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Thursday, September 22, 2011

What is your Metacognitive Profile?










Integrating Intellectual Activity into your every day Life

Metacognition is a concept closely linked to the professions of reading education and literacy training.  Too often, the public uses a simplistic definition of metacognition.  Such a definition is just what the adjective simplistic implies - incomplete and inadequate.  If committed readers are to engage in developing their metacognitive abilities, it is essential tha they have a correct and thorough understanding of what metacognition is.

METACOGNITION involves TWO distinct processes.

The first component of metacognition is that an individual needs to be aware of her/his THINKING processes.It is important to remember that THINKING is a distinctly separate aspect of Learning.  There are many surveys, questionnaires/inventories on How People THINK, and also on How People Learn.  For this discussion, it is important for the reader to know that thinking and learning are two different intellectual activities.If you are interested in discovering more about your learning and thinking, there are many measures available for free on the internet.  Most of these measures provide some sort of personal profile based on your answers.

How People LEARN is a popular subject.  People may be auditory, visual, or kinesthetic learners.They might be right brain lobe/left brain lobe dominant. Anyone who is able to open the browser on the internet can create a profile of herself/himself as a THINKER and as a LEARNER.  In about one and a half hours we can get enough information from the internet to classify our learning styles and thinking skills in a rudimentary way.  Of course, cognitive psychologists and neurologists specializing in the brain can develop a deeper and  more accurate profile.  But, many internet profiling inventories have some value, if only to initiate thinking about a topic.

By the time an individual is fifteen years of age, she/he has enough self-knowledge to self-identify how they learn best, and what kind of learning is a challenge for them.  Socrates said, "Know yourself."  It is a complex, continual process to recognize and understand one's own individual and unique THINKING patterns.  Using internet assesment measures can help in this research of the self.

The second component of metacognition is to regulate one's own cognitive processes.

Once you are aware of your own personal thinking processes, you need to actively govern HOW you think and WHAT you think.  You need to question yourself., "Is this the most effective thinking approach for thisspecific task?"  I know HOW I think, "Does my personal thought pattern need to be changed or adjusted for this specific intellectual task?"

Regulating one's own cognitive processes is a skill to be learned and practiced continually.  Cognitive thinking manuals, hard copy and e-books contain metacogntive training tasks.  A manual that I recommend is Taking Control of Your College Reading & Learning by E. Byrd et al, published by Harcourt College Publishers.  There are many other tools you can find in an internet search.

Integrating Intellectual Activity into Everyday Thinking is no longer a voluntary commitment.

In this 21st century, we all need to THINK on a higher level, if we are to realize our personal goals and succeed in our jobs and personal relationships.  If an intellectual activity is robotic, then, robots are already being manufactured and used for these activities.  Robotic thinking is demeaning for humans, in my opinion.  Lower Level Thinking (see Benjamin Bloom's Hierarchy) is not going to get us very far in the 21st century.  If a task requires intellectual activity, then, we need to know our own cognitive processes and styles.

Follow Socrates' advice.  Know yourself and USE what you know to enhance your quality of life and your appreciation of your world.  What have you found out about yourself as you created your THINKING PROFILE?
Share your learning/thinking self.  What we think contributes to who we are.  Who are you?

Dr. CW

2 comments:

  1. A persons profile should be a mirrored image of who they are. Actions speak louder than words. I am a pro active learner. When I study I use skill/strategy to understand and remember the material. I learn better in a controlled environment. I constantly look for ways to expand my mental framework to retain details. I think on a higher learning plato, personally, socially and at my place of business. I seek out other higher level thinkers for conversation. I recognize my style of learning and constantly apply and self access to ensure understanding. I think/believe that I can be taught anything. The question is whether I will thoroughly understand it for the moment or will it be a life long process?

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  2. I do not think profile is a good LABEL to put on myself or anyone else.
    I don't like to think of myself from such a limited perspective by saying I have a profile of any kind.I am a multi faceted human being and yes I have things I always do in a certain pattern such as how I drink my coffee or what I like on a cheeseburger,but the larger part of who I am is not defined by a profile!!

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