Friday, November 27, 2009

Metacognition

As an educator who is striving to help my students with their learning, I have great interest in helping my students develop what's called Metacognition. Metacognition has been defined as "having knowledge (cognition) and having understanding, control over, and appropriate use of that knowledge" (Tei and Stewart, 1985). In other words, Metacognition is knowing, and knowing that you know. It is one thing to be smart, and another thing altogether to known how to wisely apply that smartness.
Something for us all to strive to be consciously aware of, is not only to gain intelligence, but to use our intelligence wisely. I am striving for that in my own life; to gain learning, and also to wisely use that learning . And I hope that I am helping my students learn the same skill.