"Thinking about thinking"

1. FACILITATING LEARNING
Module 1: Metacognition
Learning Outcomes:
a. Explain metacognition in your own words; and
b. Apply metacognitive strategies in your own quest for
learning as a novice or an expert learner.

2. The most important goal of education is to
teach students how to learn on their own.
“If you teach a person what to learn, 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

4. METACOGNITION???
It is not at all that complicated. In fact, we do
metacognitive activities so often in our daily
lives.
When you sense that you are experiencing
some difficulty with a topic you are studying,
and you try out different strategies to learn
better, you are practicing metacognition.

5. He coined the term “metacognition”
which is accordingly consisting both
Metacognitive Knowledge &
Metacognitive
Experiences/Regulation.
John
Flavell

6. METACOGNITION
“Thinking about thinking”
Refers to a higher order
thinking which involves active
awareness and control over the
cognitive processes engaged in
learning.

7. METACOGNITIVE KNOWLEDGE
Refers to acquired knowledge about cognitive
processes, knowledge that can be used to control
cognitive process.
Three categories of Metacognitive Knowledge:
1. Person Variables
2. Task Variables
3. Strategy Variables

8. Person Variables
Includes how one views himself as a learner and
thinker. Knowledge of person variables refers to
knowledge about how human beings learn and process
information, as well as individual knowledge of one’s
own learning process.

9. Task Variables
Knowledge of task variables includes knowledge
about the nature of the task as well as the type of
processing demands that it will 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 from
you.

10. Strategy Variables
Knowledge of strategy variables 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.
Meta-attention & Meta-Memory

11. Meta-Attention
The awareness of specific strategies so that you can
keep your attention focused on the topic or task at
hand.
Meta-Memory
Your awareness of memory strategies that work
best for you.

12. Knowledge is said to be metacognitive if it is keenly
used in a purposeful manner to ensure that a goal is
met.
Example…
“I know that I (personal variable) have more
difficulty with my Science assignments than
English and find Social Science easier (task
variable), so I will do my homework in Science
first, then English, then Social Science (strategy
variable).

13. The challenge here then to educators is how to integrate
more activities that would build the student’s capacity
to REFLECT on their own characteristics as learner
(self-knowledge), the tasks they are to do (task
and the strategies that they can use to learn (strategic
knowledge).

14. Metacognition involves
knowledge and skills which
YOU and YOUR STUDENTS
can learn and master.

15. Teaching Strategies to Develop Metacognition
1. Monitor the students,
2. Teach the STUDY/LEARNING STRATEGIES,
3. Let the students make predictions,
4. Relate ideas to existing knowledge structures,
5. Have students develop questions,
6. Help students to know when to ask for help
7. Transfer knowledge.