Metacognition Seana DeCrosta Jennifer McCallum EDUS 515 Dr. P. Duncan

Overview Definition Comte’s Paradox Metacognitive knowledge Metacognitive skills Metacognition in the classroom Cognitive Strategy Instruction Research Metacognitive Strategies

Lecture Wrapper Listening tips (Cortright, 2012) On a sheet of paper, list what you think the three most important points of this lecture. At the end of the lesson, you will hand this in. Listening tips: 1. Face the speaker. Sit up straight or lean forward slightly to show your attentiveness through body language. 2. Maintain eye contact, to the degree that you all remain comfortable. 3. Minimize external distractions. Turn off the TV. Put down your book or magazine, and ask the speaker and other listeners to do the same. 4. Respond appropriately to show that you understand. Murmur (“uh-huh” and “um-hmm”) and nod. Raise your eyebrows. Say words such as “Really,” “Interesting,” as well as more direct prompts: “What did you do then?” and “What did she say?” 5. Focus solely on what the speaker is saying. Try not to think about what you are going to say next. The conversation will follow a logical flow after the speaker makes her point. 6. Minimize internal distractions. If your own thoughts keep horning in, simply let them go and continuously re-focus your attention on the speaker, much as you would during meditation. 7. Keep an open mind. Wait until the speaker is finished before deciding that you disagree. Try not to make assumptions about what the speaker is thinking.

What is Metacognition? Thinking about thinking Knowing about knowing.

Definitions of Metacognition “… refers to higher order thinking which involves active control over the cognitive processes engaged in learning” (Livingston, 1997). “..refers to the ways that people think - the patterns, how we put together the information that we're given.” (Veenman, 2006) “Metacognition is a systematic strategy for solving problems that includes reflecting on and evaluating the productivity of one’s thinking.” (Cardelle-Elawar, 1990). Multiple definitions are out there for metacognition.. All saying basically the same thing, and so here are just a few.

John H. Flavell Coined the term “Metacognition” (1979). (Veenman, 2006) His Definition: “the knowledge about and regulation of one’s cognitive activities in learning processes.” (Veenman, 2006)

Ponder this: Most conceptualizations of metacognition have in common that they take the perspective of higher-order cognition about cognition.’’ (Veenman, 2006) There is a higher-order agent overlooking and governing the cognitive system, while simultaneously being part of it. (Veenman, 2006)

Comte’s paradox: One cannot split one’s self in two, of whom one thinks whilst the other observes him thinking. (Veenman, 2006)

Metacognition Metacognition consists of : 1. metacognitive knowledge “is considered to be metacognitive if it is actively used in a strategic manner to ensure that a goal is met.” (Livingston, 1997) 2. metacognitive skills which “refers to a person’s procedural knowledge for regulating one’s problem solving and learning activities” (Veenman, 2006) metacognition can be observed in students_ verbalized self-instructions, such as Bthis is difficult for me, let_s do it step-by-step’’ or Bwait, I don_t know what this word means.’’ (Veenman, et a)

Metacognitive knowledge knowledge of person variables- “General knowledge about how human beings learn and process information, as well as individual knowledge of one's own learning processes” Ex. Being aware of where “you” should study for “you” to learn most effectively (Livingston, 1997) task variables- “knowledge about the nature of the task as well as the type of processing demands that it will place upon the individual” Ex. “you may be aware that it will take more time for you to read and comprehend a science text than it would for you to read and comprehend a novel”. (Livingston, 1997) strategy variables- knowledge about both cognitive and metacognitive strategies, as well as conditional knowledge about when and where it is appropriate to use such strategies”. Ex. Basically knowing what needs to be done, how “you” might go about doing it, and appropriately applying the right strategy. (Livingston, 1997) Basically, Metacognitive knowledge is about knowing what you know and what you don’t, knowing your strengths and weaknesses, and knowing what you need to learn, Ex, I need quiet, I need music, I need to be in the library, I need step- by step instructions, etc. (Next slide)

Metacognitive Knowledge For example, a student may use knowledge in planning how to approach a math exam: "I know that I (person variable) have difficulty with word problems (task variable), so I will answer the computational problems first and save the word problems for last (strategy variable). (Livingston, 1997)

Metacognitive Skills Have a built-in feedback mechanism (Veenman, et al 2006) Involve monitoring the processes, and progression of a plan of action. That is, being aware of your own progress, or lack of, and making adjustments to improve involves metacognitive skills. One can have metacognitive knowledge, without metacognitive skills. Can someone explain this?

Metcognitive Skills Metacognitive skills do not equal intelligence. A person of lower intelligence with excellent metacognitive skills can perform as well as a highly intelligent person. The good news is that Metacognitive skills can be taught ! (Livingston, 1997, Veenman, 2006) Metacognitive skills do not equal intelligence. It overlies intelligence. A person of lower intelligence with excellent metacognitive skills can Perform as well as a highly intelligent person. Metacognitive skills improve Knowledge.

What is metacognition in the classroom? Actively regulating one’s own thinking and acquisition/comprehension of new knowledge Learning strategies Study strategies Metacognition is a series of learned behaviors that can be (and need to be) taught. These behaviors are often interpreted as intelligence. (Parker)

Students must: Recognize the task’s level of difficulty Implement a learning strategy underlining, note-taking, summarizing, and self- questioning Self-evaluate and self-regulate Am I satisfied with my work and with what I learned? (Parker)

Cognitive Strategy Instruction An instructional approach that prioritizes teaching thinking skills to help students become self-sufficient learners Believes that certain cognitive strategies are superior to others in helping students remember and retain information Exemplified by best and brightest “… an instructional approach which emphasizes the development of thinking skills and processes as a means to enhance learning… to enable all students to become more strategic, self-reliant, flexible, and productive in their learning endeavors (Scheid, 1993)”. “… [assumes] there are identifiable cognitive strategies, previously believed to be utilized by only the best and the brightest students, which can be taught to most students (Halpern, 1996).” (Metacognition: An Overview , Jennifer A. Livingston, http://www.josemnazevedo.uac.pt/pessoal/textos/Metacognition.pdf) (Parker)

Cognitive Strategy Instruction Teach students metacognitive strategies and how to monitor their efforts Teach students when to use each strategy Practice is essential! The most effective approaches involve teaching students metacognitive strategies as well as how to monitor and evaluate “the outcomes of their efforts (develops metacognitive regulation).” Teaching metacognitive strategies witjout providing practice is ineffective. (Metacognition: An Overview , Jennifer A. Livingston, http://www.josemnazevedo.uac.pt/pessoal/textos/Metacognition.pdf)

Research Can giftedness be taught Norbert Jausovec, 2004 Conclusion: Teaching metacognitive strategies (when and how to use them) improves problem-solving performance. Effects of metacognitive feedback on mathematical problem solving Maria Cardelle-Elawar, 1990 Bilingual, low-performing Hispanic students Conclusion: Teachers providing metacognitive feedback on students’ tests helps them to think through their error and self-correct in the future. Can giftedness be taught? Rigidity- when we learn something new, we tend to make incorrect inferences about it, because we deal with it in familiar terms Rigidity is the norm, but flexibility is the exception- often exemplified by gifted, creative learners. One of his studies had gifted and average learners were asked to respond to open-ended and closed-ended problems by thinking aloud. While thinking aloud, observers marked down the different strategies used. The results confirmed that gifted learners used more metacognitive strategies, and also, used different (more appropriate) strategies for different problems. “Both experiments also indicated that instructions aimed at metacognition - knowledge about problems, knowledge about strategies and of when and how they should be applied - improved problem solving performance for students. Therefore it is reasonable to expect educators to pay more attention to teaching children general problem-solving strategies.” Teachers answered these questions on the students’ assessments What is the key error? What is the probable reason the student made this error? What did the student do right? How can I guide the student to avoid the error in the future?

Metacognitive Activities Simple Processes underlining, outlining, note taking, summarizing, self- questioning More elaborate hierarchical summaries, conceptual maps, thematic organizers, and metaphorical thinking SQ3R Wrap around Think-aloud SQ3R is a 5 stage active reading technique. The stages are: Survey Question Read Recall Review (Parker)

Lecture Wrapper Please review your list and choose three things that you thought were the most important. The three most important things: Metacognitive knowledge is “thinking about thinking.” It is also one’s ability to self-regulate and monitor their thinking. Metacognition must be taught and practiced. After three lecture wrappers, student responses increasingly matched the instructor's: 45% the first time, 68% the second time, and 75% the third (Lovett, 2008)

What do you see? You might see black splotches or the word lift. For some reason, girls usually see the word lift.

What do you see? A face or the word liar

How many faces do you see?

Conclusion Definition Comte’s Paradox Metacognitive knowledge Metacognitive skills Metacognition in the classroom Cognitive Strategy Instruction Research Metacognitive Strategies

Questions?

Thank you!

Works Cited Cardelle-Elawar, M. M. (1990). Effects of feedback tailored to bilingual students' mathematics needs on verbal problem solving. Elementary School Journal, 91(2), 165. Cortright, S. M. (2012). iamnext.com. Retrieved from http://powertochange.com/students/people/listen/ Jausovec, N. (1994). Can giftedness be taught?. Roeper Review, 16(3), 210. Livingston, J. (1997). University of buffalo. Retrieved from http://gse.buffalo.edu/fas/shuell/CEP564/Metacog.htm Lovett, M. (2008). Teaching metacognition. Retrieved from http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/metacognition/teaching_metacognition.html Parker, J. (n.d.). The role of metacognition in the classroom. Retrieved from http://faculty.mwsu.edu/west/maryann.coe/coe/Projects/epaper/meta.htm Veenman, M. V. J. (2006). Metacognition and learning: Conceptual and methodological considerations. Retrieved from http://www.csuchico.edu/~nschwartz/Veenman Metacognition.pdf