Implications of Metacognition on InstructionalTechnology for Today’s Differentiated Learners

Trevor Wasilow

Graduate StudentEducational Communications and Technology 802University of SaskatchewanDr. Richard Schwier February, 2009ABSTRACT

Equipping students with life long learning skills is the goal of every effective,successful educator. The teaching of metacognition not only enhances studentlearning, but empowers today’s learners to take ownership of their learning,therefore augmenting student success. The purpose of this literature review is to provide a comprehensive definition of metacognition in relation to education aswell as give strategies on how to foster its development for all types of learners.While there have been significant contributions to education through the use of instructional design, this paper also outlines suggestions for instructionaldesigners to consider as today’s learners evolve.Key words: metacognition, learner, differentiated, technology, instructional design

Introduction

The process of knowing how to learn and knowing which learning strategies do and do not work for an individual are valuable skills that have the potential to differentiate successful, expert

learners from less successful, novice learners. This process of knowing how to learn, also knownas “metacognition”, can greatly impact not only what a learner has learned, but moreimportantly, how the learner obtained and retained the taught information. It is this veryfamiliarity with oneself that can lead to future academic and personal successes.Consider and compare the following two cases of metacognition in action.

CASE A

Unfocused, inattentive and frustrated, 10 year old Logan sits at the back of his fifth grade scienceclass causing a disturbance for his classmates and creating a distraction for his teacher.Constructive participation in class discussions are a rarity and he frequently talks aloud when heis not fully engaged in the lesson or content being taught. Logan has unfortunately been labeledas one of the “bad kids” in his grade. Successes with this student in particular have beenintermittent causing multiple teachers to express frustrations while trying to “reach” him,regardless of the instructional strategies being implemented. When given options on anassignment, Logan becomes unnervingly overwhelmed and has great difficulty making thedecision that would best benefit his learning style.

CASE B

Twelfth grade seems to come unnaturally easily to Sienna. She consistently appears focused andattentive during any lectures and regularly participates in class discussions, engaging her teachers and classmates in deep thought. Her study skills are impeccable, preparing herself daysand sometimes even weeks ahead of an examination. Sienna has carefully chosen the highschool courses that she needs in order to fulfill her dream of enrolling in medical school and her teachers have no doubt that she will indeed obtain this goal. Thanks to learning inventories andmetacognitive processes taught throughout her elementary and secondary education, she is fullyaware of her individual learning style and uses this knowledge to support and monitor her learning. When given options on an assignment, Sienna never hesitates to choose the option that best supports her learning style, bettering her chances of success.These two young learners clearly differ in several ways. What happened for Sienna that did not,or has not yet happened for Logan? What in fact is metacognition and how does itsunderstanding in elementary and secondary education support self-monitored, successfullearners? Are all learners capable of using their knowledge of metacognition to deepen their understanding of concepts or do there exist varying levels of learners, some of whom are capableand some whom are not? What are the roles of the student and the teacher in teaching andsupporting metacognition in action? Can the use of technology and instructional design be usedto manifest the benefits of this learning strategy? If so, what instructional technology strategiescan help?

Metacognition

What exactly is metacognition? This 21

century term has been defined as, “an awareness of one’s own cognitive processes rather than the content of those processes together with the usethat self awareness in controlling and improving cognitive processes” (Biggs and Moore, 1993, p 527). By contrast, Flavell (1976) labeled metacognition as, “monitoring of cognitive processes”.2

While the full understanding of this concept is much more complicated, metacognition can besimply thought of as “knowing how to learn” or “thinking about thinking”. This is an integral part of the learning process, showcasing learners’ self-reflection upon their learning. Rather than just focusing upon the subject at hand or the lesson being taught, students need to be able toreflect on how they understand concepts through the use of thinking about how they are learning.This very reflection then allows the student to focus on any successes or areas of improvement.Goals may then be set to improve upon problem areas for future use. If learners are aware of their metacognitive processes, they will more than likely hesitate less when given a problem aswell as possess stronger problem-solving skills.Metacognitive learners will do this by:

•

planning

, deciding what their goals are and what

•

strategies

to use to get there; decide what further

•

knowledge

or resources they need;

•

monitoring

progress along the way; am I going in the right direction;

•

evaluating

when I have arrived; and

•

terminating

when the goals have been met. (Biggs and Moore, p307, 1993)Referring to the two case studies, one would be compelled to wonder if both students wereindeed capable of the metacognitive process. It seems that the learner in case B is fully aware of her unique learning habits while the learner in case A has not yet developed the strategies neededto be fully metacognitive. This then begs the question: Are all learners capable of using their knowledge of metacognition to deepen their understanding of concepts or do there exist varyinglevels of learners, some of which are capable and some of which are not?

How Does a “Novice” Learner Differ from an “Expert” Learner?

All too often, teachers neglect to make the connection that certain individuals in their classroomslack the ability to self-regulate, monitor personal progress and set goals according to their ability.These novice learners differ greatly from expert learners. Novice learners are the students in the classroom who neglect to stop and evaluate their comprehension of the material being taught. These students typically comprehend more generalinformation as opposed to specific, detailed information. The use of objects, visuals and gesturesgreatly increase the potential for interpersonal comprehension. They generally don’t evaluatetheir work as they are completing it nor do they self-assess and make any necessary changesupon completion. Novice learners are characteristically satisfied with completing the simpleststep in a problem and tend to overlook the problem in its entirety. Knowing how they knowwhat they know is a skill that seems overly-complex and somewhat unattainable for some novicelearners.Conversely, expert learners regularly check for errors as they work and make any changesnecessary. Highly motivated, these individuals use the knowledge that they have aboutthemselves and how they learn and apply this understanding to each new situation. Expertlearners have the ability to accurately select, control and monitor strategies needed in order toreach a targeted learner outcome. Not only will most expert learners creatively solve each step in3