Metacognition, in short, is the process of thinking about thinking; it involves self-reflection on one’s current position, future goals, possible actions and strategies, and outcomes. It is linked to “awareness and self-monitoring of the act of learning.” It is nothing more than the act of learning about the learning process or the integration of internal resources with external ones.

The most important reason for developing metacognition is that it can improve the application of knowledge, skills, and character traits in areas beyond the immediate learning context.

Through the process of metacognition, students monitor their learning throughout the process, analyze their engagement in the process, interpret tasks and strategies for achieving learning objectives, and develop a growth mindset, which enhances their learning.

Read more:

• Learn how to implement Positive Education in schools
• How Neuroscience Can Contribute to Education Today
• How can we restore the balance between technology and people?

Metacognition is a powerful tool for learning in general, since it is primarily through metacognition that students can assess their difficulties and, consequently, develop strategies to overcome them. 

The process of metacognition contributes to the improvement of cognitive and motivational activity and, therefore, to the learning process. By becoming aware of and reflecting on what they know about their own knowledge, students come to understand the strategies they should use for studying or for analyzing real-life situations. It is learning how to learn—it is learning to learn. It involves guiding learning through questions such as “What do we need to do here?”, “How can we do this?”, or “Haven’t we done something like this before?”, so that students themselves can discover the path to the answers.

Several studies in the fields of education and neurocognition have shown that learning is more meaningful when students take an active role—when they experiment, make mistakes, erase, and reinvent themselves—and, therefore, the teacher’s choice of active methodologies and planning of experiences must be aligned with the learning objectives.

Do you use metacognition with your students? 

About the author:

Share on social media: