META COGNITION

META COGNITION

Refer book : Research  and Reflections on  Education(Quarterly  Journal)

                        Volume 4 (Jan-Mar 2006)page No 6

MEA COGNITION-WHAT IS IT?

v   Meta cognition refers to higher order thinking that involve active control over the thinking processes involved in learning.

v   Activities such as planning how to approach a given learning task, monitoring comprehension, and evaluating progress towards the completion of a task are metacognitive in nature.

v   It plays a critical role in successful learning and it is important for both students and teachers.

v   Meta cognition has been linked with intelligence and it has been shown that those with greater metacognitive abilities tend to be more successful thinkers.

v   Metacognition is often referred to as “thinking about thinking” and can be used to help students “lean how to learn”.

v   Cognitive strategies are used to help achieve a particular goal while metacognitive strategies are used to ensure that the goal has been reached.

v   Metacognition = thinking about one’s thinking processes. It has to do with the active monitoring and regulation of cognitive processes.

DEFINITION OF METACOGNITON

Different field filed metacogniton very differently.

Ø   Metacognition variously refers to the study of memory-monitoring and self-regulation, meta-reasoning/consciousness and auto-consciousness/self-awareness. In practice these capacities are used to regulate one’s own cognition, to maximize one’s potential to think, learn and to the evaluation of proper ethical/moral rules.

Ø   “Metacognition is often simply defined as ‘thinking about thinking’. But in actuality, defining Metacognition is not that simple” (Livingston).

Ø   Meta cognition is defined as “cognition about cognition”, or “knowing about knowing about knowing.

Ø   J.H. Flavell first used the word “Meta Cognition”. He describes it in these words: “Meta cognitive refers to one’s knowledge concerning one’s own cognitive processes or anything related to them.

Ø   Taylor (1999) defines metacognition as “an appreciation of what one already knows, together with a correct apprehension of the learning task and what knowledge and skills it requires, combined with the agility to make correct inferences about how to apply one’s strategies knowledge to a particular situation, and to do so efficiently and reliably.”

Ø   Metacognition is “knowledge about executive control systems and the evaluation of cognitive states such as self appraisal and self management” (Brown, 1996).

Ø   Knowledge and awareness of one’s own cognitive processes (Mayer, 2003 100)

Ø   Metacognition is “knowledge or beliefs about factors affecting one’s own cognitive activities; also reflection on a monitoring of one’s own cognitive processes, such as memory or comprehension” (ERIC Descriptors. 190).

Ø   Metacognition is thinking about thinking, known “what we know” and “what we don’t know”. –Blakey (1990).

Reflection Vs Metacognition

            In Educational psychology, metacognition and reflection are considered to be concerned with the process of monitoring, regulating and controlling an individuals thinking about their thinking about their thinking. Reflection as the verb of the process of thinking about thinking whereas Metacognition is the adjective used to describe the awareness of thinking. (D. Daniels, 2002).

Metacognition vs. cognition

·               Metacognition is defined as “thinking about thinking” and therefore not the same as an ordinary cognitive strategy or learning strategy, even if it is not always easy to separate them conceptually.

·               Metacognitive experiences usually precede or follow a cognitive activity. They often occur when cognitions fail, such as the recognition that one did not understand what one just read”. (Livingston, 1977)

·               Cognitive strategies are used to help an individual achieve a particular goal (e.g., understanding a text) while Metacognitive strategies are used to ensure that the goal has been reached (e.g., quizzing oneself to evaluate one’s understanding of that text).

COMPONENTS OF METACOGNITION

            Based on Flavell’s typology, three components of metacognition are developed and they are i. Metacognitive knowledge, ii. Metacognitive regulation and iii. Metacognitive experience.

1.      Metacognitive knowledge / Awareness : It is also called metacognitive awareness it is what individuals know about themselves and others as cognitive processors : It related to an individual’s awareness of where they are in the learning process, their knowledge about content knowledge, personal learning strategies, and what has been done and needs to be done.

2.      Metacognitive regulation / Evaluation : It occurs when individuals modify their thinking. It is the regulation of cognition and learning experiences through a set of activities that help people control their learning. It refers to judgment made regarding one’s thinking capacities and limitations as these are employed in a particular situation or a self-attributes. For example, individuals could be making a judgment on the effectiveness of their thinking and/or strategy choice.

3.      Metacognitive experience : It includes all those experiences that have something to do with the current, on-going cognitive endeavor.

METACOGNITION AND THREE TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE

            To increase their metacognitive abilities, students need to possess and be aware of here kinds of content knowledge : declarative, procedural, and conditional.

1.      Declarative knowledge : It is the information that one knows, it can be declared/spoken or written. For example is knowing the formula for calculating momentum, in a physics class ‘Momentum=mass times velocity”.

2.      Procedural knowledge : It is knowledge of how to do something, of how to perform the steps in a process; for example, knowing the mass of an object and its rate of speed and how to do the calculation.

3.      Conditional knowledge : It is knowledge about when to use a procedure, skills, cr-strategy and when not to use it; why a procedure works and under what conditions; and why one procedure is better than another.

Significance of Meta Cognition to Teachers and Students

            Metacognition has a critical role to play in successful learning. It is important that both students and teachers demonstrate it.

            Students who demonstrate a wide range of metacognitive skills perform better on exams and complete work more efficiently. They are self-regulated learners who utilize the “right tool for the job” and modify learning strategies and skills based on their awareness of effectiveness.

            Individuals with a high level of metacognitive knowledge and skills identify blocks to learning as early as possible and change “tools” or strategies to ensure goal attainment. If the students are more aware of their thinking processes as they learn, the can have more control over their goals, dispositions, and attention because self-awareness promotes self-regulation. If students are aware (i) of how committed or uncommitted they are to reaching goals, (ii) of how strong or weak is their disposition to persist, and (iii) of how focused or wandering is their attention to a thinking or writing task, they can regulate their commitment, disposition, and attention. Students with metacognitive abilities are aware of (i) their own strengths and weaknesses, (ii) the nature of the task at hand, and (iii) available “tools” or skills. A broader awareness of “tools” also assists in goal attainment. When “tools” are general, generic, and context independent, they are more likely to be useful in different types of learning situations.

            For example, if students were aware of a lack of commitment to writing a long research assignment, noticed that they were procrastinating, and were aware that they were distracted by more appealing ways to spend their time, they could then take action to get started on the assignment. But until they are aware of their procrastination and take control by making a plan for doing the assignment, they will blissfully continue to neglect the assignment.

METACOGNTIVE STRATEGIES

            Meta cognitive strategies are aimed at developing learner autonomy, independence and self

The basic metacognitive strategies are :

·               Connecting new information to former knowledge.

·               Selecting thinking strategies deliberately.

·               Planning, monitoring, and evaluating thinking processes.

FIVE METACOGNITIVE PRINCIPLES OF STUDY STRATEGIES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

1.      Understanding the task is of great importance

2.      What students believe about learning affects their selection of study strategies.

3.      Instructors need to provide good instruction in how to use study strategies.

4.      Instructors should teach a variety of strategies that research has shown to be effective.

5.      Emphasize the cognitive and metacognitive processes that underlie a study strategy.

ROLE OF INSTRUCTORS TO HELP STUDENTS

A. Some Sample Metacognitive Strategies

            Capture the intellectual substance and learning situation in ways that other methods of evaluation cannot.

·               Encourage students to take a role in the documentation, observation, and review of learning; are a powerful tool for improvement; and

·               Create a culture of professionalism about learning

·               The chief benefits for students are their actually performing effective learning strategies and the opportunity for self-assessment.

·               Individual learning plan (II.P.) as a contract with the instructor.

·               Test Debriefing. Maryellen, Weimer (2002) in Learner-Centered Teaching describes how she uses metacognition as the debriefs students after returning an exam in order to give them a sense of control over their learning. She asks students to write down the numbers of questions they missed and them has perform three analyses.

1.      Students first go through their notes on the missed questions and determine whether any of these were on days missed class and had to rely on someone else’s notes.

2.      Dr. Weimer then identifies which questions came from the assigned reading and which from her lectures and asks students to identify whether more missed questions came from reading notes or class notes.

3.      She then has students look through heir exam, check for answers that they changed, and determine how many any of their changes resulted in correct answers. If there is a pattern, it is useful self-knowledge.

            Then students write a reflective note to themselves about what they learned from preparing for and taking this exam that will help them prepare for the next one and to describe what steps they will take between now and the next exam.

C. Strategies for Students to Use for Textbook Reading

1.      Answer instructor-provided questions

2.      Ask and answer student-generated questions

3.      Produce an outline or concept map

4.      Write summaries of each section in the chapter

5.      Use the SQ4R method : Survey the text, formulate questions, read, record notes, recite, reflect.

6.      Write notes that elaborate on the textbook:

         a.      Cornell method : one column for key words and concepts, a second column for comments, summaries. Useful for comprehension and later recall.

         b.      Double-entry method : one column/page for copied passage, adjacent column/page for personal reflections on the passage. Developed by Berthoff (1987); useful for engaging with the text.

         c.      Simpson and Nist (1990): seven textbook annotation processes

·               write brief summaries in the text margins

·               list ideas (causes, effects, characteristics, etc.

·               identify examples in the margin (write “EX”)

·               write key information on graphs and charts

·               predict potential test questions

·               call attention to confusion with a? in the margin

·               underline key words

7.      Connect the reading to a past lecture or to prior knowledge

8.      Compare/contrast with another reading

9.      Critique/evaluate the reading

10.    Apply the chapter content to a scenario or case

11.    Write self-assessments of your understanding of the reading. See D. below in next list of topics.

D. Sample Reflective Topics for Self-Monitoring and Self-Assessment

Reading for Comprehension

            “What do you notice about your reading when you understand what you read? What is it that causes you difficulties when you read? In what areas of reading and remembering do you feel most at ease?” “Did any parts of the passage confuse me? What did I do to clarify the confusion?”.

Associative and Affective personal response

            “How does this poem make you feel? What in your own life might have influenced how you responded to the poem?” (Newton, 1991).

At the Start of an Online course

·               What concerns do you have about the course? How do you plan to deal with your concerns?

·               What are your chief strengths as a learner? How will they help you in an online course?

·               Read the section “Plan How to Succeed in a Web-Based Course” (In the Syllabus, in “Course Introduction”). How do you plan to manage your time to do well in this course? Considering past courses you have taken, what will you need to improve or to continue doing origin order to do well in this course? (Pierce, business writing course)

Self-Assessment of Research paper

            To improve your performance on similar future research tasks, write a reflective, self-assessment of your research process for his assignment.

            At which steps in the process were you most satisfied with how you worked? When you were least satisfied? What skills do you feel you improved? In what ways do you feel more capable? What were the chief obstacles to being efficient? What will you do differently next time?

JAHITHA’S STRATEGY TO DEVELOP METACOGNITION

 

 

Planning

Planning is the pre-requisite of any activity  .The success of any endeavour depends upon proper plannning

Focussing Attention 

Focusing Attention   or Selective Listening is the next Strategy for achievement.

Information Management

            During  the process of the information Successful learners adopt  this techniques.

Memory

While Learning Learners have to remember a number of facts ,ideas ,incidents ,years. ,concepts New knowledge should be associated with previous knowledge to remember.

Monitoring

            Self –regulation or monitoring one’s own learning plays an important role in meta cognition.

Evaluation

            Learner should evaluate himself to find out whether they have reached the learning outcomes.

CONCLUSION

            Adequate knowledge and apt utilization of Metacognition strategies will improve instruction of teachers and learning of students.

Answering  the  following  Questions

1.Define thinking

2.Explain tools of thinking

3.Types of thinking

4.Define  Meta cognition

5.Meta cognitive strategies

6.Meta cognitive principle of study strategies for teachers and students