Have you ever found yourself pondering why you think the way you do? Or caught yourself reflecting on your thoughts? This fascinating process is called “Metacognition.” In simple terms, it’s all about thinking about thinking. Metacognition is a powerful tool for planning, monitoring, and assessing how we understand and perform tasks.
Imagine stepping outside your mind and observing your thought processes as if you were a spectator. By doing so, you can gain some interesting insights into how you tackle challenges, make decisions, and learn new things. We’re going to dive into understanding what cognition and metacognition are and how metacognition can be a basis of learning.
What Are Cognition and Metacognition?
Cognition is all about acquiring, processing, and using information. It involves perception, attention, memory, and problem-solving—basically, how we make sense of the world.
Metacognition, on the other hand, is being aware of and understanding our cognitive processes. It’s about monitoring, regulating, and reflecting on our thinking. Metacognitive strategies are the techniques we use to make judgments about learning and problem-solving.
Cognition and metacognition are connected, and both play a big role in how we think and learn. They influence each other and help us build our cognitive abilities. These processes are shaped by factors like prior knowledge, motivation, attention, and environment. For example, a child learning about animals knows that having four legs is a feature of many animals (prior knowledge). How motivated the he/she is and the strategies they use will determine how many animal names they can learn and remember.
While cognition and metacognition are interconnected, they do have distinct differences. Cognition is domain-specific, focused on learning in a particular area, whereas metacognition can be applied to any domain to improve thinking and learning. Cognition is usually an automatic, unconscious process, while metacognition is all about self-regulation and enhancing cognitive operations.
Metacognition: The Basis of Learning
What does it mean to use metacognition as a basis for learning? Can learners use metacognitive strategies to better understand and remember concepts? Absolutely!
According to the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF, 2021), using metacognitive strategies effectively can lead to significant progress, equivalent to an additional seven months of learning. This impact comes from two dimensions of metacognition: metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive regulation.
Metacognitive knowledge involves understanding your own learning or cognitive abilities, while metacognitive regulation is about the actions you take regarding your learning. For instance, a student learning a concept will use specific strategies to grasp the material (metacognitive knowledge) and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses to improve and reach their goal (metacognitive regulation).
Metacognitive Cycle
In our fast-changing world where robotics and AI are taking over many jobs, it’s crucial to teach the next generation the best ways to learn. The methods of learning have changed, and it is essential for learners to reiterate their concepts and interact with them before being assessed. This learning leads to the best outcomes. This type of learning is supported by metacognitive cycle and consists of four stages:
- Planning Stage: Think and devise a plan to achieve the goal.
- Monitoring Stage: Keep track of progress.
- Evaluation Stage: Assess the strategies for meeting the goal.
- Reflection Stage: Reflect on the whole learning process and analyze the approaches used.
Students with strong metacognition skills can plan, critically evaluate, foresee changes, navigate difficulties, and reflect on their strengths and weaknesses. By understanding and applying the metacognitive cycle, learners can develop greater self-awareness and control over their cognitive processes, leading to improved learning outcomes. Metacognition is more than just a skill; it’s a pathway to lifelong learning and adaptability. Embracing metacognitive strategies empowers learners to be more effective and resilient, giving them the tools they need to succeed in any endeavor.
References
Saylor Academy. (n.d.). Thinking about thinking. Saylor Academy. Retrieved from https://saylordotorg.github.io
This vs. That. (n.d.). Cognition vs. Metacognition – What’s the difference? This vs. That. Retrieved from https://thisvsthat.io
Cambridge Assessment International Education. (n.d.). Getting started with metacognition. Cambridge Assessment International Education. Retrieved from https://cambridge-community.org.uk