Lesson 5 Metacognitive Strategies to Facilitate Learning

 According to researchers like Fang and Cox, metacognition awareness was evident even in preschoolers and those students as young as eight years old. Children at young age may already have the capacity to be more aware and reflective of their own learning yet many of them are not taught and encouraged to apply metacognition.

            This pose a challenge for teachers to integrate more activities that would build the students’ capacity to reflect on their own characteristics as learners (personal knowledge), the task they are to accomplish (task knowledge) and strategies that they can use to learn (strategic knowledge).

 

7 Strategies That Improve Metacognition

(Excerpt from Metacognition: Nurturing Self-Awareness in the Classroom of Price-Mitchell, 2015)

1. Teach students how their brains are wired for growth.

The beliefs that students adopt about learning and their own brains will affect their performance. Research shows that when students develop a growth mindset vs. a fixed mindset, they are more likely to engage in reflective thinking about how they learn and grow. Teaching kids about the science of metacognition can be an empowering tool, helping students to understand how they can literally grow their own brains.

 

2. Give students practice recognizing what they don't understand.

The act of being confused and identifying one's lack of understanding is an important part of developing self-awareness. Take time at the end of a challenging class to ask, "What was most confusing about the material we explored today?" This not only jumpstarts metacognitive processing, but also creates a classroom culture that acknowledges confusion as an integral part of learning.

 

3. Provide opportunities to reflect on coursework.

Higher-order thinking skills are fostered as students learn to recognize their own cognitive growth. Questions that help this process might include:

Before this course, I thought earthquakes were caused by _______. Now I understand them to be the result of _______.

How has my thinking about greenhouse gases changed since taking this course?

 

4. Have students keep learning journals.

One way to help students monitor their own thinking is through the use of personal learning journals. Assign weekly questions that help students reflect on how rather than what they learned. Questions might include:

What was easiest for me to learn this week? Why?

What was most challenging for me to learn? Why?

What study strategies worked well as I prepared for my exam?

What strategies for exam preparation didn't work well? What will I do differently next time?

What study habits worked best for me? How?

What study habit will I try or improve upon next week?

Encourage creative expression through whatever journal formats work best for learners, including mind maps, blogs, wikis, diaries, lists, e-tools, etc.

 

5. Use a "wrapper" to increase students' monitoring skills.

A "wrapper" is a short intervention that surrounds an existing activity and integrates a metacognitive practice. Before a lecture, for example, give a few tips about active listening. Following the lecture, ask students to write down three key ideas from the lecture. Afterward, share what you believe to be the three key ideas and ask students to self-check how closely theirs matched your intended goals. When used often, this activity not only increases learning, but also improves metacognitive monitoring skills.

 

6. Consider essay vs. multiple-choice exams.

Research shows that students use lower-level thinking skills to prepare for multiple-choice exams, and higher-level metacognitive skills to prepare for essay exams. While it is less time consuming to grade multiple-choice questions, even the addition of several short essay questions can improve the way students reflect on their learning to prepare for test taking.

 

7. Facilitate reflexive thinking.

Reflexivity is the metacognitive process of becoming aware of our biases -- prejudices that get in the way of healthy development. Teachers can create a classroom culture for deeper learning and reflexivity by encouraging dialogue that challenges human and societal biases. When students engage in conversations or write essays on biases and moral dilemmas related to politics, wealth, racism, poverty, justice, liberty, etc., they learn to "think about their own thinking." They begin to challenge their own biases and become more flexible and adaptive thinkers.

Novice and Expert Learners

           Cognitive psychologists have studied the distinctions among learners in the manner they absorb and process information. They classified learners as to whether they are expert or novice. A very important factor which distinguish the two is their ability to use metacognition.

            Expert learners utilized metacognitive strategies in learning. They were more aware of their learning process as they read, studied, and adjusted their strategies to make learning more effective. Below is a table showing the difference between a novice learner and an expert learner.

 Table 1. Differences Between Novice and Expert Learners

Aspect of Learning	Novice Learners	Expert Learners
Knowledge in Different Subjects	Have limited knowledge in the different subject areas	Have deeper knowledge in different subject areas because they look for interrelationships in the 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	Design new strategies that would be appropriate to the task at hand
Selectivity in Processing	Attempt to process all information they receive	Select important information to process; able to breakdown information to manageable chunks
Production of Output	Do not examine the quality of their work, nor stop to make revisions	Check their errors and redirect their efforts to maintain quality output

References

• Aquino, A. M. (2009). Facilitating human learning (First Edition). Rex Book Store, Inc.
• Bulusan, F., Raquepo, M. R., Balmeo, M. L., & Gutierrez, J. C. (2019). Facilitating learner-centered teaching (First Edition). Rex Book Store, Inc.
• CMO No. 75 s. 2017, Policies, Standards and Guidelines for Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd), p. 39
• CMO No. 80 s. 2017, Policies, Standards and Guidelines for Bachelor of Physical Education (BPEd), p. 24
• Lucas, M. R. D., & Corpuz, B. B. (2013). Facilitating learning: a metacognitive process (3rd Edition). LORIMAR Publishing, Inc.
• Ornos, P. S., Gonzaga, E. P., Esgra, C. B., Gomez, N. G., Tarinay, A. R., & Verde, S. P. (2008). Facilitators of the learning process. Grandwater Publications.
• Vega, V. A., & Prieto, N. G. (2012). Facilitating learning (Revised Edition). Books Atbp. Publishing Corp.