5 Things You Need to Know About Metacognition as a Developmental Tool

1. What is Metacognition?

Metacognition is a special kind of thinking that allows you to control how you think so that you can solve problems. Metacognition involves such skills as assessment, planning, monitoring, analysis and reflecting back on how the problem was solved. Obviously, those who use this special way of thinking are going to have an edge over those who don't.

2. How Do We Get This Skill?

Some of us are born with it. Others can learn it. In fact many proficiency and tutoring programs are already teaching these skills. Essentially, learning metacognition involves slowing down long enough to process information and notice things that are otherwise missed. Without metacognition, we are generally not tuned in to either what's going on around us or what is happening inside of our own heads. We may accidentally solve a problem in this way, but we may not be able to use those same problem-solving skills again.

3. How Does it Work?

Assessment is a key ingredient of metacognition. When you are assessing you are defining the problem, creating a list of potential solutions, asking if you have the resources, skills, rules or experience to use those solutions and then deciding which of those solutions you'd like to pursue. Once you've implemented your plan, you will need to objectively monitor how that plan is going. As you monitor, you may need to analyze or evaluate your path and objectives by asking and answering important questions. You may ask if you should keep going the way you are or change directions. If change is necessary, what kind and how much? Once arrived at the solution to the problem, looking back helps you to evaluate your path and revise as needed for the future.

4. The Underpinnings of Metacognition

You can see from the above that the two most important underpinnings of metacognition are self-observation or reflection and objectivity. You need to be able to look at your project or problem as a scientific experiment in which you are but one of the instruments that will be used. Metacognition can fall apart when you start being self-critical rather than evaluative.

5. Metacognitive Skills and Maturation

More than anything else, maturity is developed by taking personal responsibility for your own choices, actions, thoughts and feelings. If you do not know that you have chosen, or haven't paid attention to your actions, thoughts and feelings, you cannot mature. Metacognitive skills are essential to the maturation process and can even be used to help you deal with highly emotional issues. For example, if a child with metacognitive skills has to deal with the divorce of his parents, he might be able to name his own emotions (assessment), ask for help (planning and monitoring), and learn what belongs to him and what doesn't (analysis). In reflecting back later, he may find that so owning his own grieving and adjustment process develops transferable skills which can be used again later in life.