Teaching Reflection
“Metacognition is one’s ability to use prior knowledge to plan a strategy for approaching a learning task, take necessary steps to problem solve, reflect on and evaluate results, and modify one’s approach as needed. It helps learners choose the right cognitive tool for the task and plays a critical role in successful learning” (TEAL, 2012).
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Providing students with regular, ongoing opportunities for self-reflection is an essential part of helping students toward future career, academic, and personal success because it underlies critical thinking, creative problems solving, engagement with learning, and self-directed learning. Self-reflection is a key feature of integrative learning, and, for that reason, an essential activity used in eportfolios.
See ideas for integrating reflection in your courses: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/planning-courses-and-assignments/course-design/critical-reflection
Consider different approaches or purposes for reflection when designing reflection activities.
See ideas for integrating reflection in your courses: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/planning-courses-and-assignments/course-design/critical-reflection
Consider different approaches or purposes for reflection when designing reflection activities.
Combined Reflection Activities
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Reflection For Connections and Content
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Reflection for Self- Monitoring and Process
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Reflection for Planning and Goal Setting
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Metacognition and Learning |
Metacognition generally refers to our awareness about our own thinking and cognitive process. Giving students opportunities to develop more advanced metacognitive skills, including reflection, self-monitoring, and planning will increase synthesis and transfer of knowledge and skills, engagement, and self-directed learning; all of these attributes are those of a successful, life-long learner and which will increase student success in the immediate and long term. Fostering metacognitive skills are at the core of the success of integrative learning as pedagogy.
Metacognitive skills are overlapping, reinforcing mental processes that can be considered or grouped in three categories:
Metacognitive skills are overlapping, reinforcing mental processes that can be considered or grouped in three categories:
Learn More
For a quick overview of learning and metacognition:
For more in-depth information and research see:
Flavell, J. H. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area of cognitive-developmental inquiry. American Psychologist, 34, 906–911.
Kaplan, M., Silver, N., Lavaque-Manty, D., & Meizlish, D.(Eds.). (2013) Using reflection and metacognition to improve student learning. Virginia: Stylus.
Malamed, C. (2015, August 12). Metacognition and learning: strategies for Instructional design. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://theelearningcoach.com/learning/metacognition-and-learning/
Meichenbaum, D. (1985). Teaching thinking: A cognitive-behavioral perspective. In S. F., Chipman, J. W. Segal, & R. Glaser (Eds.), Thinking and learning skills, Vol. 2: Research and open questions. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Schraw, G., & Dennison, R. S. (1994). Assessing metacognitive awareness. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 19, 460–475.
Simpson, M. L., & Nist, S. L. (2000). An update on strategic learning: It’s more than textbook reading strategies. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 43(6) 528–541.
Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy. (2015, August 12). Fact Sheet: Metacognitive Processes [US Department of Education Website]. Retrieved from https://teal.ed.gov/tealguide/metacognitive.
Thiede, K. W., Anderson, M. C., & Therriault, D. (2003). Accuracy of metacognitive monitoring affects learning of texts. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95,66–73.
Zubizarreta, J. (2009). The learning portfolio: Reflective practice for improving student learning, 2nd ed. California: Wiley.
Flavell, J. H. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area of cognitive-developmental inquiry. American Psychologist, 34, 906–911.
Kaplan, M., Silver, N., Lavaque-Manty, D., & Meizlish, D.(Eds.). (2013) Using reflection and metacognition to improve student learning. Virginia: Stylus.
Malamed, C. (2015, August 12). Metacognition and learning: strategies for Instructional design. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://theelearningcoach.com/learning/metacognition-and-learning/
Meichenbaum, D. (1985). Teaching thinking: A cognitive-behavioral perspective. In S. F., Chipman, J. W. Segal, & R. Glaser (Eds.), Thinking and learning skills, Vol. 2: Research and open questions. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Schraw, G., & Dennison, R. S. (1994). Assessing metacognitive awareness. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 19, 460–475.
Simpson, M. L., & Nist, S. L. (2000). An update on strategic learning: It’s more than textbook reading strategies. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 43(6) 528–541.
Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy. (2015, August 12). Fact Sheet: Metacognitive Processes [US Department of Education Website]. Retrieved from https://teal.ed.gov/tealguide/metacognitive.
Thiede, K. W., Anderson, M. C., & Therriault, D. (2003). Accuracy of metacognitive monitoring affects learning of texts. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95,66–73.
Zubizarreta, J. (2009). The learning portfolio: Reflective practice for improving student learning, 2nd ed. California: Wiley.