An Introduction to Metacognition - Learning Wales - Welsh ...

Module aims• To introduce or refresh colleagues’understanding of metacognition.• To establish a link between metacognitionand PISA.2

What do you know aboutmetacognition?4

A one minute guide tometacognition5

The big debate• One envelope per group.• Share out the cards.Be ready to feedbackin 9 minutes• Read your card and decide for yourself if you…AgreeUnsureDisagree• Take it in turns to read your card to the group.• Present your decision and explain yourreasons.• Discuss each card as a group.6

The big debate• How big was your debate?Feedback• Write a ‘Tweet’ to describe part of yourdebate to everyone else (maximum 140characters).• #metacognition7

Metacognition andeffective learningLearners with good metacognitiveskills:• complete work more efficiently• are self-regulated learners, using the ‘righttool for the job’• identify blocks to learning and changestrategies to ensure goal attainment.8

Metacognition andeffective learningLearners with good metacognitiveskills:• are aware of their own strengths andweaknesses• perform better in exams.(Welsh Government, Department for Education and Skills, 2012, page 5)9

PISAContexts forlearning(OECD, 2009)11

PISA – contexts for learning• Questions such as the followingshould be used routinely with learnersso that they start to internalise thequestion prompts for themselves.12

PISA – contexts for learning• What might this task be about?• Have you seen something like this before?• How is the information presented? What are thekey ideas? Who might use this information?• What strategies might you use to extract theinformation you need?• How would you explain this to someone else?13

• How do you promote thedevelopment ofmetacognitive skills atpresent?• What small changes canyou make to promoteskills further?A small change14

Final thought‘Teaching metacognition is arguablythe most difficult aspect of developinga learner’s thinking. It is, however, oneof the key aspects to promoting deeperunderstanding and transfer of ideasand skills to all areas of learning.’(Welsh Government, Department for Education and Skills, 2012,page 6)15

ReferencesThe Organisation for Economic Co-operation andDevelopment (OECD) (2009) PISA Take the Test: SampleQuestions from the OECD’s PISA Assessments. Available at:www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/pisa2000/41943106.pdfWales. Department for Education and Skills (2012) A guide tousing PISA as a learning context. Available at:http://wales.gov.uk/docs/dcells/publications/120629pisabookleten.pdf16

Further readingBransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000).(Expanded version). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experienceand School. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.Chambers, M., Claxton, G., Lucas, B., Powell, G. (2011). TheLearning Powered School: Pioneering 21 st Century Education.London: TLO Ltd.Pearce, C. (2011). A Short Introduction to Promoting Resiliencein Children. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.Larkin, S. (2010). Metacognition in Young Children. London:Routledge.Tarricone, P. (2011). The Taxonomy of Metacognition. London:Psychology Press.17

Web resourceshttp://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/metacognition/teaching_metacognition.htmlhttp://imaginationsoup.net/2012/01/teach-kids-to-think-about-theirthinking-metacognition/www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Dev_Metacognition/http://earli.org/special_interest_groups/metacognition18