Why study metacognition

The learner determines what needs to be done, what options and choices are available, and how to go about learning and doing the task on hand. The learner makes a plan for reaching the learning target. During Instruction. The learner self-monitors or self-regulating thoughts and actions to keep focused on the goals and the best pathway to achieve them. The learner also self-evaluates progress and takes steps to change direction if needed. After Instruction. Increased student ownership of learning and students taking control over their own learning.

More positive attitudes in relation to school and learning. Use simple interventions to help students work out the real-life reasons why it is important to study chemistry.

Site powered by Webvision Cloud. Skip to main content Skip to navigation. Education research. No comments. Encourage metacognition for effective life-long learning with these teaching tips.

Teaching tips Explain to students that thinking about their own learning and identifying strengths and weaknesses is vital if they are to progress at higher levels of study and in the workplace. Also point out that there is extensive evidence that doing so supports improved understanding, problem-solving ability and grades. Provide students with questions they can ask themselves. Ask students to discuss their responses with their peers before bringing them together in a whole class discussion.

Provide students with the opportunity to plan a revision programme that incorporates different strategies. Strategies could include summarising notes rather than rereading them, doing practice problems to self-assess and identify areas for improvement, working collaboratively and explaining concepts to others. Encourage students to reflect on their new strategies, perhaps in discussion with their peers, so they get into the habit of continually reviewing their progress and evolving the approaches they take.

Try the resources from Rule 2: self-regulation of our 7 simple rules for science teaching series: rsc. References C Z Muteti, et al. Topics Education research Evidence-based teaching Higher-order thinking and metacognition Pedagogy Secondary education. Your professor probably included a course schedule, reading list, learning objectives or something similar to give you a sense of how the course is structured.

Use this as your roadmap for the course. For example, for a reading-based course, think about why your professor might have assigned the readings in this particular order. How do they connect? What are the key themes that you notice? What prior knowledge do you have that could inform your reading of this new material? You can do this at multiple points throughout the semester, as you gain additional knowledge that you can piece together. Before you read your textbook or attend a lecture, look at the topic that is covered and ask yourself what you know about it already.

What questions do you have? What do you hope to learn? Answering these questions will give context to what you are learning and help you start building a framework for new knowledge. It may also help you engage more deeply with the material. Talk through your material.

You can talk to your classmates, your friends, a tutor, or even a pet. Just verbalizing your thoughts can help you make more sense of the material and internalize it more deeply. Talking aloud is a great way to test yourself on how well you really know the material. In courses that require problem solving, explaining the steps aloud will ensure you really understand them and expose any gaps in knowledge that you might have.