Thinking about thinking

1. Metacognitive

2. What is Metacognition?
Thinking about your thinking.
Metacognition is one’s ability to use prior
knowledge to plan a strategy for approaching
a learning task, take necessary steps to
problem solve, reflect on and evaluate results,
and modify one’s approach as needed.

3. What is Metacognition?
It is an appreciation of what one already
knows, together with a correct apprehension
of the learning task and what knowledge and
skills it requires, combined with the ability to
make correct inferences about how to apply
one's strategic knowledge to a particular
situation and to do so efficiently and reliably.
Shawn Taylor
in the book Better Learning Through Better Thinking.

4. What is Metacognition?
Metacognition refers to awareness of one’s own
knowledge—what one does and doesn’t know—
and one’s ability to understand, control, and
manipulate one’s cognitive processes
(Meichenbaum, 1985).
Metacognition is the ability to use prior
knowledge to plan a strategy for approaching a
learning task, take necessary steps to problem
solve, reflect on and evaluate results, and modify
one’s approach as needed. Flavell (1976),

5. Elements of Metacognition?
Metacognitive knowledge refers to what
individuals know about themselves as cognitive
processors, about different approaches that can
be used for learning and problem solving, and
about the demands of a particular learning task.
Metacognitive regulation refers to adjustments
individuals make to their processes to help
control their learning, such as planning,
information management strategies,
comprehension monitoring, de-bugging
strategies, and evaluation of progress and goals

6. Elements of Metacognition?
Person variables: What one recognizes about his
or her strengths and weaknesses in learning and
processing information.
Task variables: What one knows or can figure out
about the nature of a task and the processing
demands required to complete the task—for
example, knowledge that it will take more time to
read, comprehend, and remember a technical
article than it will a similar-length passage from a
novel.

7. Elements of Metacognition?
Strategy variables: The strategies a person has
“at the ready” to apply in a flexible way to
successfully accomplish a task; for example,
knowing how to activate prior knowledge
before reading a technical article, using a
glossary to look up unfamiliar words, or
recognizing that sometimes one has to reread
a paragraph several times before it makes
sense.

8. What are Metacognitive
Strategy?
First, you have already considered what you
know how to do and acknowledged that you
have some experience with similar tasks.
Second, it's clear in your head how you will
apply your current knowledge to this new
Third, you know how to fill in the blanks and
where to turn to get the information you're
lacking

9. From Struggling Students to
Expert Learners

10. Lesson planning with
metacognition in mind
One of the most effective ways to teach
metacognitive strategies is the think-aloud
strategy.
This involves a teacher talking the class
through her thinking as she tackles a task, like
a piece of text with new vocabulary or a new
math concept.

11. Recommended Instructional
Strategies
Fogarty (1994) suggests that Metacognition is
a process that spans three distinct phases, and that,
to be successful thinkers, students must do the
following:
Develop a plan before approaching a learning
task, such as reading for comprehension or
solving a math problem.
Monitor their understanding; use “fix-up”
strategies when meaning breaks down.
Evaluate their thinking after completing the task.

12. Recommended Instructional
Strategies
They can incorporate into lesson plans opportunities
for learners to practice using these questions during learning
tasks, as illustrated in the following examples:
During the planning phase, learners can ask, What am I
supposed to learn? What prior knowledge will help me with
this task?
During the monitoring phase, learners can ask, How am I
doing? Am I on the right track? How should I proceed?
During the evaluation phase, learners can ask, How well
did I do? What did I learn? Did I get the results I expected?

13. Recommended Instructional
Strategies
Rather than viewing reading, writing, science,
social studies, and math only as subjects or content
to be taught, instructors can see them as
opportunities for learners to reflect on their
learning processes. Examples follow for each
content area:
Reading
Writing
Social Studies and Science
Math