I have gained extensive knowledge from variant courses during this semester. However, the topic that impacted me most was on metacognition, and how the latter concept is associated with psychology and differentiation. The term metacognition has been defined by J.H. Flavell as an individual’s ability to decipher their knowledge capacity and cognitive processes through learning techniques. Flavell argued that metacognition accurately explains why in class, a teacher explains one concept, but different students understand it in various means (Hidayat et al., 2018) . I also learned on metacognitive abilities, which implies the self-monitoring, regulation, and control of analyzed and synthesized information. Teachers must conceptualize metacognitive skills to effectively design teaching strategies that will advance students’ quick understanding of ideas taught in class (Blummer & Kenton, 2014) . I also learned that students demonstrate metacognitive skills through the successful decision on how to begin executing a task, the monitoring techniques to use when completing assigned responsibilities, and the assessment of finished duties to ensure they align to envisioned goals.
In the classroom, teachers must stimulate learners’ metacognition abilities by training them how to analyze questions for quizzes and examinations through the retrieval of information stored in the long-term memory (LTM), and to decide the most necessary moments that they should study in a bid to gain new knowledge (Carroll, n.d). Further, I learned that the metacognition process involves several steps; the individual must determine a problem, by asking self the “what do I want to do” question. Secondly, a person must find an efficient plan to solve the identified exigency, and thirdly, the solution to an identified issue must be retrieved from the LTM to ensure its complete resolution. Furthermore, I learned that teachers can enhance students’ metacognitive learning by training the latter how to organize and plan tasks, monitor their progresses, self-direct their learning, and self-reflect on learned concepts. We also received in-depth information on how learners can strengthen their data recalling capacities, by ensuring concepts are stored in the long-term memory, memorizing new information through rephrasing it, and storing meaningful data only. Further, new knowledge can be preserved in the LTM through first categorizing it into clusters, relating it with already known ideas, attaching the new concepts to familiar cues, and frequently reciting stored data actively.
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The professor also taught us other learning techniques, such as overlearning, mnemonics, and the SQ3R method. Overlearning entails frequent memorization and rehearsal of stored information in the LTM and mnemonics is the storage of data using key phrases or mentally retrieving information by “collecting” it. In contrast, the SQ3R method constitutes of surveying topics and skimming through new information, creating questions that act as topic outlines, reading the text to answer previously formulated questions, reviewing the writing to deduce key points, and reciting the determined primary points to ensure long-term storage in the mind. We also learned that the LTM resembles a library, with data stored in catalogs. Therefore, successful retrieval of information depends on how learners carefully cross-reference and organize information in the LTM, termed as successful coding of data. I also learned that there are two types of learners; the expert and novice student. The advanced learner organizes information in brief segments, which act as topic outlines that are essential for successful synthesis of new information. Additionally, the expert student actively engages with new information and assumes responsibility for self-learning. However, every student only becomes an expert after a period of frequently interacting with learning materials, through self-fostering of the ability to analyze problems and utilize previously acquired knowledge as solutions for determined issues. In contrast, the novice student lacks the capability to self-regulate, monitor, and control their reading behaviors. The novice student also cannot identify information patterns in a text, besides lacking the essential learning skills of goal-setting, executing a task, self-monitoring of performance through task execution, and assessing the final product of learned concepts.
The course also helped to define key concepts that often confuse learners, such as discuss, explain, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate. The term “discuss” mandates the learner to provide extensive information concerning a fact while backed by data conducted thorough research, “explain” means providing an exact but detailed meaning for a concept, and “analyze” implies “taking apart” a concept or idea. Moreover, “synthesize” indicates “putting elements together” to create a “whole”, while “evaluate” means to expound how valuable a concept is. Other terms that were defined include contrast, compare, application, comprehension, and knowledge. Finally, we learned about the essentiality of differentiating information when teaching students with diverse learning abilities, which may range from severely or mildly handicapped to high-synthesis skills. Teachers should design lessons based on the auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and tactile senses. A teacher who uses the auditory teaching technique should provide students with educative audio tapes, while one who executes the visual style of teaching should use videos and textbooks. Teachers must test the product of their lessons, which is evinced through the student’s ability to express mastery of information received. Finally, teachers must create favorable learning environments using a variety of furniture, to enhance differentiated learning. Teachers must know that students have different levels of intelligences, and exposing learners to differentiated learning is highly beneficial to ensure they all conceptualize topics taught in class.
References
Blummer, B., & Kenton, J. M. (2014). Promoting metacognition. Improving Student Information Search , 11 (2), 89-100. https://doi.org/10.1533/9781780634623.89
Carroll, M. (n.d.). Metacognition in the classroom. Handbook of Metamemory and Memory . https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203805503.ch21
Hidayat, R., Zulnaidi, H., & Syed Zamri, S. N. (2018). Roles of metacognition and achievement goals in mathematical modeling competency: A structural equation modeling analysis. PLOS ONE , 13 (11), e0206211. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0206211
