Cognitive psychology

PROJECT 01

Department BS Clinical psychology

Course Tittle Cognitive Psychology

Course Code PSY-205

Section D

Course Instructor PROF.Amna Ishaq

Topic Of Project Metacognition

Group Members Names With Roll no Eman Qaisar 211520004 (leader)

Munazza Rehman 211520006
Tayyaba Noreen 211520004
Eiza Jameel 211520059
Irtaza Ijaz 211520027
Hamna Imran 211520115

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Acknowledgement
First I praise to Allah Almighty who gave us strength and wisdom to accomplish this project
gracefully.
Then we are thankful to all the people who joined us during this journey to lead us to accurate
path in the overall working on this project.
A load of gratefulness to our university "Gujranwala institute of future technology (GIFT)" for
giving us a wonderful platform to explore our developing skills during this project.
A big thanks to Prof. Amna Ishaq for giving us guidance at each and every point.
We, the students of 2nd semester are also grateful to our classmates and other fellows who
helped us directly and indirectly in solving problems and making our project more efficient.
At last, we would like to thanks our parents who support us in accomplishment of this project
gracefully.

Outline
 Introduction (Eiza Jameel)
Cognition
Metacognition
What does Metacognition means?
 Metacognitive knowledge
 Metacognitive regulation
Constituent elements of metacognition
 What are the theories behind metacognition (Munazza Rehman)
Definition
Charactetics
Levels of metacognition
 What are the misconceptions of metacognition (Tayyaba Noreen)
Metacognition is simply 'thinking about thinking’...
Any strategy used while performing a cognitive task is metacognitive. ...
A teacher plays no role in their learners' metacognitive practice. ...
Metacognition is only applicable to older learners.
 Others terms of metacognition (Eman Qaisar)
Self-regulated learning
Meta memory

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 Benefits of metacognition
 Importance of metacognition
 Practical tips of metacognition(Hamna Imran)
 Applications of metacognition
 Best use of metacognition (Irtaza Ijaz)
 Case study
 References

Introduction:
Cognition:
Cognition is defined as 'the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and
understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. '
Metacognition:
“The knowledge and control children have over their own thinking learning
activities” (Cross & Paris, 1988, p. 131)
“Awareness and management of one’s own thought” (Kuhn & Dean, 2004, p.
270)
The monitoring and control of thought” (Martinez, 2006, p. 696)
"Awareness of one’s own thinking, awareness of the content of one’s
conceptions, an active monitoring of one’s cognitive processes, an attempt to
regulate one’s cognitive processes in relationship to further learning”.
What does metacognition means?
The prefix ‘meta’ means ‘about’ the thing itself. So,
Metacognition is ‘cognition about cognition’, or ‘thinking about one’s thinking’. It is often
considered to have two dimensions: metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive regulation.

 Metacognitive knowledge:
Metacognitive knowledge includes the learner’s
Knowledge of their own cognitive abilities (e.g. I have trouble remembering dates), the
learner’s knowledge of the nature of particular tasks (e.g. the ideas in this article are complex),
and the learner’s knowledge of different strategies including when to use these strategies (e.g.
if I break telephone numbers into chunks I will remember them) (Brown, 1987; Flavell, 1979).

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 Metacognitive regulation:
Metacognitive regulation describes how learners
Monitor and control their cognitive processes. For example, realizing that the strategy they are
using to solve a mathematical problem is not working and trying another approach (Nelson &
Narens, 1990)
Constituent Elements of Metacognition:
Metacognition has two constituent parts: knowledge
about cognition and monitoring of cognition (Cross & Paris, 1988; Flavell, 1979; Paris &
Winograd, 1990; Schraw & Moshman, 1995; Schraw et al., 2006; Whitebread et al., 1990).
Several frameworks have been developed for categorizing types of knowledge about cognition.

What are the theories behind metacognition?

Definition:
"The theories that integrate one's knowledge about cognition and regulation of
cognition are called metacognitive theories. These are the theories of knowledge which
are interested in how humans can actively monitor and regulate their own thought
process"
Characteristics:
The characteristics of metacognitive theories are as follows:
•Integrate a wide range of metacognitive knowledge and experiences. It allows
an individual to integrate diverse aspects of metacognition within a single
framework.
•Permit explanation and prediction of cognitive behavior.
Levels of metacognition:
Perkins (1992) defined four levels of metacognitive

 Learners: tacit; aware; strategic; reflective.

 ‘Tacit’ learners are unaware of their metacognitive knowledge. They do not
Think about any particular strategies for learning and merely accept if they know
something or not.
 ‘Aware’ learners know about some of the kinds of thinking that they do – generating
ideas, finding evidence, etc. – but thinking is not deliberate or planned.
 ‘Strategic’ learners organize their thinking by using problem solving, grouping and
classifying, evidence seeking, decision making, etc. They know and apply the strategies
that help them learn.

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 ‘Reflective’ learners are not only strategic about their thinking but they also reflect
Upon their learning while it is happening, monitoring the success of any strategies they
Are using and then changing them as appropriate?

What are the misconceptions of metacognition?

Common misconceptions
There are a number of misconceptions surrounding metacognition and the related construct
‘self-regulated learning’.
1. Metacognition is simply ‘thinking about thinking’
Although metacognition does involve thinking about one’s thinking, it is more complex than
that. A large part of metacognition is actively monitoring one’s own learning and making
changes to one’s own learning behaviors and strategies based on this monitoring.
2. Any strategy used while performing a cognitive task is metacognitive
This is not always the case. For example, using phonics rules to decode an unknown word
when reading is a cognitive strategy. Flavell (1981) identified a useful distinction between the
two: strategies used to make cognitive progress are ‘cognitive strategies’; strategies used to
monitor cognitive progress are ‘metacognitive strategies’.
3. A teacher plays no role in their learners’ metacognitive practice
Although a metacognitive approach typically focuses on allowing the learner to take control of
their own learning, the teacher is still required to help in the development of their
metacognitive skills. For example, the teacher needs to set clear learning objectives,
demonstrate and monitor metacognitive strategies, and prompt and encourage their learners.
4. Metacognition is only applicable to older learners
Some researchers (e.g. Veenman and Spaans 2005) believe that metacognitive skills do not
emerge until a child is 8 to 10 years old. However, Whitebread and Pino Pasternak (2010)
document a number of studies which indicate evidence of young children’s metacognitive
abilities. Findings include children as young as 18 months demonstrating error-correction
strategies, 5-year-old children showing an awareness of forgetting, and 3 to 5-year-olds
exhibiting a wide range of verbal and non-verbal indicators of metacognitive processes in
nursery and reception classrooms. These studies demonstrate that although young children
may not be able to describe the metacognitive processes they are exhibiting, it does not mean
that these processes are not occurring.

Others terms of metacognition:

 Self-regulating learning
Self-regulated learning is a broader term, encompassing

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Cognition, metacognitive knowledge, metacognitive

Regulation and the motivation necessary to employ these strategies successfully (EEF, 2019).
 Meta-memory:
Meta-memory – the metacognitive aspects of learning and memory (Nelson & Narens, 1990).

Benefits of metacognition
• Metacognitive practices help learners to plan, monitor and evaluate their own progress and
take control of their learning as they read, write and solve problems in the classroom.
• Research indicates that metacognition is a powerful predictor of learning. Metacognitive
practices make a unique contribution to learning over and above the influence of cognitive
ability. The implication of this research is that improving a learner’s metacognitive practices
may compensate for any cognitive limitations they may have (Veenman, Wilhelm & Beishuizen,
2004; Wang, Haertel & Walberg, 1990).
• Metacognitive practices have been shown to improve academic achievement across a range
of ages, cognitive abilities and learning domains. This includes reading and text
comprehension, writing, mathematics, reasoning and problem solving, and memory (Dignath &
Buttner, 2008; EEF, 2019; Hattie, 2009).
• Metacognitive skills can help students to transfer what they have learnt from one context to
the next, or from a previous task to a new task. The teacher can support this by explaining how
what has been learnt from one task can be applied to the next.
• Embed metacognitive strategies in high-quality subject teaching rather than as
decontextualized generic skills training (EEF, 2019).
• Involve the whole school community in promoting metacognitive talk. Monitoring and
evaluating performance and using learning strategies effectively is not only helpful in the
classroom, but also in the wider school and beyond.
• Evaluate the impact of new strategies that are implemented, whether these are tried across
the whole school or by individual teachers or departments (see Getting Started with Evaluating
Impact).

Importance of metacognition:
The use of metacognitive thinking and strategies enables students to become
flexible, creative and self-directed learners. Metacognition particularly assists
students with additional educational needs in understanding learning tasks, in
self-organizing and in regulating their own learning.

Practical tips:
How can schools make the best use of metacognition?

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 When students practice metacognition, the act of thinking about their thinking helps
them make greater sense of their life experiences and start achieving at higher levels.
 Metacognitive skills provide a basis for broader, psychological self-awareness including
how children gain a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them.
 Teach students how their brains are wired for growth.
 Give students practice recognizing what they don’t understand.
 Parents can model metacognitive thinking and behavior.
 Support teachers in encouraging metacognitive practices at school.
 Prioritize professional development in metacognition.
 Encourage teachers to work together.
 Instead of providing generic skills.

Applications of metacognition:
 Awareness that you have difficulty remembering people’s names in social situations.
 Reminding yourself that you should try to remember the name of a person you just
met.
 Realizing that you know an answer to a question but simply can’t recall it at the
moment.
 Realizing that you should review an article you read last week because you have
forgotten many of the key points.
 Realizing that there is something wrong with your solution to a problem.

Best use of metacognition:

There are four best use of metacognition
 Learning goals explicit
 Deferred gratification
 Progression
 Model
• Make learning goals explicit and help students to plan strategies and ways of monitoring
their progress towards achieving these goals. For example, encourage self-assessment
against learning goals and redrafting of work as necessary to reach these goals.
• Help students to understand their mid- and long-term goals. As well as metacognitive
knowledge and regulation, learners need to employ motivation strategies such as deferred
gratification to make sure they learn successfully (EEF, 2019).
• Plan for progression in the teaching of new metacognitive strategies, starting with
activating prior knowledge and explicit strategy instruction, and ending with independent
practice and structured reflection (EEF, 2019). Try to keep learners within their zone of
proximal development (ZPD) – see Education Brief: Active learning. Scaffolding should be
gradually reduced so that eventually learners are able to employ the metacognitive

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strategy independently. Learners should also be able to choose which strategy to employ in
a new context, or when another strategy is not working.
• Model the use of metacognitive strategies by thinking aloud. This could be related to
metacognitive knowledge, e.g. what do me know about this task? Have I done a task like
this before?

Case study:
For example, a student with metacognitive skills might:
Recognize that they have trouble applying formulas in math. Think about the math’s problems
they have solved before, and the strategies they used. Apply these strategies, assessing
whether they are working or not.
 Higher achievement levels for the students.
Metacognitive practices can also compensate for any cognitive limitations that a
student might have, according to research such as this.
 Increased ability to learn independently.
Being able to monitor their own progress lets them take control of their own learning,
inside and outside the classroom.
 Improved resilience.
Identifying their successes and failures, and which strategies work best for them – or
which have failed – increases students’ perseverance in getting better at their work.
 It aids disadvantaged students.
According to this report, and research by the EEF, teaching in a way that supports
metacognition is beneficial for students who are at a disadvantage to their peers. This is
becoming increasingly important, as the performance gap has widened once again due
to COVID-19.
 Cost-effectiveness.
This method of teaching does not require specialist equipment, nor any other large
purchases – it only requires teachers to be trained in the method effectively.
 Transferable knowledge.
Metacognition helps students to transmit their knowledge and understanding across
tasks and contexts, including reading comprehension, writing, and mathematics,
memorizing, reasoning, and problem-solving.
 Effective for all ages of students.
Research has looked at both primary and secondary students – and even those who
have not yet started school – and found benefits in all cases.
 Emotional and social growth.
Gaining awareness of their own mental states allows students to think about how to be
happy, respected, and confident in themselves. They are also better able to understand
other people’s perspectives.

Conclusion:
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Adequate knowledge and apt utilization of metacognition strategies will improve

instruction of teachers and learning of students.

References:
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1040&context=edpsychpapers#:~:text=Types%20of%20Metacognitive%20Theories,informal%2C
%20and%20formal%20metacognitive%20theories
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0963721417699026
https://www.sess.ie/metacognitive-teacher-and-learner-teaching-think-learning-learn-2#:~:text=The
%20use%20of%20metacognitive%20thinking,in%20regulating%20their%20own%20learning
https://sites.google.com/a/uwlax.edu/exploring-how-students-learn/what-s-all-the-fuss-about-
metacognition
https://scholar.google.com.pk/scholar_url?url=http://www.cordonline.net/mntutorial2/module_4/
Reading%25204-2%2520Developing
%2520Metacognition.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nfsBY8buG4_ymgHvspGgCA&scisig=AAGBfm0lPFjF247dqLk
A3o_vKEubP7DDLg&oi=scholarr
https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/272307-metacognition.pdf
http://ww.sess.ie/metacognitive-teacher-and-learner-teaching-think-learning-learn-2#:~:text=The
%20use%20of%20metacognitive%20thinking,in%20regulating%20their%20own%20learnin
rhttps://www.cambridgecognition.combehaviourist
https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/metacognition-in-the-classroom/#:~:text=For
%20example%2C%20a%20student%20with,they%20are%20working%20or%20not
https://cambridge-community.org.uk/professional-development/gswmeta/index.html