Metacognition in children's learning from interactive experiences

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Metacognition in children's learning from
interactive experiences
Science Centres and Universities learning about
learning June, 6 - h 14.30

• Alessandro Antonietti Manuela Cantoia
• Department of Psychology
• Service of Learning and Educational Psychology
• Catholic University of Sacred Heart - Milan

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Learning at the museum
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What do children think about learning at the
museum?
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Learning at the museum
Practical Intelligence
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Metacognition?
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Metacognition?

• Reflecting on a learning process
• draw the best potentialities from the experience
• - transfer them to other contexts

in order to
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Agos
Agostino Gemellis instruments Catholic
University via Nirone, 15
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A few questions before the laboratory starts

• Where do you usually learn?
• ? school ? friends ? holidays ? computer ? family
• ? travels ? sport ? church ? television ?
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• What are the three most important ways to learn?
• to study ? to listen ? to observe ? to try and do
  things
• to ask for help ?
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• Learning is like
• What can one do at the museum?
• What are your expectations about the laboratory
  at the museum?

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More than one hundred years ago, people had not
yet mobile phones, computers, lasers and all the
technologies we are used to. Scientists worked in
their laboratories with just a few mechanical
devices
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Imagine a scientist who had to study some trials
to select pilots...
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• Gemelli was asked to
• devise an instrument to act on a distant object
  with no direct physical contact
• work with the technologies of the first years of
  the past century
• What could have been invented?

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Lets start a journey in the scientists mind
?
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Metacognitive Interactive Experience
AWARE CONTROLLED PROCESS
MENTAL APPLICATION
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
UNAWARE SPONTANEOUS PROCESS
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What would you propose?
Lets try and build it! Test and Selection

• PROPOSAL
• stick
• rope

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The trainer translates each proposal in terms of
cognitive processes

• PROPOSAL
• stick
• rope

• PROCESS
• extension of an existing tool
• analogy

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Any more idea?

• PROPOSAL
• Catapult
• Sling

• PROCESS
• Analogy

Children are asked to refer to the cognitive
processes in order to propose new solutions
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Who would you ask for a help?
Children have to choose among three different
strategies to receive a hint for a further
solution
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(No Transcript)
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A few questions before the laboratory is over
Do you think you have learnt at the
laboratory? What did you do to learn? What did
the trainers/teachers do to make you
learn? Learning at the museum is like .
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Thank you for your attention!
Please address to alessandro.antonietti_at_unicatt.
it manuela.cantoia_at_unicatt.it
Service of Learning and Educational Psychology
www.unicatt.it/spaee