What is Metacognition?
Metacognition is the process of thinking about thinking. At once simple, yet abstract, the term is associated with John Flavell, a developmental psychologist who has made a name for himself in child development and thought processes. Flavell, in 1976, described metacognition as such:
"Metacognition refers to one's knowledge concerning one's own cognitive processes or anything related to them, e.g., the learning-relevant properties of information or data. For example, I am engaging in metacognition if I notice that I am having more trouble learning A than B; if it strikes me that I should double check C before accepting it as fact."
Flavell was one of the first to look at the ways in which children thought about their own thinking processes. The author of more than 120 books and the recipient of the Distinguished Scientific Contribution award from the American Psychological Association (APA), Flavell laid the foundation for the burgeoning field of metacognition. Influenced by the work of Jean Piaget, Flavell expanded the notion of metacognition to the general public.
In layman's terms -- using examples from a school environment -- activities such as thinking how to approach a given learning task, understanding one's own comprehension, and evaluating and marking progress toward a completed assignment would all be examples of metacognitive activities.
Flavell broke this metacognition knowledge down into three subcategories:
- Person variables -- This relates to how human beings learn and process information. The understanding that a quieter library setting for studying is an upgrade from your noisy dorm room is an example of person variables: the fact that you will accomplish more and be better prepared with a study session in the library than your dorm room.
- Task variables -- Knowledge of the task, as well as the stress and strain that said task will put on you, are known as task variables. An example of this tenet would be the fact that a Biology textbook would take longer to read and comprehend then, let's say, a John Grisham novel for your English class.
- Strategy variables -- The third and final subset of metacognitive knowledge is strategy variables, which involve identifying goals and bench marks "and the selection of cognitive processes to use in their achievement." It is basically general knowledge of cognitive and metacognitive strategies, such as when are the best times and places to use this knowledge.
Flavell was quick to point out that these types of variables overlap and work together, with different combinations of the aforementioned three subcategories being used in different circumstances. To Flavell, metacognitive knowledge could be activated either consciously or unconsciously, a tenet that later became a subject of much debate amongst researchers and other such brain trusts. To Flavell, metacognition could be likened to a stream of consciousness, in which past memories or problem-solving skills learned could be adapted and used in the process of solving a present cognitive problem. Failure or success and difficulty or ease, among many other stimuli, affect the task for the individual and may be a deciding factor in whether he or she attempts said tasks in the future.
In actual case studies during his time at Stanford University, Flavell took study groups of preschoolers and attempted to discover more about their understanding of the human mind. In their published research, "Young Children's Knowledge About Thinking," they found the preschoolers understand that thinking is a human activity; but much less so than they would at around age eight and above. They understand thinking can involve things from the past, present, and can be both real or imagined. In addition, the students can differentiate between thinking and other activities, such as seeing or talking. The study, with his wife, Ellie Flavell, and Frances L. Green, found that the preschoolers, though, could not understand the extent of the thought processes going on in adults or others; they didn't think their parents thought all that much. Through the study, Flavell was able to ascertain more hard data on the young child's notion of the mental world, and how that knowledge increases as one grows older.
Metacognition is a way to get our kids, as well as ourselves, to look inward and assess why this or that happened: to problem solve. We use metacognition in one form or another, daily. We can be more thoughtful and better learners while operating at a higher level. Metacognition helps to define problems, and in doing so, helps us to find their solutions.
For additional resources on metacognition, go to:
- Teaching Resources Center -- A site dedicated to helping teachers find resources for teaching metacognition in the classroom, with links, an about section, and potential lesson plans.
- Metacognition -- A site dedicated to metacognition and content knowledge, it includes links and a page on memory strategies, bringing a better understanding of metacognition to the masses.
- IRCMS -- A website dedicated to metacognition strategies, with links to online videos and informational writings on improving reading comprehension.
- A Pathfinder of Roses -- A collection of metacognition resources and qualitative and visual research, with links, articles, and book recommendations.
- Facebook Metacognition -- A Facebook site devoted to information on metacognition where discourse and other like-minded individuals are available to you.