Utilizing the sketchbook to support metacognition in the secondary level art student

Metacognition - thinking about one\u27s thinking - involves higher order thinking skills and reflection. Incorporating metacognitive strategies into an art curriculum allows the students to monitor their own thinking. By using a sketchbook to include both drawing and writing entries, students show evidence of their learning as well as exhibit reflective practice during the creative process. The format of a sketchbook allows the students to be cognizant of the steps in the creative process of imagining/generating, planning/preparing and exploring/incubating before they begin making art. The sketchbook permits art students to revisit their thinking by looking back at the entries to guide their problem-solving actions. Students who exhibit greater metacognitive abilities tend to be more successful thinkers