Have you ever wondered how the greatest scientists create theories and improve the field of science?
Have you ever thought about how inventors come up with their various unique ideas?
Metacognition!
Today, we will dive into how you can use metacognition to drive your studies to success and propel your ideas to new heights.
Who knows, you might be the next Einstein in making!
Understanding Metacognition
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First of all, what is metacognition?
Metacognition refers to a deeper level of thinking where you analyse and find solutions to your ideas or problems through planning, monitoring and assessing.
In simpler terms, it is basically thinking more about your thoughts.
For example, a normal thought would be, “This math question was so difficult that’s why I got it wrong.”
A metacognitive thought would be, “What mistakes did I make that caused me to get this question wrong, and how can I prevent it in the future?”
Individuals like Benjamin Franklin and Henry Ford came up with their greatest inventions and ideas using this crucial skill.
I know that lightning is electricity, but what can I do to prove it?
New customers keep coming to buy automobiles from me. What can I do to make sure there is a steady supply of new cars?
You see, metacognition is relevant everywhere!
Bloom’s Taxonomy
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In order to understand the importance of metacognition, one must first understand Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Created by educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom in 1956, it is used and applied by every single educator in the world.
Yes, your teachers and lecturers are currently using it too!
The 6 levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (in increasing order) are:
- Remembering: The most basic level where you are able to remember facts and concepts.
- Understanding: You are able to clearly explain the concepts you were taught or the ideas you have.
- Applying: You are able to use the concepts that you learnt and apply them to new situations or problems
- Analysing: You are able to compare and connect different ideas you have.
- Evaluating: You are able to justify and critique ideas and concepts.
- Creating: The highest level where you are able to create entirely new and original works using what you have learnt and the ideas you have.
By using each stage of Bloom’s Taxonomy, you can effectively improve your metacognitive skills in due time!
Deep Learning vs Surface Learning
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The next step to understanding metacognition is to learn the differences between surface and deep learning.
Surface learning refers to textbook knowledge and concepts that are taught in class. Basically a lot of reading and memorising, very painful I know.
Deeper learning refers to generating ideas using concepts you have learnt and applying knowledge to different scenarios and problems.
Obviously, metacognition is more involved in deeper learning, but deeper and surface learning goes hand in hand.
For example, subjects like chemistry and physics require you to first remember formulas and understand what they are used for.
Then, as you encounter more situations where your knowledge is tested, you gradually learn when and how to apply these formulae.
Utilising Metacognition
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Now that you have learnt the various ways you improve your metacognitive skills, let’s see how you can effectively apply them!
An example: You have an upcoming biology test, and the topics tested are the circulatory system and genes.
You have memorised as many concepts as you can from your textbooks and notes, and you roughly know what each organ system does.
Where do you go from here? How can you apply metacognition to your learning?
You can start by reviewing your past work and search for any mistakes you made. Ask yourself, what caused you to make that mistake. Was it a concept you couldn’t understand? A careless error? Both?
Once you have identified the root of your common mistakes, answer the same questions you got wrong and get a teacher or tutor to mark them.
In the meantime, you can try out new worksheets and note down any questions that you have not encountered before.
Don’t be afraid to ask more questions in order to answer a question!
For example, the question asks “Explain the relationships between DNA, genes and chromosomes”.
You can branch out this question by writing down the functions and characteristics of DNA, genes and chromosomes, which you have memorised.
Then, arrange them according to their characteristics and size.
Chromosomes carry DNA in cells. DNA is responsible for building and maintaining your human structure. Genes are segments of your DNA.
As you encounter more unique questions like that, you would then be familiarised with such questions.
Conclusion
There are many different ways to improve your metacognitive skills and apply them to unique situations even beyond your studies.
As quoted at the beginning of this article, many important figures displayed strong metacognition which is attributed to their various creations and ideas.
We hope that this article helps you better understand the logic behind metacognition, and hopefully apply it to your studies!
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