VEE HEURISTICS AND CONCEPT MAPPING :

1. VEE HEURISTICS AND CONCEPT MAPPING : Two metacognitive tools to use in the classroom

2. 1. Make your question 2. Why do you think it’s important to know more about this question? 8.Why is the new information important for you? 7. What new information did you learn? 3. What do you know about this question? Construct a first Concept Map. Construct a second Concept Map. 4. From where can you get an answer to your question? 6. What kind of information did you collect? 5.What did you do in order to find an answer to your question?

3. LEARNER 1 1. Make your question What is an insect? 8. Why is the new information important for you? I enjoyed a lot learning new things in this way. 7. What new information did you learn? Construct a second Concept Map. second Concept Map second drawing 6. What kind of information did you collect? I learnt that insects have 3 body parts, the head, thorax and abdomen. 2. Why do you think it’s important to know more about this question? I want to know because it is something new and I don’t know about it. 3. What do you know about this concept? Construct a Concept Map. first Concept Map. first drawing 4. From where can you get an answer to your question? I can get an answer by looking at insects and imagine how they are. 5. What did you do in order to find an answer to your question? We worked on the computer We looked at pictures We went to outings to see insects.

4. LEARNER 3 1. Make your question. What is an insect? 8. Why is the new information important for you? because now I know more and I can show that I studied. 2. Why do you think it’s important to know more about this question? because I love animals • What do you know about this • question? Construct a first • Concept Map. • first Concept Map • first drawing 7. What new information did you learn? Construct a second Concept Map. second Concept Map. second drawing. • 6. What kind of information did you collect? • about insects 4. From where can you get an answer to your question? I don’t know……maybe from books or in gardens 5. What did you do in order to find an answer to your question? We looked at the computer, books and pictures. We went to a place where I could look at insects.

5. VEE HEURISTICS • Focus Question • Left Hand Side: the thinking/reflective part • How one feels about the question • Why does one wants to know more • Prior knowledge displayed through a first Concept Map. • Captures how the learner plans to learn – learning patterns. • Right Hand Side: the action part • What did one do to learn – learning patterns • What new knowledge was constructed – Second Concept Map • How does one feels about what was constructed.

6. CONCEPT MAPS • Facilitate organisation and representation of knowledge. • Effective in identifying both valid and invalid ideas held by learners. • Promotes learner autonomy • Are presented as a personal or collaborative creation & reflection whilst empowering learners to be actively involved in their own learning. • Reveal that learning is continuous and never ending

7. MERGING METACOGNITIVE TOOLS AND LEARNING PROCESSES. • Metacognitive tools give us an explicit picture of what’s going on in the learner’s head and how they respond to incoming information. • Learning processes explain why they respond in the way they do.

8. Some conclusions • Children learn most effectively when they are allowed to use their own learning processes • Vee Heuristics and Concept Mapping helped capture the learners’ growth in a more complete manner than any single contrived assessment could • The Let Me Learn Process is value added since it sheds light upon the learners’ learning processes.