Module 2: Metacognition: Thinking About Thinking PDF

MODULE 2: METACOGNITION: Thinking about Thinking Title: Metacogniton: Thinking About Thinking Overview: This module highlights your need as learners not simply to think but to go beyond what you think. It focuses on the understanding of cognitive processes that are involved in learning and day-to-...

MODULE 2: METACOGNITION: Thinking about Thinking Title: Metacogniton: Thinking About Thinking Overview: This module highlights your need as learners not simply to think but to go beyond what you think. It focuses on the understanding of cognitive processes that are involved in learning and day-to-day activities of thinking individuals. Activities included provide opportunities for you to examine how the presence or absence of awareness how you think influence the outcome of academic efforts. Technical Requirements: Content Outline: 1. Definition of metacognition 2. Components a. Metacognitive knowledge i. Declrative knowledge ii. Procedural knowledge iii. Conditional knowledge b. Metacognitive regulation 3. Metacognitive Strategies to Facilitate Learning 4. Novice Learners Vs. Expert Learners Objectives: At the end of this module, you are expected to: 1. Explain the meaning of metacognition and metacogntiive knowledge; 2. Evaluate how they approach academic tasks against the concept of Metacogniton; 3. Identify effective metacognitive teaching strategies to facilitate learning; 4. Construct your own objective for this module. Write it here _____________________________________________________________________________ Preliminary Activity with Analysis ( Lifted from Lucas, M. and Corpuz, B. (2013). Some parts were modified. This activity may provide you insights into the way you learn, how you approach academic tasks that may have influenced the outcome of your academic efforts. Answer truthfully the questionnaire. Put a check in the column that best describes what is true to you. A = Always S= Sometimes N= Never Part 1: Motivation A S N Scor e 1. I exert effort to find out why I need to do my academic tasks. 2. I persist in doing my academic tasks until I finish them. 3. I am willing to do the work I am not particularly interested because I see it as important. 4. When I feel like giving up on a task, I try to ward off negative thoughts. 5. Once, I start on a task, I do not stop until it is done. 6. I give my best in what I do. 7. I do not procrastinate. 8. I am enthusiastic in doing my academic tasks. Scoring: Always – 10 points Sometimes – 5 points Never – 0 Interpretation: (These interpretations may not necessarily be 100% true to you. They are constructed in view of the likelihood or plausibility.) 55 – 80: You seem to be generally motivated to do your academic tasks. You try to give your best and never stop until you get the job done. 31 – 54: You seem to get easily distracted and may have the tendency to procrastinate. You may tend to put off tasks for another day until you realize that there is not much time left. It is only then that you will focus and work hard on a task. 30 below: You are generally not motivated and tends to “go with the flow” of the moment. In many instances you feel you are just forcing yourself into doing the tasks. You easily settled with “bahala na” and “pwede na yan” mentality. Questions: 1. Do you agree/disagree with the interpretation? Explain your answer. What do you believe to be true about you in terms of your motivation. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Why is motivation important in academic success? Or in your success in this life? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Part 2: Organizing and Planning A S N Scor e 1. I make a weekly timetable for the school work I need to accomplish. 2. I make a review schedule for quizzes, tests, or examinations. 3. I prepare the necessary resources and equipment prior to starting work. 4. I submit all assignments on time. 5. I see to it that my workplace is free from distraction. 6. My family commitments, time for relaxation, and studying are well distributed. 7. I prioritize tasks or things to do based on their importance. 8. I make list of things to do. Scoring: Always – 10 points Sometimes – 5 points Never – 0 Interpretation: 60 – 80 Very High in Organization and Planning 40 – 59 High In Organization and Planning 20 – 39 Low in Organization and Planning 0 – 19 Very Low in Organization and Planning Question: 1. Based on you score, try to make your own interpretation of result. Use the items in the Questionnaire to make your own interpretation or description of how you are as a learner n terms of Organization and Planning. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Part 3: Working with Others, Utilizing Resources and Feedback A S N Scor e 1. I discuss my work assignments with my classmates. 2. I share resources with my classmates. 3. I have a way of saving articles from print and online sources which I think can be useful to my studies. 4. I follow informative shows on TV and the internet. 5. I read a topic or lesson before class. 6. I participate in group sessions by sharing my insight, asking questions, and listening to members of the group. 7. I take notes of the key ideas of members. 8. I am open to the ideas and suggestions of other members. Scoring: Always – 10 points Sometimes – 5 points Never – 0 Interpretation: 60 – 80 Very High in Organization and Planning 40 – 59 High In Organization and Planning 20 – 39 Low in Organization and Planning 0 – 19 Very Low in Organization and Planning Question: 1. Based on you score, try to make your own interpretation of result. Use the items in the Questionnaire to make your own interpretation or description of how you are as a learner n terms of Working with others, Utilizing Resources and Feedback. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Part 4: Managing School Work Stress A S N Scor e 1. I get so worried about assignments that they make me feel ill. 2. Worrying about my assignments and other school projects make me feel depressed. 3. i feel miserable when I am unable to submit a project. 4. I let these concerns about assignments and projects affect me. 5. I have difficulty talking to others about my worries. 6. I ignore my personal fitness and health through focusing on my worries. 7. The stress of assignments paralyzes me and end up doing nothing. 8. I freak out and uncertain what to do when I feel there are too many assignments to finish. Scoring: For those negative statements, you have to do reverse scoring. Always – 0 point Sometimes – 5 points Never –1 0 points Interpretation: 60 – 80 Very High ability to manage and handle school-work stress 40 – 59 High ability to manage and handle school-work stress 20 – 39 Low ability to manage and handle school-work stress 0 – 19 Very Low ability to manage and handle school-work stress Question: 1. Based on you score, try to make your own interpretation of result. Use the items in the Questionnaire to make your own interpretation or description of how you are as a learner n terms of Ability to Manage School-Work Stress. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Part 5: Note-Taking and Reading A S N Scor e 1. I take down notes when I listen to a lecture or discussion. 2. My notes indicate the main ideas rather than writing down word for word what has been said. 3. When I read and encounter a word I don’t understand, I refer to a dictionary. 4. When I don’t understand what has been said or what I read, I ask the help of someone. 5. I underline or highlight key points or ideas of a text and revisit them again to write down my own ideas about them. 6. I organize or file my notes. 7. I “interact” with a book or article by formulating questions in my mind, by going beyond what is written, by agreeing or disagreeing with what the author is saying. 8. I use what I read or written in my notes when I recite in class or transfer the ideas in ther topics or when appropriate. Scoring: Always – 10 point Sometimes – 5 points Never – 0 points Interpretation: 60 – 80 Very Good Note-Taking and Reading Skills 40 – 59 Good Note-Taking and Reading Skills 20 – 39 Fair Note-Taking and Reading Skills 0 – 19 Poor Note-Taking and Reading Skills Question:  1. Based on you score, try to make your own interpretation of result. Use the items in the Questionnaire to make your own interpretation or description of how you are as a learner n terms of Note-taking and Reading Skills. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 2. When you do all those items in Parts 1,2, 3, and 5, and do the reverse of the items in Part 4, you are actually thinking beyond what you think; you are thinking about what you think or thought of? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Discussion/Instructional Flow In our previous Module, you learned that Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching emphasizes the need for students to take control and responsibility for their own learning. If in the traditional teaching, the teachers do most of the thinking, in Facilitating Learning, students need to do the thinking most of the time. We exercise our capacity to think in our day-to-day activity. We use our faculty to think to process information to make decisions or judgments. That is termed as Cognition which is defined as the states and processes involved in knowing which include perception and judgment, whether conscious or unconscious processes by which knowledge is accumulated such as perceiving, recognizing, conceiving, and reasoning, (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017). Those processes are highly involved when students are engaged in academic tasks. Successful learners have an “extra” ability when they exercise their faculty to think. They do not simply think but they are able to monitor and evaluate what they think. For example, in answering a question, they do not simply and automatically settle with the initial product of their thinking, they try to evaluate their answer for its correctness by examining it, evaluating it with other sources of information to determine their answer’s correctness and veracity. That process is METACOGNITION. Metacognition as proposed by (Flavell, J., 2020) Metacognition is defined in simplest terms as “thinking about your own thinking.” The root “meta” means “beyond,” so the term refers to “beyond thinking.” Specifically, this means that it encompasses the processes of planning, tracking, and assessing your own understanding or performance. The phrase was termed by American developmental psychologist John H. Flavell in 1979, and the theory developed throughout the 1980s among researchers working with young children in early cognitive stages Key concepts Flavell identified what he believed to be two elements of metacognition: knowledge of cognition and regulation of cognition (Flavell, 1985). Types of metacognitive knowledge 1. Declarative knowledge — “person knowledge,” or understanding one’s own capabilities. This type of metacognitive knowledge is not always  accurate, as an individual’s self-assessment can easily be unreliable. 2. Procedural knowledge — “task knowledge,” including content (what do I need to know?) and length (how much space do I have to communicate what I know?). Task knowledge is related to how difficult an individual perceives the task to be as well as to their self-confidence. 3. Strategy knowledge — “conditional knowledge,” or one’s ability to use strategies to learn information, as well as for adapting these strategies to new situations. This is related to the age or developmental stage of the individual. For example, a kindergartener can be taught strategies, but needs to be reminded to use them, such as sounding out words when learning to read. In contrast, an upper elementary student understands this strategy and knows when it will be effective under different circumstances. Metacognitive Regulation Regulation is used to describe how individual monitor and assess their knowledge. This includes knowing how and when to use certain skills, and helps individuals to control their learning. An example of this would be a student reflecting on his or her own work, a task that is often assigned while in school. Later on, individuals assess themselves by asking, “How am I doing? How could I do this more efficiently or accurately next time?” This matacognitive regulation consists of (1) Planning, (2) Monitoring, and (3) Evaluating. Metacognitive Experiences Metacognitive experiences are the experiences an individual has through which knowledge is attained, or through which regulation occurs. For example, declarative knowledge of one’s own abilities could be attained by receiving a series of A+ spelling tests in a row. This would give the individual the knowledge that they have high achieving capability in that spelling area Metamemory Metamemory is knowledge of what memory is, how it works, and how to remember things. These skills develop over time and improve more readily with instruction. An example of this would be students utilizing a pneumonic device or acronym to learn and easily recall information to prepare for a test. Key Factors in Metacognition Motivation is essential in metacognition. Students who are not motivated to complete tasks may struggle with self-reflection. Though metacognitive strategies can be taught and learned over time, students must be motivated in order for them to be effective. To help these individuals to succeed, it may be necessary to teach self-evaluation skills and to identify what finished work looks like The idea of metacognition was proposed by John Flavell. Its simple definition is thinking about thinking, thinking beyond thinking. As the definition suggests, one simply does not stop at what s/he has already thought of but continues to think by evaluating or examining it thus going beyond thinking. It is critical thinking, higher order thinking involving the individual’s active awareness and control over the cognitive processes while engaged in learning. It consists of (1) Metacognitive Knowledge or Metacognitive Awareness, and (2) Metacogntive Experiences or Regulation, (Flavell in Lucas & Corpuz, 2013). Metacognitve Knowledge is divided into three categories: 1. Person Variables refers to general knowledge about how human beings learn and process information, as well as individual’s knowledge of one’s own learning processes. This includes how one views himself as a learner and thinker. 2. Task Variables s include knowledge about the nature of the task as well as the type of processing demands that it will place upon the individual. 3. Strategy Variables include knowledge about both cognitive and metacognitive strategies, as well as conditional knowledge about when and where it is appropriate to use such strategies.  What are my strengths and weaknesses as a learner? Person Variables Task Variables Strategy Variables Is the task difficult? What strategy is What is the level of needed is needed difficulty? What does it to accomplish the require of me? task? Those three variables interact with each other to bring about critical thinking and effective learning. The following is a To-Know-and To-Do List to apply metacognitive skills as suggested by Omrod (in Lucas & Borabo, 2013): 1. Knowing the limits of one’s own learning and metamemory capacities. 2. Knowing what learning tasks one can realistically accomplish within a certain amount of time. 3. Knowing which learning strategies are effective and which are not. 4. Planning an approach to a learning task that is likely to be successful. 5. Using effective learning strategies to process and learn new material. 6. Monitoring one’s own knowledge and comprehension; knowing when information has been successfully learned or not. 7. Using effective strategies for retrieval of previously learned information. 8. Using a previously learned knowledge in a purposeful manner to attain a goal. For learners to be successful, they need to ask and answer the questions, and most importantly, they need to act on their answers. Huitt (in Lucas & Borabo, 2013) formulated the following questions which learners need to ask themselves: 1. What do I know about this topic, issue, or subject? 2. Do I know what do I need to know? 3. Do I know where I can go to get some information or knowledge? 4. How much time will I need to learn this? 5. What are some strategies and tactics that I can use to learn this? 6. Did I understand what I just heard, read, or saw? 7. How will I know if I am learning at an appropriate rate? 8. How can I spot an error if I make one? 9. How should I revise my plan if it is not working to my expectation and satisfaction? Successful learners may be considered as expert learners who employ metacognitive skills. While those who do not, may be termed as novice learners or beginners. Below is a table showing the differences between Novice Learners and Expert Learners, (Lucas & Borabo, 2013). Aspect of Learning Novice Learners Expert Learners Knowledge in different Have limited knowledge in Have deeper knowledge in learning areas different subject areas different subject areas; They look for interrelationships between and among the different information they learn Problem-Solving Satisfied at just scratching They first try to the surface; hurriedly give understand the problem; solution to a problem look for boundaries and create a mental picture of  the problem Learning/Thinking Employ rigid strategies Design new strategies that Strategies that may not be would be appropriate to appropriate to the task the task Selectivity in Processing Attempt to process all Select important Information information they receive information to process; able to breakdown information to manageable chunks Production of output Do not examine the They check their work for quality of their work; they errors; driven to put in do not stop to make quality work/output revisons Metacognitive Strategies to Facilitate Learning (http://theelearningcoach.com/learning/metacognition-and-learning/; https://www.steveventura.com/files/meta_strat.pdf) 1 Ask Questions. During formal courses and in post-training activities, ask questions that allow learners to reflect on their own learning processes and strategies. In collaborative learning, ask them to reflect on the role they play when problem solving in teams. 2 Foster Self-reflection. Emphasize the importance of personal reflection during and after learning experiences. Encourage learners to critically analyze their own assumptions and how this may have influenced their learning. 3 Encourage Self-questioning. Foster independent learning by asking learners to generate their own questions and answer them to enhance comprehension. The questions can be related to meeting their personal goals. 4 Teach Strategies Directly. Teach appropriate metacognitive strategies as a part of a training course. 5 Promote Autonomous Learning. When learners have some domain knowledge, encourage participation in challenging learning experiences. They will then be forced to construct their own metacognitive strategies. 6 Provide Access to Mentors. Many people learn best by interacting with peers who are slightly more advanced. Promote experiences where novices can observe the proficient use of a skill and then gain access to the metacognitive strategies of their mentors. 7 Solve Problems with a Team: Cooperative problem solving can enhance metacognitive strategies by discussing possible approaches with team members and learning from each other. 8 Think Aloud. Teach learners how to think aloud and report their thoughts while performing a difficult task. A knowledgeable partner can then point out errors in thinking or the individual can use this approach for increased self awareness during learning. 9. Self-explanation. Self-explanation in writing or speaking can help learners improve their comprehension of a difficult subject. 10 Provide Opportunities for Making Errors. When learners are given the opportunity to make errors while in training, such as during simulations, it stimulates reflection on the causes of their errors. Post Activity 1. Below is the Framework of Metacognition and its interrelated variables. You are to: a. Define each term in the box. 2. Apply your understanding of the interrelatedness of the variables within the context of this Situation:  In this Modular Distance Learning, you are on your own. How would you apply your acquired knowledge on metacognition. Follow the framework. Metacogniton Metacognitive Metacognitve Knowledge or Regulation and Control Awareness Person Task Strategy Planning Monitorin Evaluatin Variable Variable Variable g g Evaluation 1. What have you discovered about yourself as a learner in view of your knowledge now about metacognition? a. What do you need to stop doing/start doing/continue/doing to be a metacognitive learner? 2. Are Expert Learners more intelligent than Novice Learners? Explain. 3. Explain the interaction between and among Person Variables, Task Variables, and Strategy Variables. 4. Construct your own question based on the objective or objectives you wrote at the beginning of this Module. Provide proof or evidence that you attained the goal you set at the beginning. Reflective Writing 1. Journal Writing #2: My Motivation to Finish College: Why do I need to graduate? Or you may choose: Why do I want to be a Teacher? References Lucas, M.R. and Corpuz, B. (2013). Facilitating Learning: A Metacognitve Process, 3 rd Ed. Quezon City: Lorimar Publishing Inc. Bulusan, F. et.al. (2019). Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching. Manila: REX Book Store. Flanigan, A. (n.d.). Theoretial Framework of Metacogniton. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Theoretical-framework-of- metacognition_fig3_312760600 Flavell, John, H. (2020). Metacognition. Retrieved from https://www.learning- theories.com/metacognition-flavell.html Metacognition: An Overview. Retrieved fromhttps://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/19648/11/11_chapter2.pdf The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2017, 15 November). Cognition. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/cognition-thought-process