The definition and use of metacognition in the learning process

To plan this, Amy reflects on how she learned best on the last topic—using the school textbooks—and decides to read the relevant chapter before drafting her presentation points. However, when reading it she decides that the chapter does not really improve her understanding.

They do this by gaining a level of awareness above the subject matter: Metacognitive practices help students become aware of their strengths and weaknesses as learners, writers, readers, test-takers, group members, etc.

This research suggests that increased metacognitive abilities—to learn specific and correct skills, how to recognize them, and how to practice them—is needed in many contexts. She first describes four assignments for explicit instruction p. What did not work so well that I should not do next time or that I should change?

We must offer alternatives and then challenge students to test the efficacy of those approaches. A common assignment in English composition courses is the self-assessment essay in which students apply course criteria to articulate their strengths and weaknesses within single papers or over the course of the semester.

These activities can be adapted to assignments other than exams or essays, such as projects, speeches, discussions, and the like. As these examples illustrate, for students to become more metacognitive, they must be taught the concept and its language explicitly Pintrich, ; Tanner,though not in a content-delivery model simply a reading or a lecture and not in one lesson.

Metacognition instruction should also be embedded with the content and activities about which students are thinking. In explicitly connecting a learning context to its relevant processes, learners will be more able to adapt strategies to new contexts, rather than assume that learning is the same everywhere and every time.

This kind of modeling is a good practice in metacognition instruction, as suggested by Tanner above. What would such a handout look like for your discipline?

Students can even be metacognitively prepared and then prepare themselves for the overarching learning experiences expected in specific contexts. Similarly, in courses with sensitive subject matter, a different kind of learning occurs, one that involves complex emotional responses.

References Bransford, John D. Brain, mind, experience, and school. Baker, Linda, and Brown, Ann L. Metacognitive skills and reading.Leclercq, D. & Poumay, M. () The 8 Learning Events Model and its principles.

Release LabSET. Assessment. Assessment is described as the process of gathering information about a learner’s performance using a variety of methods and materials in order to determine learners’ knowledge, skills, and motivation for the purpose of making informed educational decisions.

Within the UDL framework, the goal is to improve the accuracy and . Evidence summaries.

Accessible summaries of educational research to guide teachers and senior leaders on how to use your resources to improve learning outcomes. The definition above is a mouthful, which makes it seem like a difficult concept, but we as adults use metacognitive strategies all the time to succeed at tasks in our personal and professional lives.

Metacognition Defined. The simplest definition of metacognition is thinking about your thinking. A more complex definition that is widely cited within educational literature is an appreciation of. Definition Sometimes referred to as teenage years, youth, or puberty, adolescence is the transitional period between childhood and maturity, occurring roughly between the ages of 10 and