by Harrison Fisher
The Education Endowment Foundation in Britain claims that metacognitive styles of learning ‘have consistently high levels of impact, with pupils making an average of eight months’ additional progress’ (Education Endowment Foundation, 2016). This seems to be particularly the case with older pupils, e.g. those of university level, and particularly when used in a group setting, so learners can support each other. Metacognition refers to the process of reflecting on learning itself, as opposed to merely learning by rote or memorizing. Think about it, if you knew exactly what was hindering your learning, your learning experience would be more profound. Put simply, you would learn more!
It is so important in metacognitive learning that students take responsibility for their own progress. However, to students, there can sometimes be a perception that the professor is solely responsible for their learning. Metacognition can help to shift this perception and empower students to take more responsibility by encouraging them to reflect on the learning process while making necessary adjustments to their learning methods.
Metacognition for students is about reflecting on the most appropriate methods of learning, using different methods as needed, and subsequently revising their learning process. If we are realistic, students’ performance and learning is measured by their final course mark. So, students are on a continuous path to decipher how different learning methods work for them, and which to apply given the expected assessment. The question that arises at this point is whether the traditional forms of assessment used in higher education allow students to improve their metacognition, and whether they are representative of the challenges that will arise for students once they enter the workforce. There has been a lot of research on the relative benefits of various forms of assessment, but to a certain extent they miss the point that this itself will depend on students’ metacognitive engagement, and effective strategies will depend on students reflecting on what works for them.
One of the key goals of education is preparing students for employment. It follows that professors should be exposing students to the broadest range of assessments, ones that are more indicative of the challenges that they will encounter in their chosen fields. This will lead to students who are more dynamic in how they approach given problems and tasks. For example, take the multiple-choice exam. Is this type of assessment representative of the metacognitive skills required to handle customer complaints? Are the metacognitive skills needed to answer short answer questions similar to the leadership and teamwork skills sought by top employers? The short answer is no! What employers do not want is a worker who can merely remember facts, or who can ace an exam. What they do want is a flexible employee who can solve problems, who can be proactive, who can realize what their weaknesses are through reflection and respond to them.
One strategy to broaden students’ learning and development could be to allow students to reflect on their own learning. This could include asking students to keep a reflective log of their progress, keeping track of what they found difficult, and, more importantly, why they found it difficult. In this way, students are not focused on the content, but on the process of learning. Students can as a result change this in future. For example, if students are given a choice of assessment task or methods, they can ask themselves ‘What works for me?’ and ‘Why is it that this works?’ Each student is an individual with very different strengths and weaknesses, and assessment methods should reflect this. In a global affairs class for example, you could ask your students ‘How will the British decision to leave the European Union impact North America, and how could this impact be minimized?’ To assess this question, you could allow your students freedom in the way in which they present their answers. Some of these might include recorded video oral presentations, essays, creative infographics, recorded Mp3’s, slide decks and so on. This will allow your students to play to their strengths, and to make progress more quickly.
In giving freedom to students as far as which medium they submit their work, you can empower the student to discover what works for them. In other words, if you as a tutor let them present their work in a format they choose (for example: an essay, a vlog, a newspaper report etc.) this will surely allow them to reflect on how they learn and how they wish to present their work, which will then enrich their understanding. For example, in the case of assessing through Vlog, students may have what Gardner (1983) in his theory of Multiple Intelligences called linguistic intelligence, in that they are good with words and verbalizing their thoughts. As a result, they may feel that a Vlog, which involves recording a video presentation, is a perfect way to present their learning, rather than the more traditional exam or essay.
Likewise, another useful strategy could be to allow students to talk to each other about how they learn best. What strategies do they use, and which is most effective for them? Why is this? How would they advise each other to proceed in order to be more successful? One of the most valuable ways to learn is from others, and this will allow your more successful or confident students to have a positive effect on others. This allows students to both take responsibility for their learning, but also will allow students to reflect upon methods that they never would have thought of without the help of their peers.
These are by no means the only strategies that could sharpen students’ metacognition, but they are effective, tried and tested methods. Too often, independent learning comes off as a gimmick, something that is said without having any real meaningful outcome. Metacognitive strategies can change this. In fact, one of the most influential names in the field of metacognition, John Flavell (1987), believed, being influenced by the developmental theories of Jean Piaget, that metacognition is the process that drives all learning and development. As a result, we as professionals would definitely be missing out by not using this knowledge in our practice.
This is why the responsibility for learning needs to rest on the shoulders of the student. Learning will be more profound and more lasting, and, though it is hard work, the pay-off will be huge. Go on, dare your students to take responsibility for their own learning by using metacognition to monitor their successes and failures.
References
Flavell, J. H. (1987) Speculation about the nature and development of metacognition. In F. Weinert & R. Kluwe (Eds.), Metacognition, motivation, and understanding (pp.21 – 29). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Education Endownment Foundation. (2016). Meta-cognition and self-regulation. Education Endowment Foundation.
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences.
