How can you help learners develop metacognitive skills?

1 Model metacognition

One of the best ways to help learners develop metacognitive skills is to model them yourself. As an instructor, you can demonstrate how you approach a problem, what strategies you use, how you check your progress, and how you reflect on your results. You can also share your own challenges, mistakes, and feedback, and how you use them to improve your learning. By modeling metacognition, you can show learners how to become more aware, confident, and adaptable learners.

2 Scaffold metacognition

Another way to help learners develop metacognitive skills is to scaffold them with prompts, questions, tools, and feedback. You can design activities that require learners to plan, monitor, and evaluate their learning goals, processes, and outcomes. For example, you can ask learners to write a learning plan before starting a module, to complete a self-assessment quiz after each lesson, or to create a portfolio of their work and reflections. You can also provide learners with tools such as checklists, rubrics, and journals to help them organize and document their learning. Additionally, you can give learners timely and constructive feedback that encourages them to review their performance and identify areas for improvement.

3 Foster metacognition

A third way to help learners develop metacognitive skills is to foster a culture of metacognition in your online or blended course. You can create opportunities for learners to share, discuss, and collaborate on their learning strategies, challenges, and achievements. For example, you can facilitate online discussions or peer reviews where learners can exchange feedback, tips, and resources. You can also encourage learners to form study groups or mentoring relationships where they can support each other's learning. By fostering metacognition, you can help learners build a community of practice and learn from each other's experiences.

4 Promote metacognition

A fourth way to help learners develop metacognitive skills is to promote the value and benefits of metacognition for their learning and success. You can explain to learners how metacognition can help them improve their motivation, engagement, retention, and transfer of knowledge and skills. You can also provide learners with examples of successful learners or professionals who use metacognitive skills in their fields or domains. Moreover, you can celebrate and reward learners who demonstrate metacognitive skills in their work or projects. By promoting metacognition, you can help learners appreciate and adopt metacognitive skills as part of their lifelong learning journey.

5 Customize metacognition

A fifth way to help learners develop metacognitive skills is to customize your instruction and support according to their needs, preferences, and goals. You can use formative and summative assessments to diagnose learners' strengths and weaknesses in their metacognitive skills. You can also use surveys or interviews to understand learners' learning styles, interests, and aspirations. Based on this information, you can tailor your content, activities, feedback, and resources to suit learners' metacognitive needs and goals. You can also offer learners choices and options in how they learn, practice, and demonstrate their metacognitive skills. By customizing metacognition, you can help learners develop their own metacognitive profiles and strategies.