Metacognition Theoretical Frameworks to Understanding Learning

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MetacognitionTheoretical Frameworks to
Understanding Learning
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Metacognition

• Metacognition refers to a learners ability to be
  aware of and monitor their own learning
  processes.
• Usually defined by its component parts.

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Two Components Schraw, 1998

• Knowledge of cognition
• Refers to what individuals know about their own
  cognition or cognition in general.

• Regulation of cognition
• Refers to metacognitive activities that help
  control ones thinking and learning.

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Knowledge of Cognition

• Includes three types of metacognitive awareness
• Declarative Knowledge
• Procedural Knowledge
• Conditional Knowledge

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Knowledge of Cognition
Procedural
Conditional
Declarative

• knowing about oneself as a learner and about what
  factors influence ones performance.
• Example capacity limitations, rehearsal, and
  integration of info into LTM.
• Effective learners appear to use these aspects.

• Refers to knowing when and why to apply various
  cognitive actions.
• Example knowing when and what information to
  rehearse.
• Allows students to allocate resources and use
  strategies effectively.

• Refers to knowledge how to execute procedural
  skills.
• Example heuristics and strategies such as how
  to chunk information.
• Individuals use knowledge and select skills more
  automatically.

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Regulation of Cognition

• Three essential skills are included in the
  process of controlling ones thinking or
  learning
• Planning
• Monitoring
• Evaluation

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Regulation of Cognition
Monitoring Refers to ones on-line awareness of
comprehension and task performance. Example
Such as self-testing while learning.
Evaluation Refers to appraising the products and
regulatory processes of learning. Example Such
as re-evaluating goals and conclusions.
Planning Selection of appropriate
strategies and the allocation of
resources that effect performance.
Example making predictions before
reading, selection of strategies and
allocation of resources before beginning a task.
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Metacognitive Theories

• Is a relatively systematic structure of
  knowledge that can be used to explain and predict
  a broad range of cognitive and metacognitive
  phenomena (Schraw Moshman, 1995.)
• These theories are personally derived.
• And integrate knowledge of cognition and
  regulation of cognition.

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Metacognitive Theories

• Characteristics
• Allows an individual to integrate varied aspects
  of metacognition into a single framework.
• For example, children have difficulty using
  knowledge of memory to regulate cognition,
  because they have not yet integrated
  metacognitive knowledge and regulatory skills.

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Metacognitive Theories

• Characteristics continued
• Coordinate beliefs that allow individuals to
  predict, control and explain their cognition, the
  cognition of others, or cognition in general.
• For example, a good strategy user, knows
  effective learning depends on activating relevant
  knowledge from memory, selectively using
  strategies, and motivates oneself to learn
  material at a deeper level. This guides ands
  coordinates ones learning constituting a theory
  of what it means to be an effective learner.

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Metacognitive Theories

• There are three different types of metacognitive
  theories
• Tacit Theories
• Informal Theories
• Formal Theories

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Tacit Theories

• Are unconcious frameworks that systematize
  metacognitive knowledge.
• for example, childrens beliefs about
  intelligence affects behavior in a classroom.

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Informal Theories

• Individuals are aware of some of their beliefs
  and assumptions regarding a phenomena, but have
  not yet constructed a theoretical structure that
  integrates and justifies beliefs.
• Informal theories start as domain specific, and
  gradually are generalized to other domains.

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Formal Theories

• A systemized approach to learn something that
  has a specific form or structure (e g. physics,
  music, or statistics) that needs to be known,
  used, or remembered.
• Allows individuals to make informed choices about
  self-regulatory behaviors.

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Sources of Metacognitive Theories
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Implications for Educators

• When students lack a theory of metacognitive
  knowledge, they are unable to explain their
  cognitive performance or plan effectively.
• For example, students have difficulty in
  scientific reasoning due to lack of knowledge of
  a theory of metacognition.
• Students do not differentiate between formal
  hypotheses and the data used to test these
  hypothesis, because they lack the skills to think
  strategically.

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Implications for Educators

• Many programs do not help students understand the
  structure of metacognitive theory and use the
  theory to organize knowledge.

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Implications for Educators

• Thus, Instructional programs should include
• Ways to help construct metacognitive awareness
  aiding theoretical formalization.
• To accomplish this

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Implications for Educators

• Educators need to promote general awareness of
  the importance of metacognition
• Improve regulation of cognition.
• And foster environments promoting metacognitive
  awareness.

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Improving regulation of CognitionRegulatory
Checklist (Schraw, 1998)
Planning
Monitoring
Evaluating

• Do I have a clear
• understanding ?
• Am I reaching my
• goals?
• Do I need to make
• changes?

• Have I reached my goals?
• What worked?
• What didnt work?
• What would I do differently next time?

• What is the nature of
• the task?
• What is my goal?
• What kind of
• information and
• strategies do I need?
• How much time will I
• need?

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Fostering Environments Promoting Metacognitive
Awareness

• Promoting goal orientations in the classroom Vs.
  performance orientations.
• Students with mastery orientations seek to
  improve their competence, whereas, students with
  a performance orientation seek to prove
  competence.