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Figure 1
Screenshot of Actively Learn™ Platform using Glory Song Lyrics*
*Smith, C., Legend, J., & Lynn, L. (2015). Glory. On Selma: Music from the motion picture [CD]. Los Angeles: Paramount Pictures/Pathé Productions.
Supporting Metacognition.
Metacognition, or thinking about one’s thinking, plays an important role in supporting comprehension before, during, and after reading. In order to comprehend, readers must monitor their understanding by identifying difficulties and using various “fix up” strategies to engage in thoughtful, reflective reading. Actively Learn™ makes annotation, once done solely with paper and pencil, possible with digital text. In this platform, students can both highlight and use the “insert note” feature to annotate text. Notes can be posted privately to the teacher or shared with the class. Students can engage in deep reading of text by asking or answering questions, making connections, sharing inferences, clarifying, summarizing, or predicting. Actively Learn™ curates student annotations—allowing teachers to view and respond to student notes in real time. Figure 2 demonstrates students’ use of metacognitive strategies while reading the Gettysburg Address.
