Lesson 12

Learning to be a Better
Learner
Knowing the “self” is not enough.
Since “who you are” is partly
made up of your choices, you
must also have the ability to
choose especially to be a better
“you.” In the school setting, your
knowledge of yourself should at
least enable you to become a
better student.
 Learning is the acquisition of
knowledge, skills and attitudes
through experience. It is a
transformational process that
leads to personal growth and
development. It helps an
individual to adapt to the
constantly changing environment
 It starts at birth and continues
throughout life. Individuals learn
from one another through
observation and imitation. It is
important for the survival of
human beings because it enables
them to discover new knowledge,
technology and interventions.
 Abstraction
We are Homo sapiens or the
“wise man”. We think in a more
complex level than our ancestors
and most, if not all, of the other
beings.
 Abstraction
But being called wise, not only do we
think, but we are also capable to
think about thinking, like how we
think of things and why we think in a
certain way about things. It is like
your brain thinks about itself, then
thinks about how it thinks about
itself.
 Abstraction
Studies show that when you are able
to think about how you think, how you
process information, and how you
utilize techniques while you are
studying, you have a higher chance of
improving your learning process than
those who do not reflect on their
methods.
 Metacognition
• is commonly defined as “thinking about
thinking”. It is the awareness of the
scope and limitations of your current
knowledge and skills. It enables the
person to adapt their existing
knowledge and skills in order to
approach a learning task, seeking for the
optimum result of the learning
experience.
 Metacognition
• It is also not limited to the thinking process of
the individual. It includes keeping one’s emotions
and motivations while learning in check. Some
people learn better when they like the subject or
challenged by the topic or if they have a reward
each time they finish a task. The emotional state
and the motivation of a person should be in the
preferred ideal state for that person in order to
further facilitate his or her learning.
Rose Ann Dantes
Two Aspects of Metacognition :
• Self-appraisal
 personal reflection on your
knowledge and capabilities.
• Self-management of cognition
mental processes you employ using
what you have in planning and
adapting to successfully learn or
accomplish a certain task.
 John Flavell identified the two
components of metacognition:
• Metacognitive knowledge
 knowledge of one’s cognitive abilities,
knowledge of the strategies to complete the
cognitive task; what you know about how you
think.
• Metacognitive regulation
 refers to how an individual monitors and
controls his or her cognitive processes;
how you adjust your thinking processes to
help you learn better.
 Metacognitive
Knowledge
Under this, there are several
variables that affect how you know
or assess yourself as a thinker and
as a student.
 Three variables
1. Personal Variable
Your evaluation of your strengths and
weaknesses in learning.
2. Task Variable
What you know or what you think about the
nature of the task as well as what strategies
the task requires.
3. Strategy Variable
What strategies or skills you already have in
dealing with certain tasks.
 In order to make self-appraisal
and self-assessment work, you
must have an accurate self-
assessment. You must be honest
about what you know and capable
of in order to find ways to utilize
your strength and improve on
your weaknesses.
 Here are other skills that might help you with
exercising metacognition:
• Knowing your limits. Have an honest and accurate
evaluation of what you know and do not know.
• Modifying your approach. If what you are using do not
work, try other strategies
• Skimming. Browsing over a material and keeping an eye on
keywords, phrases or sentences.
• Rehearsing. Not just about repeatedly talking, writing or
doing what you have learned but also trying to make a
personal interpretation or summary of the learning
experience.
• Self-Test. Try to test comprehension of your learning
experience or the skills you have acquired during learning.
Patricia Andrei De Guzman
 4 types of Metacognition Learners

• “Tacit” learners
are unaware of their metacognition
processes although they know the
extent of their knowledge.
• ”Aware” learners
knew of some of their metacognition
strategies but they do not plan on how
to use these techniques.
 4 types of Metacognition
Learners
• “Strategic” learners
strategize and plan their course of
action toward a learning experience.
• “Reflective” learners
 reflect on their thinking while they
are using the strategies and adapt
their metacognitive skills depending
on the situation.
 The goal of metacognition is for
the student to be a self-
regulated learner. Education
should not be limited by the
capabilities of the teacher, the
content of school textbooks, the
four corners of the classroom,
and the duration of the academic
year or courses.
 Another benefit of metacognition is
the compensation and development of
cognitive limitations of the learner
because the student is now aware of
his/her capabilities. Various
researches also showed significant
improvement in academic
performance in any subject and
across age range. The student is also
enabled to transfer knowledge from
one context to another.
 Tips that you can use in studying
1. Make an outline of the things you want to
learn, the things you are reading or doing,
and/or the things you remember.
2. Break down the task in smaller and more
manageable details.
3. Integrate variation in your schedule and
learning experience. Change reading materials
every hour and do not put similar topics
together. Also include physical activities in
your planning.
 Tips that you can use in studying

4. Try to incubate your ideas. First write your

draft without doing much editing. Let the ideas
flow.
5. Revise, summarize and take down notes then
reread them to help you minimize cramming in
the last minute especially when you have a
weakness in memorizing facts and data.
6. Engage what you have learned. Do something
about it. Use your knowledge during discussions-
just do something about it.
 The capacity to learn
is a GIFT; the ability to
learn is a SKILL; the
willingness to learn is
a CHOICE.
-Brian Herbert
Glaica Korine Sanchez