#60 The Bigger Picture

Hi Everyone

When it comes to questions about metacognition, there has to be an acceptance that this is a fairly new area of research in cognitive science. The term has been attributed to John Flavell, a one-time student of Jean Piaget. His writing spans several decades, and by Flavell’s own invitation during that same time period, other researchers have picked up the baton to test, challenge and develop his ideas further.

How the mind works is my absolute favourite topic, so I really appreciate the desire of researchers to fully understand the mental processes taking place in order to improve our relationship with learning. That knowledge should help all educational institutions provide quality experiences for their students, but even for me as a big fan of the research, the topic of metacognition has become overly complicated to the point where it’s far less likely to be implemented by confused practitioners.

I still hear quite important fundamental questions about what metacognition actually is, what difference it makes, and how you use it? This uncertainty feels like a direct result of the topic having been broken down into too many component parts, resulting in a loss of cohesion and appreciation of the bigger picture. As educators we need to feel more confident about those underpinning reasons for having a metacognitive classroom, before we can address the need to develop it in our learners.

So, let’s look at the bigger picture as a starting point. What is metacognition exactly? The easiest way to appreciate that, is to think about ‘cognition’ first, which is the natural and instinctive way that we all learn from birth onwards, (barring any serious health issues). All the skills required to pick up knowledge, appreciate its significance and then ‘use’ it somehow is condensed into the one word, ‘cognition’.

Flavell realised that just picking up information wasn’t enough however, if you want to improve your ability to ‘learn’ more effectively. He suggested that we need to ‘go beyond’ (the meaning of the Greek word ‘meta’) what we’re learning, in order to analyse how we’re doing it, and be able to change our minds if what we’re doing isn’t achieving the results we want.

So, metacognition is the ability to go beyond the information itself to find a better way (if necessary) of holding onto, understanding or applying that information to the greatest benefit. Such an ability is obviously a vital skill for success in formal education and yet, there is still some disagreement amongst experts about the age at which metacognition develops.

Some say that metacognition is present even for very young children who are capable of making decisions about what they will do next, based on information they already have. At that age however, it is thought that those decisions are unconsciously made, and rely more on instinctive use of knowledge gained rather than a conscious process of analysing their own thought processes in order to improve results.

Children from roughly 7 years of age and onwards however, have more developed reasoning skills that enable them to become much more conscious about the way they think. They now have a greater ability to take ownership of their own learning, and can use metacognition in a more structured way to get the results they want. Not all children however make a smooth transition from the play-based learning of their early years, to being taught by experts and can fall behind if they don’t have sufficiently developed metacognitive skills.

What difference does it make? Students who can analyse their own thought processes and make any required adjustments to be more in line with what’s needed, are in a much stronger position to take responsibility for their own progress. Improvements are not only academic though, think about the impact on mental health for a child feeling more in control of their thoughts about what’s happening for them in relation to school.

Metacognition is the key to changing mindsets, so we really need to pay attention to ensuring that all learners get the opportunity to develop it effectively!

How do we do that? You can’t ‘apply’ metacognition per se in the classroom. As teachers, we have to create an environment that is conducive to its development, whilst modelling a metacognitive approach to learning, and having a teaching practice that allows time and space for students to practise thinking in a more independent way.

The ability to think metacognitively can make a massive difference to what individual learners achieve, including those who currently struggle to engage effectively. They are not ready for the formal structures commonly associated with the planning, monitoring and evaluation of their work. More preparation is needed to help them start thinking in a different way, before expecting them to be able to reflect through the self-questioning process. In other words, think ‘big picture’ before attempting to break metacognition down into its component pieces.

I can help with that. If you would like more details about; what goes on inside a learner’s head, how to create the right environment, and developing an inclusive teaching practice that supports the development of metacognition in all your learners, then please join me for my next on-line training event for teachers on 30th Aug 2023 from 6pm -9pm (BST). The summer special price is only ￡97 per person, so please contact me at; [email protected] to check if there are any places left as numbers are limited.

Please ‘be in their corner’ with me.

Till next time.

Warm regards

Liz