Module 2 Metacognition: Thinking About Thinking
Metacognition & Metacognitive Knowledge
Competencies In this topic, you will discover the nature of metacognition, its
components, and how metacognitive processes work in the
classroom. In this topic, , the students are expected to:
explain metacognition and its components:
delineate the relationship between metacognitive
knowledge and metacognitive processes; and
identify effective metacognitive teaching strategies to
facilitate learning.
Discussion Introduction
Children must be taught how to think, nor what to think
Margaret Mead
Today, facilitating learning is aimed at assisting learners in
acquiring expected competencies. In addition, the facilitation of
learning addresses the expected competencies to help them
understand their learning and thinking. Research findings have
shown that metacognitive thinking operates as a vital skill to other
skills like problem-solving, creative thinking, and critical thinking.
The good news is that metacognition can be taught.
Am I
I am sure my answer understanding
is correct the message
the author has
written?
What do I know about
this story?
Definition of Metacognition
The term metacognition is attributed to Flavell. He described
it as "knowledge concerning one's cognitive processes and products
or anything related to them, eg, the learning-relevant properties of
information and data "Furthermore, he referred to it as "the active
monitoring and consequent regulation and orchestration of these
processes concerning the cognitive objects or data on which they
bear, usually in the service of some concrete goal or objective"
(Flavell, 1976). Simply stated, metacognition is knowledge and
cognition about cognitive phenomena" (Flavell, 1979). The meaning
metamorphosed into thinking about thinking, knowing about
knowing." and "cognition about cognition.”
Components of Metacognition
The elements of metacognition are metacognitive knowledge
and metacognitive regulation (Flavell, 2004). These two elements
are interrelated the presence of the first one enhances the second
element .
Metacognitive knowledge (also called knowledge of cognition)
refers to what individuals know about their cognition or cognition in
general" (Schraw. 2002). It involves three kinds of metacognitive
awareness , namely: declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge,
and conditional knowledge.
Declarative Procedural Conditional
Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge
Knowledge Knowledge on Knowledge on
about how to do when and
things things why to apply
cognitive acts
Knowledge Knowledge of Knowledge on
about one’s how to when a
own abilities execute skills strategy is
appropriate
Knowledge
about
factors
affecting
one’s own
performanc
e
Declarative knowledge or personal knowledge is the
learner's knowledge about things. It also refers to the learner's
understanding of own abilities, and the knowledge about oneself as
a learner and of the factors that moderate one's performance. This
type of knowledge is not always accurate as the learner's evaluation
of his or her capabilities may be unreliable. For instance, that Manila
is the capital of the Philippines and that cases is the plural form of
oasis are examples of declarative knowledge. That learner has
limited information as to the semantic rules is also a declarative
knowledge.
Procedural knowledge or task knowledge involves the
knowledge of how to do things and how skills or competencies are
executed. The assessment on the learner's task knowledge includes
what knowledge is needed (content) and the space available to
communicate what is known (length). A learner given a problem-
solving task, for instance, knows that prerequisite information and
prior skills are necessary to be recalled and readily executed at the
given time to solve the problem. Such knowledge gives confidence in
working with the problem.
Conditional knowledge or strategy knowledge refers to the
ability to know when and why various cognitive acts should be
applied. It involves using strategies to learn information (knowing
how to know) as well as adapting them to novel contexts (knowing
when a strategy is appropriate). This knowledge is evident in a
learner who seeks the help of a school nurse to make a report on the
communicable diseases prevalent in the community as well as this
learner's knowledge that the best way to gather the information is to
interview a nurse and to go over the health records of the Municipal
Health Office of the town.
Metacognitive knowledge is the result of an individual's
metacognitive experiences. Flavell (1979) explained them as
experiences that an individual has through which knowledge is
attained, or through regulation occurs." A learner who obtained low
scores in knowledge and skills test becomes aware that he or she
has low declarative and procedural knowledge. In contrast, a learner
who has always scored highest in both the content and skills tests
has strong confidence in his adequacy of knowledge in the subject.
Similarly, metacognitive knowledge depends so much on the
learner's metamemory, the knowledge of what memory is, how it
works, and how to remember things. Through instruction and
individual effort, metamemory develops over time. For instance,
learners who have been taught how to organize information and use
rehearsal strategies have richer metamemory. They can retrieve
declarative, procedural, and conditional knowledge when required by
the task.
References Bulusan, Ferdinand, [Link]. 1st Ed 2019. Facilitating Learner-Centered
Teaching. Manila: Rex Book Store, Inc.
Harasim, L. (2017) Learning theory & Online Technology. 2 nd edition.
New York:Routledge
Tan, D.A. & Limjap, A.A. (2018) Filipino student’s use of
metcognitive skills in mathematical probem solving: An emergent
model. International Journal of Dev’t and Research, 08(05), 20430-
20439. Retrieved from http:[Link]/