An Introduction to Metacognition

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Module 2
An introduction to metacognition
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Module aims

• To introduce or refresh colleagues understanding
  of metacognition.
• To establish a link between metacognition and
  PISA.

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Session objectives

• Colleagues will
• develop an awareness of what is meant by the
  term metacognition
• think about how metacognition can be further
  developed in the classroom
• recognise the links between metacognition
  and effective learning in the context of PISA.

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What do you know about metacognition?
Discuss in groups 6 mins
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A one minute guide to metacognition
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The big debate
Be ready to feedback in 9 minutes

• One envelope per group.
• Share out the cards.
• Read your card and decide for yourself if you
• Take it in turns to read your card to the group.
• Present your decision and explain your reasons.
• Discuss each card as a group.

Unsure
Disagree
Agree
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The big debate
Feedback

• How big was your debate?
• Write a Tweet to describe part of your debate
  to everyone else (maximum 140 characters).
• metacognition

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Metacognition and effective learning

• Learners with good metacognitive
• skills
• complete work more efficiently
• are self-regulated learners, using the right
  tool for the job
• identify blocks to learning and change
  strategies to ensure goal attainment.

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Metacognition and effective learning

• Learners with good metacognitive
• skills
• are aware of their own strengths and
  weaknesses
• perform better in exams.
• (Welsh Government, Department for Education and
  Skills, 2012, page 5)

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PISAContexts for learning(OECD, 2009)
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PISA contexts for learning

• Questions such as the following should be used
  routinely with learners so that they start to
  internalise the question prompts for themselves.

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PISA contexts for learning

• What might this task be about?
• Have you seen something like this before?
• How is the information presented? What are the
  key ideas? Who might use this information?
• What strategies might you use to extract the
  information you need?
• How would you explain this to someone else?

Discuss these prompts in relation to the PISA
question provided.
Make a note of how you might adapt this context
for an activity in your own classroom.
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• How do you promote the development of
  metacognitive skills at present?
• What small changes can you make to promote skills
  further?

A small change
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Final thought

• Teaching metacognition is arguably the most
  difficult aspect of developing a learners
  thinking. It is, however, one of the key aspects
  to promoting deeper understanding and transfer of
  ideas and skills to all areas of learning.
• (Welsh Government, Department for Education and
  Skills, 2012,
• page 6)

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References

• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
  Development (OECD) (2009) PISA Take the Test
  Sample Questions from the OECDs PISA
  Assessments. Available at www.oecd.org/pisa/pisap
  roducts/pisa2000/41943106.pdf
• Wales. Department for Education and Skills (2012)
  A guide to using PISA as a learning context.
  Available at http//wales.gov.uk/docs/dcells/publ
  ications/120629pisabookleten.pdf

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• Further reading
• Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., Cocking, R. R.
  (2000). (Expanded version). How People Learn
  Brain, Mind, Experience and School. Washington,
  DC National Academy Press.
• Chambers, M., Claxton, G., Lucas, B., Powell, G.
  (2011). The Learning Powered School Pioneering
  21st Century Education. London TLO Ltd.
• Pearce, C. (2011). A Short Introduction to
  Promoting Resilience in Children. London Jessica
  Kingsley Publishers.
• Larkin, S. (2010). Metacognition in Young
  Children. London Routledge.
• Tarricone, P. (2011). The Taxonomy of
  Metacognition. London Psychology Press.

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• Web resources
• http//serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/metacogniti
  on/teaching_metacognition.html
• http//imaginationsoup.net/2012/01/teach-kids-to-t
  hink-about-their-thinking-metacognition/
• www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Dev_Metaco
  gnition/
• http//earli.org/special_interest_groups/metacogni
  tion

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