Topic 1: DEFINITION OF METACOGNITION

Metacognition is one of the most common terms used in teaching.

The word is composed of two important terms which are "meta" which
means “beyond” and "cognition" which means “thinking”. Etymologically,
the word would mean "knowing about your knowing" or simply "thinking
about your thinking".
Chick (2018) and Cambridge International Education (2018)
emphasized that metacognition is a process involving planning, monitoring,
and assessing one's understanding and performance.
Owe and Vista (2017) considered metacognition as a useful
mechanism for students to improve their learning in the classroom.

Topic 2: CHARACTERISTICS OF METACOGNITION

Flavell (1985) pointed out that there are two major elements of
metacognition: Knowledge of Cognition and Regulation of Cognition.

Knowledge of Cognition/Metacognitive Knowledge

Three Types of Metacognitive Knowledge
1. Self-knowledge. Understanding one's cognitive abilities.
2. Knowledge of Cognitive Tasks. Awareness of specific task and their
requirements.
3. Strategic Knowledge. Knowledge of effective strategies to approach
learning.

Regulation of Cognition/Metacognitive Regulation

Model of Metacognitive Regulation

NELSON AND NARENS'S MODEL (1990

1. Cognitive Level - Object level, where the actual thinking occurs.
2. Metacognitive Level- is where" thinking about thinking"

Two Processes
3. Monitoring - this happens when the learner checks how he/she
understands the material provided.
4. Control - this happens when the learner consciously changes his
behavior upon realizing the effectiveness of the approach or manner of
dealing with the material taking place.

WOOLFOLK'S MODEL (2007)

1. Planning - is the phase where the student knows how he/she will handle
the strategy used in dealing with the problem or the learning material.
"What is the task all about?"
 "How will I deal with it?"
"What strategies will be used?"
"What could be the problem"

2. Monitoring - is the phase where the student implements what he/she

plans to do with the problem or the given material.
"Is my strategy effective?"
" Are there other ways to deal with this task?

3. Evaluating - is the phase where the student finds out the success of the
device and a strategy problem and determines if the learner's goals were
achieved.
"How was my performance? Is it good?"

LEVEL OF METACOGNITIVE LEARNERS

Reflective Learners
Strategic Learners
Aware Learners
Tacit Learners

1. Tacit Learners - students who are not aware of their metacognitive

knowledge.
2. Aware Learners are students who are familiar with several processes
involved in processing information like generating ideas, looking for
evidence, and relating cause and effects but their metacognitive skills have
not matured yet such that they have not deliberately planned for the
thinking process.
3. Strategic Learners are students who consciously strategize to deal
with a given task.
4. Reflective Learners are students who take an active role not only in
devising a strategy for dealing with a task but consciously reflect on what is
happening.

Misconceptions about Metacognition

1. It is a simple process of "thinking about thinking".
- Metacognition is more than just reflecting on one's thoughts; it also
involves monitoring and adapting one’s approach to tasks.
2. Cognitive strategies are also Metacognitive strategies.
- Although cognitive strategies support information processing,
metacognitive methods rely on monitoring that process to ensure
effectiveness.
3. The learner has full control of the metacognitive process.
 - While teachers direct and establish educational objectives, learners
oversee their metacognitive processes.
4. Only mature learners are capable of metacognition.
- Although metacognition is frequently assumed to be exclusive to
older students, studies reveal that even young children, as little as five
years old, show awareness of their learning processes.
5. The ability for metacognition is written in the genes.
- Academically gifted people are not the only ones who can develop
metacognition. With the right environment and educational method, it can
be developed.
6. Metacognition is only a school thing.
- Metacognition is applicable in daily life, like strategizing to solve a
problem effectively.

TOPIC 3: STRATEGIES AND EXAMPLE ON HOW TO USE

METACOGNITION IN THE CLASSROOM

Fostering Metacognition in the Classroom

Since one of the fundamental functions of the teacher in the classroom
is to help students think and to guide them to a more disciplined thought
process, the questioning skills of teachers then become necessary in
creating a classroom environment that enhances metacognition even at
the early stages of formal education.
Jacobson (2018) pointed out that the quality of questions we asked our
students has a great bearing in encouraging students to do Metacognition.
According to him, the questions that we frame should be:
1.) OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
- That provides enough space for learners to think. Also called
Divergent Questions, they provide enough flexibility in the thought process
of the learner and a sense of confidence. Closed-ended questions like:
“Why or Why not?” or” Can you tell me more about it?”
2.) NON-BLAMING QUESTIONS
-That focuses on the act rather than on the personality of the learner. It
will help encourage learners since the concern is the behavior and not the
person. Questions like.
“Why do you think the strategy is not effective?"
If given a chance in the future to do the same, what could you have done?
3.) SOLUTION-FOCUSED QUESTIONS
- The text encourages students to develop metacognition skills by
considering different contexts and solutions to problems. It encourages
strategic thinking, a sense of accomplishment, and the understanding that
there is no single solution to a problem. This approach helps students think
outside the box and think differently.
4.) PROCESS-ORIENTED QUESTIONS
- help students understand their thought processes, such as visual arts
tasks. Teachers can ask questions about completion indicators and criteria,
encouraging students to evaluate their performance and work further. This
motivates them to realize they still have much to learn before the process
ends.

CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION (2018)

- suggest the following strategies that facilitate the development of
metacognition among students.

Strategies for Enhancing Metacognition

1. MNEMONICS - these are words or expressions that help students to
memorize important terms. A teacher may ask,
“Why do you use such a mnemonic?”
"How do you find its effectiveness?"
“If given a chance to improve it further, how will you do it?”

2. THINKING JOURNALS - Active learning tools help students track their

thinking activities, and develop planning, monitoring, and self-evaluation
skills. When asked with the following questions,
"What ideas have you learned after our lecture discussion?
“After watching the short film? After listening to our resource speaker?"
“After watching the short film? After listening to our resource speaker?"

3. RECIPROCAL TEACHING - The strategy focuses on improving

students' comprehension skills by requiring them to act as a teacher after
reading an article or literary piece. The teacher may ask,
"What can you say about the teaching of your classmates?"
"Are they effective? In what ways?"
"Given the chance to perform a similar task in the future, how will you
do it?"

4. METACOGNITIVE TALK - Students can express their thoughts during

tasks like reading, problem-solving, or analyzing issues, which may be
annoying but helps them understand their thinking process. Some of the
questions that students may ask include,
"What is my prior knowledge about the topic?"
"Have I encountered similar ones before?"
'If so, how did I approach it?"
"Can I try other strategies in solving the problem?

5. EXAM WRAPPERS - This strategy aids students in understanding their

performance in long tests and examinations by providing a worksheet with
reflective questions for use before and after the test. The questions
include,
"How prepared am I for this long test?"
"How is my performance?
Did I use an appropriate strategy for preparation?"
In future exams, what will I do to make my preparations better?"

6. KWL CHART - The strategy involves students activating prior

knowledge, setting expectations, and self-evaluating. The "K" questions
help recall previous topics, "W" clarify expectations, and "L" ask what they
learned. The teacher may ask additional questions to further understand
students' thought processes.
What approach have I used?"
"Which is effective, and which is not?"
What will I do next time?
7. CONCEPT MAPS - This strategy helps students connect important
terms by presenting three elements: the term, the arrow to the next term,
and connecting words. It requires critical thinking and can be enhanced by
teacher questions. The teacher may ask them the following,
"Why did I connect this to that (referring to the arrow connecting the
terms)?"
"Are the two terms related? In what ways?"
"Are the connecting words appropriate?"