Metacognition

1
Metacognition

• EDU 330 Educational Psychology
• Daniel Moos

2
Lets Review The IPT Model(1) 2 minute summary
of model(2) Identify one concrete implication
(what does this theory suggest about how to
teach?)(3) Any terms/concept that you would like
clarified?
3
Phraseology example
Tall in the the saddle
Guiding Question What does this activity suggest
about the role of prior knowledge and experience
in learning?
4

• In 1763 Marian and the settlements ended a
  seven-year war with the Langurians and Pitoks. As
  a result of this war Languia was driven out of
  East Bacol. Marain would now rule Laman and other
  lands that had belonged to Languia. This brought
  peace to Bacolian settlements. The settlers no
  longer had to fear attacks from Laman. The
  Bacolians were happy to be part of Marain in
  1763. Yet a dozen years later, these same people
  would be fighting the for independence (Beck and
  Mckeown, 1993, p.2)

In 1763 Britain and the settlements ended a
seven-year war with the French and Native
Americans. As a result of this war, the French
were driven out of North America. Britain would
now rule Canada and other lands that had belonged
to the French. This brought peace to the North
American settlements. The settlers no longer had
to fear attacks from Canada. The North Americans
were happy to be part of Britain in 1763. Yet a
dozen years later, these same people would be
fighting the for independence.
Guiding Question What does this activity suggest
about the role of prior knowledge and experience
in learning? Implications for teachers?
5
Numbers example
3
1
8
6
5
0
4
7
1
1
0
2
8
2
0
1
Guiding Question What does this activity suggest
about the importance of organization in learning?
What does this activity suggest about the maximum
number of items we can learn at one time?
Implications for teachers?
6
Months example
As quickly as you can
state the months of the year

state the months of the year, alphabetically

Guiding Question What does this activity suggest
about the role of how we originally learn in
retrieving this knowledge? Implications for
teachers?
7
Riding a bike example

• On a scale of 1 (very poorly) to 5 (very easily),
  how well can you ride a bike?
• Turn to your neighbor and discuss how you would
  teach someone who does not know how to ride a
  bike
• On a scale of 1 (very hard) to 5 (very easy),
  describe the difficulty level you just
  experienced in describing how you might teach
  someone to ride a bike
• Why might there be a discrepancy between your
  expertise and ability to teach?

Guiding Question What does this activity suggest
about the challenges experts might face in
teaching novices? Implications for teaching?
8
Color example
As quickly as you can, quietly say the COLOR and
not the pronunciation of the following words
(from left to right)
Example Yellow Blue
RED BLACK BLUE BLACK YELLOW
BLACK RED YELLOW BLUE BLACK
RED BLACK BLUE BLACK YELLOW RED
YELLOW BLUE BLACK RED
Guiding Question What does this activity suggest
about the role of attention and perception in
learning? Implications for teachers?
9
Lets Review The IPT Model(1) 2 minute summary
of model(2) Identify one concrete implication
(what does this theory suggest about how to
teach?)(3) Any terms/concept that you would like
clarified?
10
What is Metacognition?

• Cognition refers to
• The manner in which information is processed (the
  way in which students process, store, retrieve,
  manipulate knowledge)
• Metacogntion refers to
• Knowledge about these operations and how they may
  be best used to achieve a learning goal

11
What is Metacognition?, continued
A critical turning point during World War II
washmm..wonder what I should wear tomorrowWorld
War II, December 7, 1941.I am really mad at what
Sally said to me in PE today.lets see..Ive
finished the first part of the chapter..
A critical turning point during World War II
wasI think we talked about this yesterday World
War II, December 7, 1941...I dont really
understand this paragraphI better read it again
12
What is Metacognition according to Flavell (1987)?

• Knowledge-of-person variables
• Individual understanding (are you better at math
  or English?)
• Knowledge-of-task variables
• Knowledge of tasks (which tasks take you longer
  to complete?)
• Knowledge-of-strategy variables
• Knowledge of effective strategies (which
  strategies are most effective for you?)

13
Age trends in Metacognition

• Young Elementary (6 yr olds)
• Do know Familiar items easier to remember, small
  set of information easier to recall
• Do not know Limit to amount one can recall
• Young Elementary (7 yr olds)
• Do know Interest, familiarity, and story length
  affect comprehension and recall
• Do not know Effect of how ideas are sequenced,
  time of test should affect study time
• Elementary (9 yr olds)
• Do know Recall is limited (younger children
  overestimate how much they can store and retrieve
  in STM)
• Begin to understand when they know something well
  enough to pass a memory test (younger children
  choose to study something they had already seen)

14
Supporting Students Metacognition

• Self-metacognitive questions
• Comprehending the problem
• What is the problem/task?
• Constructing connections between previous and new
  knowledge
• What are the similarities/differences between
  the problem/task at hand and problems/tasks I
  have solved in the past, and why?
• Using appropriate strategies to solve the
  problem/task
• What are some appropriate strategies?
• When/how should I implement a particular
  strategy?
• Reflecting on the process and the solution
• Does the solution make sense?
• How can I solve the task in another way?

15
Cognitive processes Applying IPT to the
classroom

• Model and encourage metacogniton.
• Begin lessons with an activity that attracts
  attention.
• Conduct frequent reviews to activate students
  prior knowledge and check their perceptions.
• Proceed in short steps and represent content both
  visually and verbally to reduce cognitive load
  dual coding theory
• Help students make information meaningful (hot
  cognition vs. cold cognition)
• Aid encoding through organization, imagery,
  elaboration, and activity.