Why Self Directed Learning Is the Smartest Way to Learn

Metacognitive Learning

Why Self Directed Learning is the Smartest Way to Learn

Eight Principles of Effective Metacognitive Training

Promotes Self-Directed Learning
➔Metacognitive learning is primarily self-directed, meaning the onus to take in knowledge is on the student not the teacher.
➔Metacognitive lessons should introduce scenarios and pose questions that will spike a student’s curiosity, and get them excited about a topic so that they are naturally drawn to think about it outside the classroom.
➔To encourage self-directed learning, students can be given journal assignments in which they are asked to think and write about the topic covered that week.
➔
What is Self-Directed Learning?
“Self-directed learning, in its broadest meaning, describes a process in which individuals take the initiative with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying resources for learning, choosing and implementing learning strategies and evaluating learning outcomes.” - Source: Knowles, M. S. (1975) Self-directed learning: A guide for learners and teachers, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
This style of learning is so important that the Partnership for 21st Century Skills “has identified self-directed learning as one of the life and career skills necessary to prepare students for post-secondary education and the workforce.” - pearsonassessments.com
Requires Minimal Class Time
➔Since metacognitive learning is inherently self-directed and learning happens on the student’s own time, very little class time is required to complete a lesson.
➔Teachers are not burdened with complex, time-consuming lesson plans.
➔Lesson plans should be brief, concise and easy to follow.
Uses small, granular units
➔Rapidly decreasing attention spans require teaching elements to be brief, small and concise.
➔When combined with microlearning principles, metacognitive lessons should be bite-sized, easy to remember and highly effective. (See MindSage microlearning white paper.)
Teaches through Story
➔One of the most effective ways to grab a listener’s attention is by telling a story. We are more likely to remember the point of a short story than the point of a long and wordy lecture.
➔A story can be told in as little as one sentence, a single picture or a short animation.
➔Telling a story through the use of visual aids, such as a short video, will have an immediate impact on the listener and create “instant learning.”
Asks Questions
➔Questions stimulate thought and self-reflection which is exactly what metacognition is all about.
➔Asking a series of questions before considering a topic primes the student’s mind to think about what they are about to learn.
➔Questions asked at the conclusion of a lesson help to reinforce main points.
Encourages Discussion
➔Classroom discussions encourage students to share their thoughts and opinions.
➔Expressing one’s thoughts orally creates a greater sense of self-awareness, thereby fostering metacognition.
➔Discussion also exposes students to viewpoints that may differ from their own, which encourages open-mindedness.
Connects the Dots
➔Metacognitive training should help students link new information with existing knowledge in meaningful ways.
➔When students build links between new information and prior experiences their knowledge widens and deepens.
➔If students learn how to connect the dots, they will be better equipped to adapt to new situations.
Promotes Thinking About Thinking
➔Metacognitive training should prompt learners to think about how they learn, who and what influences them and how they can control their own learning experiences.
➔Students should become experts at thinking about and directing their own learning rather than relying on teachers to feed them information.
What Does MindSage Accomplish?
MindSage is a teacher-friendly metacognitive training course that is designed to work seamlessly with your existing curriculum. It applies the principles of effective metacognitive teaching in the following ways:
Promotes Self-Directed Learning
MindSage gives students the tools they need to engage in self-directed learning outside the classroom. / Requires Minimal Class Time
MindSage designs micro lesson plans that take up no more than 10-20 minutes of class time per week.
Uses small, granular units
MindSage harnesses the power of micro learning through short instructional whiteboard videos that are 3-4 minutes in length. / Teaches Through Story
MindSage teaches through the use of stories, illustrations, and references to popular TV shows, books and movies.
Asks Questions
MindSage supplies topical questions in each lesson plan to get the class to think about the topic for that week. / Encourages Discussion
MindSage includes time for a brief class discussion in each lesson plan.
Connects the Dots
MindSage encourages students to reflect on past experiences, analyze how those experiences shaped them and articulate what lessons they learned. / Promotes Thinking About Thinking
MindSage encourages students to identify who and what influences them and to think about how they influence others.

Why Does Metacognitive Learning Matter?

In the workforce today, over $164 billion is spent on employee soft skills and training. Executives realize that employees who possess intangible soft skills, like great communication, determination, humility and enthusiasm, contribute to a productive workforce and benefit the company in the long run. As a result they spend enormous amounts of time and money on employee development -- teaching them the soft skills they should have learned before entering the workforce. Not only is this training costly but most experts agree that it’s harder to teach these skills so late in the game. “It is hard to correct a lifetime of bad habits in a short period of time,” says Roderick Nunn, vice chancellor for economic development and workforce solutions at St. Louis Community College (Time Magazine, The Real Reason New College Grads Can’t Get Hired). To be truly effective, soft skills training needs to start at a young age.

Read on to learn:

●What is Metacognitive Learning?
●Metacognition and Emotional Intelligence
●How Metacognitive Training Benefits Students / ●The Connection Between Metacognitive Learning and Soft Skills
●Metacognitive Training and 21st Century Skills
●Metacognitive Training Works

What is Metacognitive Learning?

Metacognition has been defined as the individual's awareness of knowledge of their own reflection processes or strategies and their ability to direct and regulate these processes. - Lindstrom, C. (1995). Empower The Child with learning Difficulties to Think Meta-cognitively. Australian Journal of Remedial, Education, 27(2), 28-31. In other words, metacognition involves an awareness, an understanding and a level of control over how one learns. It involves a deep level of self-reflection in which the learner reflects on why they think, learn, act and react the way they do. As they reach a level of self-awareness, the learner is motivated to make necessary changes and adjustments in their thinking, actions and behavior. Such changes are self-directed.

Metacognition plays an important role, not just in academic learning, but in how one makes sense of life’s experiences. As a student’s metacognitive abilities increase they begin to answer important questions, such as “What does real success mean to me?” “What type of person do I want to become?” “What am I passionate about? Can I use my passion to impact others or the world in a positive way?” In turn, this self-reflective process helps them to understand other people’s perspectives, and how positive relationships can be developed in work and life. Students are thus primed to be more empathetic and considerate of others. This lends itself to another critical component of metacognition - Emotional intelligence (EI).

“Metacognition plays an important role ...
in how one makes sense of life’s experiences.”

Metacognition and Emotional Intelligence

Metacognitive learning promotes emotional intelligence (EI) and improves academic performance. As students are prompted to reflect on how and why they think the way they do, they begin to understand the emotions associated with their behavior.

Negative emotions can interfere with learning and development. According to Marc Bracket, Ph.D who specializes in EI, students can learn to become “more emotionally skilled” especially when it comes to dealing with negative emotions.

It is impossible to learn when in the emotional states of anger, fear or sadness. EI allows students to acknowledge their emotions, identify solutions and move forward. “The act of being confused and identifying one's lack of understanding is an important part of developing self-awareness. - Marilyn Price-Mitchell PhD, Metacognition: Nurturing Self-Awareness in the Classroom.

It is impossible to learn when in the
emotional states of anger, fear or sadness.

How Metacognitive Training Benefits Students

Metacognitive learning is more than just thinking about thinking. It teaches students to become aware of why the subject matter is important to them and how it applies to their own life. This awareness can move a student who is not naturally interested in math, for example, to become interested and engaged in that subject matter. By applying a metacognitive approach to learning, students develop a stronger sense of curiosity and thus become better learners.

Metacognitive training also teaches students how to identify their strengths and weaknesses. This type of self-reflection helps students to recognize the limits of their knowledge or ability and then identify how they can expand their knowledge or extend their ability. As a result, students become self-aware and are able to oversee their own learning process. They become self-directed, lifelong learners. They become more likely to “actively monitor their learning strategies and resources and assess their readiness for particular tasks and performances” - Bransford, John D., Brown Ann L., and Cocking Rodney R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school.

When students become engaged in their own learning they develop a love for learning that will stay with them throughout life. They learn to harness the natural curiosity that young children have and in a sense are able to return to their natural state of being born to learn. In essence, metacognitive training teaches students to become PURE learners.

Teachers have found that students who take ownership of their learning perform better in school, get higher grades, exhibit less behavioral issues and interact better with others. They are also more likely to develop soft skills.

There is a “growing need for lifelong learning ...
of members of our society.”
-The Design of MicroLearning Experiences: A Research Agenda

The Connection between Metacognitive Learning and Soft Skills

“Success today ... apart from possessing hard knowledge, requires ‘soft skills’ and personality traits that are not taught in most of today's universities: social intelligence, passion, curiosity, optimism and, especially, common sense.” – Kenneth W. Freeman, Allen Questrom professor and dean of Boston University School of Management.

“Soft Skills” is the technical term for a set of skills that allow an employee to navigate a workplace effectively. These include being passionate about your work, having a positive attitude, being dependable, having good communication, and being conscientious. Because these skills are not taught formally, many well-educated students struggle to develop them later in life or fail to develop them at all. As a result, employers find themselves interviewing candidates with great resumes who don’t make eye contact, don’t carry themselves well and generally fail to impress in person.

The self-reflective nature of metacognitive training helps students develop soft skills early on. Such well-rounded education sets students up for success in the workplace and gives them the skills they need to communicate effectively with others.

“‘Soft skills’ … are not taught
in most of today’s universities.”
-Kenneth W. Freeman

Metacognitive Training and 21st Century Skills

The generation known as “Millennials” have grown up in an age of advanced technology. While an understanding of technology and social media are important, a top complaint of employers is the lack of communication skills among millennials. “Younger people are communicating at great levels but it’s through technology. This means their verbal communication skills are diminished. They are talking less to each other and their other communication skills are highly abbreviated and perfunctory.” - Lauren Stiller, You Raised Us, Now Work With Us.

Although college graduates are well educated in their field of study, many are ill prepared for the demands of the modern workplace. Metacognitive training prepares students for the increasingly complex life and work environments of the 21st century by teaching them to develop strong interpersonal skills. By reaching kids at a young age they learn early on that texting is different from communicating. They learn how to communicate effectively and collaborate as part of a team. Metacognitive training coupled with academic learning prepares students for life and work in the 21st century.

“Schools must integrate both hard and soft skill sets into their curriculums, which in turn will ... strengthen our country’s workforce.”
–Forbes

Metacognitive Training Works

Metacognitive skills work hand in hand with academic skills because they help the student to effectively apply their knowledge in school, in life and eventually in the workplace. Students who are exposed to metacognitive training at a young age, are better equipped to develop a strong work ethic and are more likely to become successful employees.

Employers benefit from hiring individuals who have participated in metacognitive learning for several reasons: 1) employees are already equipped with the soft skills needed to successfully navigate a workplace and 2) less time and money is spent on employee training.

“Research supports the assumption that metacognitive regulation improves performance in a number of ways, including better use of attentional resources, better use of existing strategies, and a greater awareness of comprehension breakdowns. A number of studies report significant improvement in learning when regulatory skills and an understanding of how to use these skills are included as part of classroom instruction.” - Gregory Schraw, Promoting General Metacognitive Awareness.

Summary

Metacognitive training is essential for today’s 21st century workforce. To be most effective, training should start at a young age and should be woven into the core curriculum. Not only does it help to develop soft skills, but it prepares children for the challenges of adulthood and gives them the tools they need to become successful employees.

Metacognitive Training is: / ➔Flexible - it can be woven into any existing curriculum
➔Learner-driven - students engage in self-directed learning
➔Cost-effective
“Education is not the learning of facts,
but the training of the mind to think.”
- Albert Einstein