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DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION AND LANGUAGES

EDUC70: FACILITATING LEARNER-CENTERED TEACHING

MODULE 1: METACOGNITION

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the Module, you should be able to:
1. explain metacognition in your own words; and
2. apply metacognitive strategies in your quest for learning as a novice or an expert learner.

CONTENT
A. Differences between Novice and Expert Learners

Introduction
Metacognition is such a long word. What does it mean? You will find this out in this
module. It is the first module so you get to understand it and apply it from the very beginning.

Advance Organizer

Metacognition
“Thinking about Thinking”

Metacognition Metacognition Application of Learners who do

and Development Knowledge metacognition not use
Variables leads one to be metacognition
“If you teach a an expert remain to be
person what to learn, you are preparing that learner novice learners

Person Variables
Teaching
Strategies to Characteristics Characteristics
Develop of Expert of Novice
Task Variables
Metacognition Learners Learners

Strategy
Variables
person for the past. If you teach a person how to learn, you are preparing that person for
the future.”

Abstraction/Generalization
The most important goal of education is to teach students how to learn on their own. The
quotation on the top of this page stresses this. It is vital that students acquire skills of how to
learn; and that these skills enable them to learn not just while they are in school but for a
lifetime. This entails a deeper awareness of how one processes information, the ability to
evaluate his own thinking and to think of ways to make his own learning process more effective.
All these involve metacognition.

What is metacognition? This appears to be such a high-sounding word that some people
are confused about even before they actually spend time to find out what it really means. It is
not at all that complicated. In fact, we do metacognitive activities so often in our daily lives.
When you sense that you are experiencing some difficulty with a topic you are studying, and
you try out different strategies to learn better, you are practicing metacognition. When you
become a teacher, it can also help your students to learn more efficiently and effectively.

The term, “metacognition” was coined by John Flavell. According to Flavell (1979, 1987),
metacognition consists of both metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive experiences or
regulation. “Metacognition” simply put, is “thinking about thinking” or learning how to
learn”. It refers to higher order thinking which involves active awareness and control over the
cognitive processes engaged in learning. Metacognitive knowledge refers to acquired
knowledge about cognitive processes, knowledge that can be used to control cognitive
processes. Flavell further divides metacognitive knowledge into three categories: knowledge of
person variables, task variables, and strategy variables.

Person Variables. This includes how one views himself as a learner and thinker.
Knowledge of person variables refers to knowledge about how human beings learn and process
information, as well as individual knowledge of one’s own learning processes. For example, you
may be aware that you study more effectively if you study very early in the morning than late in
the evening, and that you work better in a quiet library rather than at home where there are a lot
of things that make it hard for you to focus and concentrate.

Task Variables. Knowledge of task variables includes knowledge about the nature of
the task as well as the type of processing demands that it will place upon the individual. It is
about knowing what exactly needs to be accomplished, gauging its difficulty and knowing the
kind of effort it will demand from you. For example, you may be aware that it takes more time for
you to read and comprehend a novel.

Strategy Variables. Knowledge of strategy variables involves awareness of the strategy

you are using to learn a topic and evaluating whether this strategy is effective. If you think your
strategy is not working, then you may think of various strategies and try out one to see if it will
help you learn better. Terms like meta-attention and meta-memory are related to strategy
variables. Meta-attention is the awareness of specific strategies so that you can keep your
attention focused on the topic or task at hand. Meta-memory is your awareness of memory
strategies that work best for you.

These three variables all interact as you learn and apply metacognition. Omrod includes
the following in the practice of metacognition:

 Knowing the limits of one’s own learning and memory capacities

 Knowing what learning tasks one can realistically accomplish within a certain amount of
time.
 Knowing which learning strategies are effective and which are not.
 Planning an approach to a learning task that is likely to be successful
 Using effective learning strategies to process and learn new material
 Monitoring one’s own knowledge and comprehension. In other words, knowing when
information has been successfully learned and when it is not.
 Using effective strategies for retrieval of previously stored information.
 Knowledge is said to be metacognitive if it is keenly used in a purposeful manner to
ensure that a goal is met. For example, a student may use knowledge in planning how to
do homework. “I know that I (person variable) have more difficulty with my science
assignments than English and find Araling Panlipunan easier (task variable), so I will do
my homework in Science first, then Language Arts, then Araling Panlipunan (strategy
variable).” If one is only aware about one’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses and the
nature of the task, but not use this to guide or oversee his/her own learning, then no
metacognition has been applied.

Huitt believes that metacognition includes the ability to ask and answer the following types
of questions:
  What do I know about this subject, topic, issue?
 Do I know what I need to know?
 Do I know where I can go to get some information, knowledge?
 How much time will I need to learn this?
 What are some strategies and tactics that I can use to learn this?
 Did I understand what I just heard, read, saw?
 How will I know if I am learning at an appropriate rate?
 How can I spot an error if I make one?
 How should I revise my plan if it is not working to my expectations/satisfaction?

Metacognitive Strategies to Facilitate Learning

Researchers such as Fang and Cox showed that metacognitive awareness was evident
in preschoolers and in students as young as eight years old. Children have the capacity to be
more aware and reflective of their own learning. However, not many have been taught and
encouraged to apply metacognition.

The challenge then to future teachers like you is to integrate more activities that would
build your students’ capacity to reflect on their characteristics as learners (self-knowledge), the
tasks they are to do (task knowledge), and the strategies that they can use to learn (strategic
knowledge). Remember, metacognition is like any other thing you will teach. Metacognition
involves knowledge and skills which you and your students can learn and master.

Here are some teaching strategies to develop metacognition: (Work hard on applying
theses strategies now in your role as a student. It will surely be a rewarding learning experience
for you).

1. Have students monitor their own learning and thinking. (Example: have a student
monitor a peer’s learning/behaving in dyad).
2. Teach students study or learning strategies.
TQLR – This can be taught to younger students (primary grades). It is a metacognitive
strategy before listening to a story or presentation.
T is for Tune in. It is important for the learner himself to be aware that he is paying
attention, and that he is ready to learn.
 Q is for Question. The learner is given questions or he thinks of questions about what
he will soon learn.
L is for Listen. The learner then intentionally exerts effort to listen. He becomes aware if
he is momentarily detracted and goes back to listen again.
R is for Remember. The learner uses ways or strategies to remember what was
learned.
PQ4R – This is usually for older students in the intermediate levels and onwards. This
strategy is used to study a unit or chapter.
P – Preview. Scan the whole chapter before delving on each paragraph. Check out the
objectives. Look for outlines or advance organizers that will give you an idea about the
important topics and ideas in the chapter. Read the summary of the chapter first. But
please don’t stop at the summary alone. No. No. No. This is not a good idea at all. Read
the whole chapter!).
Q – Question. Read the guide questions provided, or think of your own questions about
the topic.
R – Read. Check out sub headings as you read. Pay attention on words that are printed
in bold or italicized. Find out the meaning of words that are not clear to you. Use a
marker or colored pencil to highlight important words or phrases. (Do not highlight the
whole paragraph!).
R- Recite. Work on answering the questions you had earlier.
R- Review. Pinpoint topics you may need to go back to and read in order to understand
better
R- Reflect. Think about what you read. Is everything clear to you? What are the main
points you learned? How is this relevant or useful to you?
3. Have students make predictions about information to be presented next based on what
they have read.
4. Have students relate ideas to existing knowledge structures. (It is important to have
relevant knowledge structures well-learned.)
5. Have students develop questions; ask questions of themselves, about what’s going on
around them.
6. Help students to know when to ask for help. (He/she mut be able to self-monitor; require
students to show how they have attempted to deal with the problem of their own.)
7. Show students how to transfer knowledge, attitudes, values, skills to other situations or
tasks.
Novice and Expert Learners

In the last twenty years, cognitive psychologists have studied the distinctions among
learners in the manner they absorb or process information. They are able to differentiate expert
learners from novice learners. A very important factor that separates these two types of learners
mentioned is metacognition. Expert learners employ metacognitive strategies in learning. They
are more aware of their learning process as they read, study, and do problem solving. Expert
learners monitor their learning and consequently adjust their strategies to make learning more
effective.

The Table below shows the difference between a novice learner and an expert learner.

Difference between Novice and Expert Learners

Aspect of Learning Novice Learners Expert Learners

Knowledge in different  Have limited  Have deeper knowledge in
subject areas knowledge in the different subject areas
different subject because they look for
areas. interrelationships in the
things they learn.
Problem solving  Satisfied at just  First try to understand the
scratching the problem, look for
surface; hurriedly boundaries, and create a
gives a solution to mental picture of the
the problem problem.
Learning/thinking  Employ strategies  Design new strategies that
Strategies that may not be would be appropriate to the
appropriate to the task at hand.
task at hand
Selectivity in processing  Attempt to process all  Select important information
information they to process; able to break
receive down information to
manageable chunks.
Production of output  Do not examine the  Check their errors and
quality of their work, redirect their efforts to
nor stop to make maintain quality output.
revisions

Stop and pause a while. Are you a novice learner or an expert one? Strive to apply the
concepts of metacognition in your world of learning, and for sure you will be on your way to be
an expert learner., probably an expert teacher, too!
Reference
Lucas, MR. D. & Corpuz, B. B. (2014). Facilitating learning: A
metacognitive process. 4th ed. Quezon City: Lorimar Publishing Inc.

SUSANA C. SAN PEDRO

Instructor