Metacognition- exam wrappers When you lack knowledge you also tend to lack awareness of how much knowledge you lack.

How to promote student metacognition with post-test reflection, using a tool that researchers call an exam wrapper.

An exam wrapper is a brief set of questions, listed on a piece of paper that is literally “wrapped” around a graded test as it is being handed back to students (hence its name). Marsha Lovett of Carnegie Mellon University developed exam wrappers when it became clear that many students who’d done well in high school were struggling in college. Part of the reason was that they lacked metacognition: they were not aware of the weaknesses in their study strategies.

Lovett realized that the moment when tests are handed back is an ideal occasion for prompting self-reflection. Her research finds that students who are given exam wrappers along with their graded tests are more likely to report adopting different and more effective study strategies.

The takeaway: If you want students to become more aware of how they learn and to adopt more effective strategies for learning, prompt them to engage in post-test reflection with an exam wrapper.

Method Ask students to fill out a set of questions about their revision/learning processes as soon after the exam as possible (possibly as a homework activity?) Then hand back their test/assessment paper and give them their grade. Ask students to answer a different set of questions where they reflect on their revision methods against the result they get. Physically ‘wrap’ the responses around their exam paper. Review the exam wrappers, looking for patterns in students’ preparation for and experience of the test that you can discuss with them. Before the next test, hand the wrappers back to students, to be used as a reminder of the importance of preparation and as a guide to how to go about preparing for the test.

Before you see your exam result: Please predict your mark/grade. On a scale of one to 10, how much effort did you put into preparing for this exam? How long did you spend revising for the exam? List the specific revision techniques you used to revise for this exam. What did you find easiest on the exam? Why?   What was most difficult for you on the exam? Why?

After you see your exam: Now that you have seen your exam, how do you feel about your performance? Was your prediction correct? Did you expect to perform better than you actually did?   Determine the source of each test question: text book, exercise book, teacher input…. On the next exam in this class, would you change any of the revision strategies you used, or the amount of time you spent revising? Please be specific. Can you suggest anything else your teacher could do to help you to prepare for the exam?