That's So Meta

Meta-cognition is an important tool in the education world. Adding the prefix meta- to a term refers to additional information about that item.

Meta-data means data about data. If you have data stored in a spreadsheet or database, the meta-data could be things like what types of characters are allowed in each field, which items are required or optional, how many records are currently stored, and so on.

A meta-analysis is an analysis of other analyses. When a scientist writes a research paper, they collect data and do some type of analysis. The meta-analysis is then analyzing the data presented in many published research papers to see if they are consistent or measuring different things.

Cognition is understanding. So meta-cognition is understanding how to gain or measure understanding.

There are different types of meta-cognition discussed by Anderson & Krathwohl (2001), including strategic knowledge, application of cognitive tasks, and self-knowledge.

Strategic knowledge is simply being aware of various tools that can be used to learn - flash cards, mnemonics, mind maps, note taking, watching videos, physical practice, and so on.

The appropriate contextual application of the items listed above is the next one. If you're learning multiplication tables, flash cards serve as a useful tool to help learn those math facts to automaticity. If you're learning how to calculate an integral, a flash card would not be so helpful, since it's more about learning to apply the concepts to whatever numbers you are given. Don't use the wrong tool for the wrong type of learning. Usually the higher you go up Bloom's Taxonomy (remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create), you need more advanced strategic tools, or you may even create your own new method of learning.

The last one is understanding one's own understanding. This can include a couple levels - what methods of learning tend to be most effective for that particular individual and what the individual knows or doesn't know. A learner who is bad at math and is aware of that fact will take a more structured approach to find and utilize the best available tools for learning math or may choose a program of study that avoids the need to learn math. Someone who is a bad singer but doesn't realize it, may not ever take voice lessons, because they don't realize they need it. It's one thing to know what each note on the keyboard is by name and know the corresponding notes on the staff. It's something else to be able to physically play the right notes on the keyboard when looking at the staff. A piano student who continues to practice with flash cards even though they are all memorized isn't self-aware to the point that they know they need to move on to a different type of practice.

Make sure you take some time in whatever instruction you are doing to build the learner's meta-cognition at all levels. They should know what tools are available to them to learn. They should understand what each tool is used for. They should be able to reflect on their own application of those tools and how they work with their existing understanding in order to be willing to use the right tool at the right time for them.

Anderson, L.W. & Krathwohl, D.R. (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York: Longman.