In my EDU 510 Course: The Cognitive Science of Teaching & Learning, we went over a mental concept known as metacognition. Simply put, metacognition can be defined as "thinking about thinking" (Lloyd & Jones, 2020). So, what exactly does that mean? What exactly is metacognition? And why am I writing an entire article on the topic? It must be important, right? Excellent questions. Also, said questions are an example of metacognition in action. Huzzah! Article done, topic explained! Thanks for reading! Bye! 🙋♂️
Well... no. I want to go further into detail as to why metacognition is so important. In addition to my education degree, I also hold a master's in leadership, this is not my first rodeo with metacognition. As a matter of fact, metacognition as a principle is one of the most important concepts in life I strive to impart. Metacognition is not just a strategy for academic success, but it is also critical to being a leader, arguably one of the foundations of leadership. To me, the big three pillars of leadership are: authenticity (authentic leadership), emotional intelligence, and metacognition. If a person does not possess adequate skills in all three of these pillars, a leader they are not.
So, let's dive deeper into thinking about thinking. In leadership, metacognition is the "who, what, where, when, why, and how" of... everything. Why does this person do this? Why are we doing this at work? Why is my boss, who may be reading this article and I am definitely not sucking up to, so amazing and how can I inspire people around me like she does into action? Simply put, leadership is not just a professional role, leadership is a state of being. To be a leader, you must do. To effectively lead, you must understand the "why" of everything that occurs, or do your best to understand the "why", so you can better learn what makes up that "why" to effectively "do", whatever that "do" is. Pedagogically, the act of metacognition allows for learners to develop a deeper understanding of their feelings, actions, circumstances, environment, and learning (Price-Mitchell, 2015).
Metacognition as a skill is transferable. And in many cases, educational transfer is among the highest of priorities we strive to impart on our students. Metacognition is scalable. A student can use metacognitive thought to better understand a topic in the classroom, or "zoom out" and better understand themselves and how they learn. The act of thinking about thinking makes a student a better learner, and metacognitive thought allows students to learn and teach themselves how to better learn. For example, if students reflect on "how" they best learn, students can better focus on the strategies that best aid them in the learning process, becoming better learners. Some students might need to leave their house and go in a more public place such as a library; others may need quiet, distraction-free environments; some (myself included) may require music in the background to help them better focus. Metacognitive thought allows for students to make these discoveries, allowing them to apply these skills to the learning experience as a means to more effectively learn and absorb.
As I said above, metacognition is critical to leadership because the concept is important in all facets of life, making it one of the most transferable skills a person can utilize in their toolbox when facing life’s mysteries, conundrums, trials, and tribulations. Metacognition leads to high levels of self-awareness, allowing for a person to make sense of their life and the direction they choose to take their life. At an international workshop back in 2015, philosophers and neuroscientists gathered to discuss self-awareness and how it is linked to metacognition. Scientists believe that self-awareness, associated with the paralimbic network of the brain, serves as a "tool for monitoring and controlling our behavior and adjusting our beliefs of the world, not only within ourselves, but, importantly, between individuals" (Price-Mitchell, 2015). This higher-order thinking strategy actually changes the structure of the brain, making it more flexible and open to even greater learning (Price-Mitchell, 2015).
Self-awareness is critical to learning because students that are more self-aware will focus on what they need to learn. The concept of self-awareness is actually one of the eight paths of a framework called the "Compass Advantage Framework", which is a framework designed to help primarily children, but also adults, develop in all facets of their life.
At the end of the day, metacognition can be simply defined as "thinking about thinking", but metacognition as a principle is so much more. Metacognition is a life skill, and the act of metacognitive thought can be transformative on a micro or macro level. The act of thinking about the "who, what, where, when, why, and how" of something can transform the entire landscape of society, and it all starts with one simple question, "why?". I would like to close this article out with a video on the topic of educational transfer, because while this article is primarily about metacognition as a principle, the transfer of this skill is nearly as important as the topic itself. To learn more about educational transfer, check out the video below!
References:
Cherry, K. (2020, May 15). The experiential learning theory of David Kolb. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/experiential-learning-2795154
Ferlazzo, L. [Education Week]. (2017, April 19). What Is ‘Transfer of Learning’ and How Does It Help Students? [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/N8QfkT8L9lo
Lloyd, D., & Jones, B. (2020). Metacognition - Learn to Learn - Self Regulated Learning - Same Thing or Different?. Teaching Business & Economics, 24(1), 4–7.