WHAT IS METACOGNITION?

Metacognition is defined as "cognition about cognition", or "knowing about knowing". It comes from the root word "meta", meaning behind. It can take many forms; it includes knowledge about when and how to use particular strategies for learning or for problem solving. There are generally two components of metacognition: knowledge about cognition, and regulation of cognition

If you teach a person what to do, you are preparing that person for the past. If you teach a person how to learn, you are preparing that person for the future. - Cyril Houle

The most important goal of education is to teach students how to learn on their own. It is vital that students acquire the skills of how to learn; and that these skills enable them to learn not just while they are in school but for a lifetime. This entails a deeper awareness of how ones processes information, the ability to evaluate his own thinking and to think of ways to wake his own learning process more effective. ALL THESE ENVOLVES METACOGNITION.

The term METACOGNITION was coined by John Flavell. For him METACOGNITION is consist of both Metacognitive Knowledge and Metacognitive Experiences or Regulation. Metacognition, simply put, is thinking about thinking or learning how to learn It refers to higher order of thinking which involves active awareness and control over the cognitive processes. Favell further divides, metacognitive knowledge into three categories; knowledge of person variables, task variables and strategy variables.

Person Variables this includes how one views himself as a learner and thinker. Knowledge of person variable refers to knowledge about how human being learn and process information, as well as individual knowledge of ones own learning processes.

Task Variables knowledge of task variables includes knowledge about the nature of the task as the type of processing demands that it will take place upon the individual. It is about knowing what exactly needs to be accomplished, gauging its difficulty and knowing the kind of effort it will demand for you.

Strategy Variable knowledge of strategy variable involves awareness of the strategy you are using to learn a topic and evaluating whether this strategy is effective. If you think your strategy is not working, then you may think of various strategies and try out one to see if it will help you learn better. Terms like meta-attention and metamemory are related to strategy variable.

Meta-attention is the awareness of specific strategies so that you can keep your attention focused on the topic or task at hand.

Metamemory is your awareness of memory strategies that work best for you.

JEANNE ELLIS ORMROD INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING IN THE PRACTICE OF METACOGNITION;

Knowing the limits of ones own learning and memory capacity Knowing what learning tasks one can realistically accomplish within a certain amount of time

Knowing which learning strategies are effective and which are not
Planning an approach to a learning task that is likely to be successful Using effective learning strategies to process and learn new material Monitoring ones own knowledge and comprehension. In other words, knowing when information has been successfully learned and when its not

Using effective strategies for retrieval of previously stored information

Knowledge is said to be metacognitive if it is keenly used in a purposeful manner to ensure that a goal is met.

WILLIAM G. HUITT BELIEVES THAT METACOGNITION INCLUDES THE ABILITY TO ASK AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF QUESTIONS;
What do I know about this subject, topic, issue? Do I know what do I need to know? Do I know where I can go to get some information, knowledge?

How much time will I need to learn this?

What are some strategies and tactics that I can use to learn this? Did I understand what I just heard, read or saw? How will I know if I am learning at an appropriate rate?

How can I spot an error if I make one?

How should I revise my plan if it is not working to my expectation/satisfaction?

METACOGNITION AND DEVELOPMENT

Researches showed that metacognition awareness was evident in preschoolers and in student as young as eight years old. Children already may have the capacity to be more aware and reflecting of their own learning. However not many have been taught and encouraged to apply metacognition. The challenge then to future teachers like us is to integrate more activities that would build our students capacity to reflect on their own characteristics as learners, the tasks they are to do and the strategies that they can use to learn.

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF TEACHING STRATEGIES TO DEVELOP METACOGNITION:

Have students monitor their own learning and thinking. Have students learn study strategies Have students make predictions about information to be presented next based on what they have read. Have student relate ideas to existing knowledge structures. Have students develop questions; ask questions themselves, about whats going on around them. Help students to know when to ask help.

Show students how to transfer knowledge, attitudes, values, skills to other situations or tasks.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NOVICE AND EXPERT LEARNERS

ASPECT OF LEARNING
Knowledge in different subject areas

NOVICE LEARNERS
Have limited knowledge in the different subject areas

EXPERT LEARNERS
Have deeper knowledge in different subject areas because they look for interrelationship between things they learn.

Problem solving

Satisfied at just scratching the surface; hurriedly gives a solution to the problem

First try to understand the problem, look for boundaries and create a mental picture of the problem

Learning/Thinking Strategies

Employ rigid strategies that may not be appropriate to the task at hand Attempt to process all information they receive

Design new strategies that would be appropriate to the task at hand. Select important information to process; able to breakdown information to manageable chunks. Check their errors and redirect their efforts to maintain quality output

Selectively in Processing

Production of output

Do not examine the quality of their work, nor stop to make revisions