Wadavg

FACILITATING LEARNING

Module 1:

Metacognition

Introduction:

Metacognition is such a long word. What does it mean? We will find this out in this module.

It is the first module so you get to understand it and apply it from the very beginning of this book, and to start with let as first do this activity.

Generalization:

What you just did while answering the questionnaire and analyzing your scores is an exercise in metacognition. Hopefully, this will help you start to learn more effectively.

“If you teach a person what to learn, you are preparing that person for the past. If you teach a person how to learn, you are preparing that person for the future.” (Cyril Houle)

The most important goal of education is to teach students how to learn on their own. And, it stresses the quotation above. This entails a deeper awareness of how one processes information, the ability to evaluate his own learning process more effective. All these involve metacognition.

Definition:

The term “ metacognition” was coined by John Flavell (1979,1987). According to him, metacognition consist of both metacognitive knowledge and experiences or regulation.

Metacognition, simply put, is “thinking about thinking” or “learning how to learn”.

-it refers to higher order thinking which involves active awareness and control over the cognitive processes engaged in learning.

Metacognitive Knowledge – refers to acquired knowledge about cognitive processes, knowledge that can be used to control cognitive processes.

Three Categories of Metacognitive Knowledge:

Person Variables. This includes how one views himself as a learner and thinker. Knowledge of person variables refers to knowledge about how human beings learn and process information, as well as individual knowledge of one’s own learning processes.

Task Variables. Knowledge of task variables includes knowledge about nature of the task as well as the type of processing demands that it will place upon the individual....