics of the
language. It is therefore important to reach a student at his/her level ability and to utilize his/her
learning strengths to do so. CALLA also utilizes the theory of three different types of knowledge:
Declarative (factual knowledge), Procedural (how to) and Metacognitive Knowledge (utilizes
prior knowledge). We will focus on Metacognitive strategies for the sake of this paper.
Metacognitive Strategies pull from prior knowledge, "Metacognition is one's ability to use prior
knowledge to plan a strategy for approaching a learning task, take necessary steps to problem
solve, reflect on and evaluate results, and modify one's approach as needed. It helps learners
choose the right cognitive tool for the task and plays a critical role in successful learning."
Utilizing Metacognitive Strategies, students:
1. Develop a plan: "What am I supposed to learn?" "What prior knowledge do I have?" "What
should I do first?"
2. Monitor: "How am I doing?" "Am I on track?" "Should I adjust something?"
3. Evaluate: "How well did I do?" "What did I learn?" "What could I have done differently?"
Some of the ways in which Metacognitive Strategies work is by utilizing graphic organizers,
KWL charts, Venn Diagrams, etc. All students can use these forms of graphic organizers to
show what they already know, and ultimately what they have left to learn. For an ELL, he/she
can pull from existing knowledge, despite the language barrier, and apply that context to the
lesson at hand.
Another way in which students can learn about their optimal learning environment is by taking a
Multiple Intelligence Test. Multiple Intelligences consist of linguistic, logical-mathematical,
spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. Everyone has these

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intelligences in varying degrees. It is the capacity in which a student learns. "Language,
numbers, environment, sound, physical movement, and social skills, for example, are used to
carry out various instructional approaches." It is essential, therefore, to combine various
teaching methods in every day lessons so as to reach the strength of each student. There are
several things a teacher can do to assist in instruction, accounting for every intelligence type.
For example, if a student studies better in lower light, the teacher can adjust the lighting so
the fluorescents are on one side of the room only. Another way to adjust to different intelligences
is to incorporate individual work with group and pairs. Each student will excel in one of these
categories. A student can excel in more than one category, but it is up to the teacher to adjust
the learning environment so that all students have the ability to be successful.
Multiple Intelligence Tests as well as incorporating Metacognitive strategies can help our ELL
students. Not only is an ELL learning subject matter in a different culture, but they are also
learning it in a different language. Being able to first identify key strengths and then being able
to use strategies to assist in the learning process, is key. If an ELL struggles in independent
work, and through a Multiple Intelligence Test the teacher learns that ELL is better at group
work, adjustments can be made and the success rate of that student can increase.
After taking the Multiple Intelligence tests, more than one category applies to me. My highest
scores were in interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences, which appear to contradict one
another. For example, I work well independentlyAND in cooperative groups. I like self-paced
instructionAS WELL AS goal-setting sessions. Regardless of the contradictions, I feel this test
does give some insight to my best learning environment. I am able to work in both a group and
an individual setting. I enjoy both, depending on the project and my mood. In being made aware
of my strengths I can manipulate my learning environment accordingly. As a teacher, I can also
do the same for my students. It is a valuable tool for a teacher to have.
Teachers are the key to not only teaching subject matter, but also in teaching students how to
learn ways in which they can best learn. Metacognitive Strategies and The Multiple Intelligence
Test are ways in which a student can identify key learning strengths. Once key learning
strengths are identified, students can begin practice those strengths accordingly. As a teacher, it
is important to incorporate various strategies to assist all learners in understanding the subject
matter, as well as in learning the English language.

California Department of Education (2001). Effects of Multiple Intelligence on Instruction.

Retrieved, February 26, 2016
from http://pubs.cde.ca.gov/tcsii/documentlibrary/effectintelligence.aspx
Diamond, Andrew. Study.com. Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach. Retrieved
February 28, 2016 from http://study.com/academy/lesson/cognitive-academic-languagelearning-approach.html
TEAL (Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy). Fact Sheet: Metacognitive Processes. Retrieved,
February 26, 2016 from https://teal.ed.gov/tealguide/metacognitive