Metacognition: A Tool for Self Awareness and Engagement?

[Symphonie]

Metacognition, or the awareness and understanding of one’s own thinking, can be a helpful starting point for better student engagement and learning overall. Through metacognition, we ask students to explore what kind of learners they are; reflect on their best approaches to evaluating information, working in groups, studying, etc; and encourage them to set goals. Bringing metacognitive principles into pedagogical practice can help build self-awareness and self-efficacy.

The Macmillan Learning team is currently working on a blog series about metacognition. What do you think about metacognition as a tool for self-awareness, student engagement, and better learning experiences? Is there more you’d like to know about metacognition? How might you introduce it in your courses? How does it help you as an educator if and when your students know themselves as learners?

An extra note: We recently created a guide to Metacognition for Digital Learning based on a webinar with Jamie Shushan, author of The Pocket Guide to College Success. If you’re curious about getting started with metacognition in the classroom, there are some handy suggestions in the guide.