COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

MODULES ON
FACILITATING LEARNER-
CENTERED TEACHING

Prepared by:

DR. EMIL B. FERDINEZ

Associate Professor I
 Module 1: Metacognition

Module 2: Learner Centered Psychological Principles

Module 3: Review of Theories Related to the Learners Development

I. Learning Outcomes:
• Explain metacognition in their own words.
• Apply metacognitive strategies in their own quest for learning
• Explain the 14 learner-centered psychological principles
• Advocate the use of the principles in the teaching-learning process
• Explain the salient concepts and principles of the major development theories.
• Apply these theories to teaching-learning situations

II. Learning Content

Introduction
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.

According to John Flavell further divides meta cognitive knowledge into three
categories:

Person Variables. This includes how one views himself as a learner and thinker.
Knowledge of person variables refers to knowledge about human beings learn and
process information as well as individual knowledge of one’s own learning processes.

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.

Strategy Variables. It involves awareness of the strategy you are using to learn a a
topic and evaluating whether this strategy is effective.

Meta-attention – is the awareness of specific strategies so that you can keep your
attention focused on the topic of task at hand. Meta-memory is your awareness of
memory strategies that work best for you.
 These 3 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.
 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.

METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES TO FACILITATE LEARNING

Here are some examples of teaching strategies to develop metacognition:
1. Have students monitor their own learning and thinking.
2. Teach students study or learning strategies.
TQLR
TUNE IN
QUESTIONS
LISTEN
REMEMBER

PQ4R
PREVIEW
QUESTION
READ
RECITE
REVIEW
REFLECT

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
5. Have students develop questions
6. Help students to know when to ask for help.
7. Show students how to transfer knowledge, attitudes, values, skills to other situations or
tasks.

14 PSYCHOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES PERTAIN TO THE LEARNER AND THE

LEARNING PROCESS

1. Nature of the learning process. The learning of a complex subject matter is most effective
when it is an intentional process of constructing meaning from information and
experience.
 2. Goals of the learning process. The successful learner, over time and with support and
instructional guidance , can create meaningful , coherent representations of knowledge.
3. Construction of knowledge. The successful learner can link new information with
existing knowledge in meaningful ways.
4. Strategic thinking. The successful learner can create a use a repertoire of thinking and
reasoning strategies to achieve complex learning goals.
5. Thinking about thinking. Higher order strategies selecting and monitoring mental
operations facilitate creative and critical thinking.
6. Context of learning. Learning is influenced by environmental factors , including,
technology and instructional practices.
7. Motivational and emotional influences on learning. What and how much is learned is
influenced bybthe learner’s motivation. Motivation to learn, in turn, is influenced by the
individual’s emotional states, beliefs, intersts and goals, and habits of thinking.
8. Intrinsic motivation to learn. The learner’s creativity, higher order thinking, and natural
curiosity all contribute to motivation to learn. Intrinsic motivation is stimulated by tasks
of optimal novelty and difficulty, relevant to personal interests, and providing for
personal choice and control.
9. Effects on motivation on effort. Acquisition of complex knowledge and skills requires
extended learner effort and guided practice. Without learners’ motivation to learn, the
willingness to exert this effort unlikely without coercion.
10. Developmental influences on learning. As individuals develop, there are different
opportunities and constraints for learning. Learning is most effective when differential
development within and across physical, intellectual, emotional and social domains is
taken into account.
11. Social influences on learning. Learning is influenced by social interaction, interpersonal
relations and co."mmunication with others.
12. Individual differences in learning. Learners have different strategies, approaches and
capabilities for learning that are function of prior experience and heredity.
13. Learning and diversity. Learning is most effective when differences in learners’
linguistic, cultural and social backgrounds are taken into account.
14. Standards and assessment. Setting appropriately high and challenging standards and
assessing the learner as well as learning progress – including diagnostic process and
outcome assessment – are integral parts of the learning process.

Freud, Erikson, Piaget, Vygotsky and Bronfenbrenner remain to be foundational in the teacher’s
understanding of the learners’ development.

 Freud believed that an individual goes through five psychosexual stages of

development. This includes oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital stages.
 Erikson said “Healthy children will not fear life if their elders have integrity
enough not to fear death.”
 Piaget said, “The principle goal of education in the schools should be creating
men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating
what other generations have done.”
 Vygotsky said, “The teacher must orient his work not on yesterday’s
development in the child but on tomorrow’s.”
  Bronfenbrenner said, “We as a nation need to be reeducated about the
necessary and sufficient conditions for making human being human. We need
to be reeducated not as parents – but as workers, neighbors, and friends; and
as members of the organizations, committees, boards – and especially, the
informal networks that control our social institutions and thereby deter

Activity 1. Based on the principles of metacognition, prepare your own metacognitive game
plan on how you can apply metacognition to improve your study skills

Since I am into writing notes I decided to create my own metacognitive game plan which
involves writing within a specific period of time and this game called “List Me Up?” wherein I
will write out all the things that I know and what questions do I have about the learning
objectives for a certain topic that I will be learning/studying. This game will help me identify
things that I already know , I don’t know, and how am I thinking or what is my perspective about
the concepts that I will be studying.

Activity 2. Describe what you can do to advocate the use of the 14 Learning-Centered
psychological Principles.

As a future educator , I think the most effective way to promote the use of the 14
principles is through educating others about what are these principles and how they can make use
of it when teaching with the help of seminars, training and workshops. Collaborate with
colleagues to promote the use of these principles in the entire school by sharing ideas,
developing a lesson plans or activities that incorporates the 14 learning-centered psychological
principles, and by providing feedback and support to one another to achieve a better outcome.

Activity 3. Reflection: From these lessons, I realized that…

As a future educator, I have so many strategies that I can utilize when I’m in the field of
teaching someday so there’s no reason for me not to be an effective teacher to the learners. This
lesson also helps me see the point of views of a teacher and students in a class.

Reference:

Facilitating Learning: A Metacognitive Process by Lucas and Corpuz