PED 5 WEEK 2
Metacognition
is considered a critical component of successful learning ‘…themselves through
metacognitive strategies such as adapting , monitoring , self-regulation. If we want
students to develop into critical thinking, lifelong learners, we need them to develop
metacognitive skills. Metacognition is vital for helping students become self-directed
learners (both self-managers and selfstarters). It will help them navigate the
complexities of a changing world and it will help them as they engage in creative work.
In this blog post, we explore how to make that happen.
Navigating the Maze
• We live in an era where robotics and artificial intelligence will replace many of our
current jobs. Global connectivity will continue to allow companies to outsource labor to
other countries. Our students will likely change jobs every five to seven years. The
corporate ladder is gone and, in its place,, is a complex maze. They will inhabit a world
of constant change. But how do we help students navigate that maze?
We often hear that our current students will work in jobs that don’t exist right now. But
here’s another reality: our current students will be the ones who create those jobs. Not
every student will create the next Google or Pixar or Lyft. Some students will be
engineers or artists or accountants. Some will work in technology, others in traditional
corporate spaces and still others in social or civic spaces. Some of them will work in
high-skilled manufacturing. But no matter how diverse their industries will be, our
students will all someday face a common reality. They will need to be self-starters and
self-managers.
The Critical Role of Metacognition
People debate about which subjects will prepare kids for the future – whether it’s
engineering or coding or philosophy. But I love way A.J. Juliani puts it, “Our job as
teachers is not to ‘prepare’ kids for something; our job is to help kids learn to prepare
themselves for anything.” This is why metacognition is so important. When students
have strong metacognition skills, they are able to anticipate change and navigate
complexity. But that doesn’t always happen. According to a Pascarella and Terenzini
study, one of the most significant challenges college students face is managing their
own learning. However, it goes beyond success in college and career. If we want
students to become lifelong learners, they need to know how to own their learning;
which means they need to know how to think about thinking.
How Does Metacognition Work?
• It starts with the ability to assess the task at hand. Here, students have a clear picture
of what they need to accomplish. This part sounds easy. However, this goes beyond
simply reading instructions. It includes the ability to integrate prior knowledge with new
knowledge and make connections between direct instruction and a new tasks. If a task
feels too complicated, students can become overwhelmed and give up. Other times,
they might oversimplify the task or get hung up on one specific detail.
How Does Metacognition Work?
• In the second phase, students evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses. This can
be tricky if students have an inaccurate view of their skills. Often, students who are
highly skilled will suffer Imposter Syndrome, where they underestimate their skills
because they are painfully aware of what they don’t know. On the other hand, students
with a lower skill level might experience the Dunning Kruger Effect, where they
overestimate their skills.
How Does Metacognition Work?
• Afterward, students plan out their approach. Note that this does not have to be a
detailed plan. In some cases, students might visualize where they need to be and what
they need to do to get there. However, it’s interesting that experts tend to spend more
time in planning than novices but are more effective in implementation, because novices
experience more initial mistakes.
How Does Metacognition Work?
• Students then take action and apply the strategies and monitor their progress, which
leads to the next phase, where they reflect on their learning and adjust their approach.
Here, they might determine new strategies that ultimately lead back to a re-assessment
of the tasks. Effective problem-solvers are more likely to adjust their approach by
highlighting what’s working and fixing what’s failing while poor problem-solvers are more
likely to stick with an approach that isn’t working.
How Does Metacognition Work?
• This cycle can happen rapidly or over a longer stretch of time. And it doesn’t always
follow the sequence systematically. In some cases, it can almost feel so seamless that
it’s invisible. However, even so, it is vital for learning.
NATURE AND OTHER PRINCIPLES OF METACOGNITIVE FACTORS OF
LEARNING.
NATURE OF THE LEARNING PROCESS
GOALS OF THE LEARNING PROCESS
CONSTRUCTION OF KNOWLEDGE
STRATEGIC THINGKING
NATURE OF THE LEARNING PROCESS
The learning of complex subject matter is most effective when it is an intentional
process of constructing meaning from information and experience.
GOALS OF THE LEARNING PROCESS
The successful learner, overtime and with support and instructional guidance, can
create meaningful, coherent representation s of knowledge.
CONSTRUCTION OF KNOWLEDGE
The successful learner can link new information with existing knowledge in meaningful
ways.
Individual differences in Metacognition
• Age 5 or 7.
• They continue to improve throughout school years.
• Developmental
• Two questions that kids can ask themselves or that teachers can ask students can
help students become more metacognitive (see Perry, et al., 200)
• What did you learn about yourself as a reader/writer/learner today?
• What did you learn that you can do again and again and again?
• Students, however, vary greatly in their metacognitive abilities - some differences are
probably biological or variations in learning experiences
DISTINCTION BETWEEN COGNITIVE AND METACOGNITIVE LEARNING
STRATEGIES
Cognitive and Metacognitive strategies and skills are closely related in terms of them
both involving cognition and skill but they are conceptually distinct in at least one major
way. Weinstein and Meyer state that a cognitive learning strategy is a plan for
orchestrating cognitive resources, such as attention and long term memory to help
teach a learning goal. This indicate that there are several characteristics of cognitive
learning strategies, such as being goal-directed, intentionally, invoked, effortful, and are
not universally applicable, but situation specific.
DISTINCTION BETWEEN COGNITIVE AND METACOGNITIVE LEARNING
STRATEGIES
Metacognitive strategies appear to share most of this characteristic with the exemption
of the last one since they involve more universal application through focus upon
planning for implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. That is to say metacognitive
strategies are not so situation specific but involve generic skills essential for adult, more
sophisticated forms of thinking and problem solving.
