Metacognition & Metamemory

CPD: Metacognition for Teachers (by Jonathan Firth), topic 1.1.1

Cognition vs Metacognition

What do we mean by metacognition? First off, it’s important to understand what is meant by cognition.

The term cognition refers to mental processing.
It means something similar to ‘thinking’, but it’s a bit broader.
It covers everything that your mind engages with in the here and now.
Some types of cognition include beliefs, memory, perception, language, attention, problem-solving.

Metacognition involves “thinking about thinking” or, more broadly, cognition about cognition.
Examples might include thinking about problem-solving, focusing our attention on language use, or beliefs that we have about memory.

What is metacognition for?
It is likely that metacognition evolved as a control system, allowing us to check and modify our own thought processes where necessary.
After all, someone who is making logical or language errors needs to be able to reflect on and modify those errors.
Unlike other animals, humans are very good at reflecting at what they (or other people) have done or said.
In the classroom, this means that we can reflect on learning processes – as can our students!

One particular type of metacognition involves thinking about and monitoring our own memories. Some psychologists call this metamemory.

Have you ever said something like:
“I have a terrible memory?”
“My friend has an amazing memory”?
These statements both suggest that you have been thinking about memory – you have been engaging in metamemory.

Another example of this in practice is the sense that we know something, even if we can’t recall it.
Have you ever found yourself saying:
“I would know it if I saw it”?
If you feel that you will recognise something (such as a term or a person’s name) if you see or hear it, you are making a judgment about your own memory.

Learners engage in metamemory processes a lot.
For example, when students are revising for a test or exam, they must judge what they know and what they do not know.
Researchers use the term ” Judgment of learning (JOLs)” to describe a learner’s ability to say what they have or have not successfully learned.
Unfortunately, JOLs are often quite inaccurate. Learners may believe that they have successfully learned something even when they have not.