Metacognition+&+Reflection

An Argument for Metacognition and Reflection: Students can use knowledge without being able to explain how they did so.
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Metacognition - Thinking about Thinking

 * Definition:** learners' automatic awareness of their own knowledge and their ability to understand, control, and manipulate their own cognitive processes.

“I am engaging in metacognition if I notice that I am having more trouble learning //A// than //B//; if it strikes me that I should double-check //C// before accepting it as a fact; (...) if I become aware that I am not sure what the experimenter really wants me to do; if I sense I had better make a note of //D// because I may forget I; if I think to ask someone about //E// to see if I have it right.” -Dr. John Flavell, Developmental Psychologist at Standford University (1975)

Key Metacognitive Skills
from //Educational Psychology// by Dr. Edward Vockell, Purdue University


 * Metamemory:** a student's knowledge and awareness of their own memory system and strategies; knowing which strategy to use for which task.


 * Metacomprehension:** a student's ability to monitor their understanding of information being given or consumed; using strategies to correct comprehension failure when it is identified.


 * Self-Regulation:** a student's ability to make adjustments in their own learning; understanding what strategies are available, the purposes they serve, and being able to select, employ, monitor, and evaluate their use of these strategies.


 * Classroom Examples**
 * documenting a thinking process - perhaps in a screencast
 * making plans for revision after identifying problems
 * identifying and correcting a mistake; explaining why the mistake was made

** Reflection = When Learners Make Explicit Their Metacognitive Processes **

 * **strengthens metacognitive processes**
 * **assists with making changes to those processes**