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Thinking About Thinking: Using Formative Practice to Grow Metacognitive Learners

February 19, 2026 | 2 PM ET

Learning improves when both instructors and students regularly pause, reflect on evidence, and make intentional adjustments. Metacognition, a students’ ability to plan, monitor, and evaluate their own learning, is one of the most powerful yet underused levers for improving success and persistence in college courses. At the same time, instructors are already collecting rich evidence about learning through formative practices: quick writes, polls, draft reviews, and other low-stakes checks for understanding. This webinar brings metacognition and formative practice together to highlight the impact of the two digitally-enabled, evidence-based teaching practices.

In this insightful panel, faculty and practitioners will explore how everyday formative strategies can be intentionally designed to foster metacognitive learners. Panelists will share concrete examples of prompts, activities, and feedback moves that help students surface their thinking, interpret feedback, and make informed adjustments—rather than simply chasing points. Participants will see models from a range of disciplines and institutional contexts, with attention to how metacognitive supports can advance student success for every learner. Attendees will leave with ideas for an action plan for integrating metacognitive moves into their own formative practice to transform learning for their students.

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

Explain the core components of metacognition (planning, monitoring, and evaluating) and describe how they connect to formative assessment and feedback.
Identify digitally-enabled formative practices that explicitly prompt students to think about their own thinking.
Plan strategies to use formative evidence, including student self-reflection, to adjust instruction in ways that support all learners and improve student outcomes.

Workshop Leaders

Jessica Bernards

Professor of Mathematics, University of Oregon and Portland Community College>

Jessica Bernards is an award-winning mathematics educator and consultant with nearly two decades of experience. She teaches at the University of Oregon and Portland Community College and is the founder of Jessica Bernards Consulting, where she partners with institutions and organizations on equitable grading, leadership, and AI in education. Jessica served as Northwest Vice President of AMATYC, keynotes at national conferences, and leads faculty workshops. A curriculum consultant, textbook author, and creator of an OER math study skills series, she champions active, inclusive learning.

Derek Bruff

Associate Director, Center for Teaching Excellence, University of Virginia>

Derek Bruff is an associate director at the Center for Teaching Excellence, working remotely from his home outside Nashville, Tennessee. Derek is involved in a number of programs and projects, including supporting the Faculty AI Guides program and serving as an editor for external contributions to Teaching Hub. Derek directed the Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching for more than a decade, where he helped faculty and other instructors develop foundational teaching skills and explore new ideas in teaching. He has written two books, Intentional Tech: Principles to Guide the Use of Educational Technology in College Teaching (West Virginia University Press, 2019) and Teaching with Classroom Response Systems: Creating Active Learning Environments (Jossey-Bass, 2009). Currently, Derek produces the Intentional Teaching podcast and newsletter. Derek has a PhD in mathematics and has taught math courses at Vanderbilt and Harvard University.

Jennifer Byall

Mathematics Instructor, Southeast Technical College>

Jennifer Byall is a Mathematics instructor in the General Education division at Southeast Technical College in Sioux Falls. She began her college teaching career in 2006 at Peninsula College in Port Angeles, Wash. She was an IBEST instructor supporting the Automotive Technology program. She continued teaching at technical and career colleges in Minnesota, Missouri and online. She enjoys linking math concepts to the "real world" and helping students apply what they learn to their program content. Jennifer began teaching as an adjunct at Southeast Technical College in 2020 and has taught full-time since 2023. She strives to help students understand math as well as see how it will help them in their future. Her background running a successful business and working with a variety of programs allows her to make the content relatable for every student. She is always learning new ways to help students.

Dr. Christina Durón

Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Pepperdine Seaver College>

Dr. Christina Durón is an assistant professor of mathematics at Pepperdine University. She earned her PhD in mathematics at Claremont Graduate University in 2019. Prior to joining Pepperdine in 2022, she was a postdoctoral research associate in the department of mathematics at the University of Arizona for three years. Dr. Durón would describe herself as an educator and scholar. Teaching mathematics is her passion and she is continually striving to become a more effective teacher by applying new tools and skills to motivate students both inside and outside of the classroom. In her research on network theory and analysis, Dr. Durón develops computational and statistical techniques to model, analyze, and explore complex, relational data.

Dr. Christine Latulippe

Visiting Associate Professor, Linfield University>

Dr. Christine Latulippe is a Visiting Associate Professor at Linfield University. Throughout her faculty experiences at a public Hispanic-serving institution and at a private liberal arts college, Christine has promoted equity and worked to advance inclusive excellence, facilitating learning that applies to and enriches the lives of preservice and in-service teachers alike. Many students have never known how strong their mathematical skills are because they were never given permission to share their own strategies and come to their own understanding of mathematical concepts. Christine strives to change that experience, allowing for student success and opening doors to populations who may not have yet recognized themselves as part of higher education communities.