Frankly when I was assigned with metacognition as my discussion forum, I freaked out. This word is totally foreign to me. Even after reading many articles, many of which are too technical or clinical in nature, I became more confused. I decided to take a different approach to research this topic. Instead of reading articles, I decided to search for videos explaining metacognition. Within a few seconds watching the video clip, I had one of those “ah-ha” moments. I was esthetic and even had butterflies in my tummy that I managed to figure it out on my own. This exercise itself is exactly what metacognition is all about. The process of finding the information that made sense to me, including identifying my shortcomings and planning a different strategy for getting the information I wanted is the essence of metacognition.
According to the LD Online Glossary (Perrras, 2014), metacognition is the process of "thinking about thinking." To paraphrase Edgar Morin, metacognition involves thinking and reflecting before, during, and after a learning task. It consists of two simultaneous processes - monitoring your progress as you learn, and making changes and adapting your strategies to reach your goal. Such skills are not only critical ingredients to successful learning, but are vital in today’s competitive workforce. Employers are not looking for individuals who can simply retain facts and figures, as the data itself can be easily found on the internet. They are searching for candidates who can hit the ground running from day one, knowing what to do with the plethora of information on hand in any organization. The key is processing and interpreting the data and making executive decisions which may affect the lives of many people, not only employees, but also customers and the communities they work and live in.
In the words of Einstein, ‘education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think”. As an educator, my job is to incorporate learning activities, such as reflective writing, group discussions via online forums and blogging, etc, to cultivate and enhance the metacognitive abilities of learners rather than spoon-feeding them with facts.
Reference
Cindy, P. (2014, July 17). Metacognitive Strategies or “Thinking About My Thinking”. Retrieved
from LD@school: https://www.ldatschool.ca/executive-function/metacognitive-strategies-
or-thinking-about-my-thinking/