Metacognition
Metacognition
⮚ This term was coiled by John Flavell(1979-1987).
⮚ It is the awareness or analysis of one’s own learning or thinking process.
⮚ It is the acquired knowledge about cognitive processes.
⮚ It is “thinking about thinking” or “learning how to learn".
Three Categories of Metacognitive Knowledge
1. Person Variable – knowledge about how human beings learn and process
information.
2. Task Variables – knowledge about the nature of the task. It is about knowing what
exactly needs to be accomplished, gauging its difficulty and knowing the kind of
effort it will demand you.
Example: Being aware that you take more time to do tasks in Mathematics
than English.
3. Strategy variables – involves awareness in the strategy you are using to learn a topic.
Example: The task/lesson to be learned is broken down into its parts for
separate practices.
Examples of Teaching Strategies to Develop Metacognition
1. Have students monitor their own learning and thinking.
2. Teach students learning strategies.
Example: TQLR – metacognitive strategy before listening to a story or a presentation.
Tune in
- Pay attention and be ready to learn.
Question
- The learner is given questions or he will prepare questions about what
he will soon learn.
Listen
- The learner exerts effort to listen.
Remember
- The learner uses ways or strategies to recall what was learned.
3. Have students make predictions about the information to be presented next based
on what they have read.
4. Have students relate ideas to existing knowledge structures.
5. Have students develop questions; ask question of themselves, about what is going
on around them.
6. Help students to know when to ask help.
7. Show students how to know when to transfer knowledge, attitudes, values, and skills
to another situation or tasks.
Learner-Centered Psychological Principles
The LEARNER-Centered Psychological Principles were put together by the American
Psychological Association that is meant to provide a framework for developing an
incorporating new strategies and designs of teaching. These 14 principles are divided into
four factors:
Cognitive and Metacognitive
1. Nature of the Learning Process
Learning of complex subject matter is most effective when it is an intentional
process of constructing meaning from information and experience.
2. Goals of the Learning Process
The successful learner, over time, with support and guidance can create
meaningful, coherent representations of knowledge.
3. Construction of Knowledge
The learner can relate new information in meaningful ways.
4. Strategic Thinking
The learner can create and use a repertoire of thinking and reasoning
strategies to achieve complex goals.
5. Thinking about Thinking
Higher-order strategies for selecting and monitoring mental operations
facilitate creative and critical thinking.
6. Context of Learning
Learning is influenced by environmental factors including culture, technology,
and instructional practices.
Motivational and Affective
7. Motivational and Emotional Influences in Learning
What and how much is learned is influenced by the learner’s emotional
states, beliefs, interests, goals, and habits of thinking.
8. Intrinsic Motivation to Learn
Learning is stimulated by tasks of optimal novelty and difficulty, relevant to
personal interests, and providing for personal choice and control.
9. Effects of Motivation on Effort
Acquisition of complex knowledge and skills requires extended learner effort
and guided practice. Without this motivation, willingness to exert effort is unlikely,
unless coerced.
Developmental and Social
10. Developmental Influences on Learning
As individuals develop, they encounter different opportunities and
experiences, as well as constraints for learning. Learning is most effective
when differential within and across physical, intellectual, emotional, and
social domains is taken into account.
11. Social Influences on Learning
Learning is influenced by social interactions, interpersonal relations, and
communication with others.
Individual Differences
12. Individual Differences in Learning
Learners have different strategies, approaches, and capabilities for learning
that are a function of prior experience and heredity.
13. Learning and Diversity
Learning is most effective when differences in learners’ linguistic, social, and
cultural backgrounds are taken into account.
14. Standards and Assessment
Setting appropriately high and challenging standards and assessing the
learner and learning progress – including diagnostic and outcome
assessment are integral parts of the learning process.
Watch this video for explanations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk_ECpVpIDo&feature=share
