Building Metacognition
The construction of metacognition encompasses the increase of understanding and consciousness about one's cognitive functions, such as self-regulation and self-reflection. It is vital because it adds substitute means to learning, boosts the quality of problem-solving, and promotes autonomous thinking.
Metacognitive skills can be enhanced by individuals engaging themselves in self-questioning, a process where they require to articulate their cognitive and learning experiences. Furthermore, keeping a learning journal will help in developing the awareness that what strategies worked or what didn’t and why are the things to reflect on. In addition, teaching others to practice the skills can build the learner's confidence and boost their cognitive and metacognitive knowledge.
Metacognition plays a substantial role in improving students' academic performance by providing tools for them to evaluate their own learning strategies and make the necessary adjustments. The best example of this would be a learner who undergoes the process of linking things he/she has heard or read to visual objects before mastering the art of studying, that is creating charts and diagrams. The learner's use of visual materials leads to better retention of the matter and a deeper understanding of it.
Absolutely, the concept of metacognition could be acquired via the thoroughly benchmarked training and modeling of various metacognitive strategies. Teacher-could apply-think-aloud-protocols where they articulate their thought stage, suggest settings of learning goals to students, and engage in reflective practices following tests to elucidate on the strategies that were useful or not.
A self-reflection is an essential aspect of developing metacognition because it gives the people the opportunity to evaluate their comprehending and study procedures. By constantly looking back at what they have learned and how they tackled the learning task, people can discover the strengths and weaknesses in their strategies, which in turn, improve their self-regulation and help them achieve better learning results.