ED 260-Educational Psychology Ashley Swanson

This Week’s Topics Case Study Solutions Module 12-Metacognition

Solution Based on what you have learned in the modules and throughout the semester Should be detailed and tie into your relevant concepts Include an explanation as to WHY the solution will work to solve the big issue in the problem statement Solution should be around a page in length, not just a few sentences

Module 12- Metacognition

Metacognition Metacognitive activity- thinking about one’s own thinking Study skills Memory capabilities Ability to monitor learning Need to be explicitly taught along with content instruction Metcognitive knowledge-understanding our own cognitive processes and how to regulate those processes to maximize learning

Types of Metacognitive Knowledge Person knowledge (declarative knowledge)- understanding one’s own capabilities Task knowledge (procedural knowledge)-how one perceives the difficulty of a task Content Length Type of assignment

Types of Metacognitive Knowledge Strategy knowledge (conditional knowledge): one’s capability for using strategies to learn information Young children are not good at using this 3-year olds can be taught strategies, but will not transfer to another task By age 8, children can use strategy knowledge without prompting Upper elementary students begin developing an understanding of which strategies will be effective

Metacognitive Regulation The purposeful act of attempting to control one’s own cognition, beliefs, emotions, and values Executive control functions-collection of mental processes that involve: Planning Monitoring Evaluation strategies

Theory of Mind Understanding the mind & the “mental world” 1) False Beliefs-understanding that a belief is only one of many and can be false 2) Appearance-Reality Distinctions- something may look one way, but be something else 3) Visual-Perspective Taking-the views of physical objects differ based on perspective 4) Introspection-children’s awareness and understanding of their own thoughts

Adolescent Egocentrism Adolescent Egocentrism: difficulty differentiating between one’s own thoughts and the thoughts of others Imaginary audience: the adolescent believes he or she is the focus of attention in social settings Personal fable: adolescents mistakenly believe they are unique, so no one else can understand their situation

Factors Affecting Metacognition Neurological Characteristics Environment Individual Characteristics Belief about the nature of task Motivation Prior knowledge on the topic Prior success using metacognitive skills

Learning Strategies: Reading Comprehension: Reciprocal teaching: structured conversation in which teachers and students discuss sections of a text Summarizing Questioning Clarifying Predicting Done throughout reading, not just at the end

Learning Strategies: Reading Comprehension: PQ4R-Series of steps for teaching reading comprehension: Preview Question Read Reflect Recite Review

Learning Strategies: Writing Skills: Provide instruction in and modeling of planning strategies Provide assistance in monitoring and evaluating progress Ask younger children to think aloud or answer questions Ask older students to reread and substantially revise their papers Model and practice types of writing that will be necessary in future careers (remember to stress relevance to real life)

Learning Strategies: Note Taking: Three functions of taking notes: 1) Encoding- writing down material goes beyond listening 2) Encoding plus storage- reviewing notes enhances storage of material 3) External storage- the review of notes borrowed from another

Learning Strategies: Note Taking: Recall information Information recorded in notes-50% chance of being recalled on test Information not noted-15% chance of being recalled on a test Students only record about 30% of the important information

Learning Strategies: Improving Note Taking: Provide lecture notes Provide skeletal notes-contain main points plus space for adding detail Provide lecture cues/prompts, such as writing on the board or repeating important information Allow students to tape lectures Allow students to compare notes with classmates

Learning Strategies: Studying: Study-time allocation-decision about the amount of time devoted to study and whether time will be over long periods or crammed into a few hours Discrepancy reduction model-determining difficulty of items and allocating study time accordingly

Learning Strategies: Studying: Region of Proximal Learning (ZPD): Individuals will study items close to being learned, but not yet mastered. Effort shifts toward more difficult items. Planning: students must be able to judge what they know and prioritize information Monitoring: students must be able to monitor what has not been learned Self-interrogation: asking oneself questions to gauge whether newly engaged materials have been learned

Teaching Learning and Studying Strategies Explain the value of the strategy Introduce a few strategies at a time Model strategy use for students Provide ample opportunities to practice strategies Provide feedback Encourage reflection Explain how strategies transfer across subject domains

Main Sources: Bohlin, L., Durwin, C. C., & Reese-Weber, M. (2009). EdPsych: Modules. New York: McGraw-Hill