The Role of Metacognition in Second Language Teaching and Learning

Group8: Sure 蔡秀兒 Ada 魏韻芳 Joyce 黃繼磊

Neil J. Anderson, Brigham Young University

e.g.

During a National Public Radio broadcast in the United States in March 1999, a sixth grader explained what she was learning from playing the Stock Market Game, an activity designed to help children become familiar with how the stock market functions. She said, "This game makes me think how to think" (Prakash, 1999). What this statement reveals is that this young learner was beginning to understand the real key to learning; she was engaged in metacognition.

The definition of Metacognition- Thinking about thinking. 1) Learners who are metacognitively aware kn

ow what to do when they don't know what to do; that is, they have strategies for finding out or figuring out what they need to do.

2) The use of metacognitive strategies ignites one's thinking and can lead to more profound learning and improved performance.

3) Understanding and controlling cognitive processes may be one of the most essential skills that classroom teachers can help second language learners develop.

A Model of Metacognition It can be divided into five primary components:

(1) preparing and planning for learning, (2) selecting and using learning strategies,(3) monitoring strategy use, (4) orchestrating various strategies,(5) evaluating strategy use and learning.

Teachers should model strategies for learners to follow in all five areas, which are discussed below.

Preparing and Planning for Learning

By engaging in preparation and planning in relation to a learning goal, students are thinking about what they need or want to accomplish and how they intend to go about accomplishing it.

Teachers can promote this reflection by being explicit about the particular learning goals they have set for the class and guiding the students in setting their own learning goals.

The more clearly articulated the goal, the easier it will be for the learners to measure their progress.

The teacher might set a goal for the students of mastering the vocabulary from a particular chapter in the textbook. A student might set a goal for himself of being able to answer the comprehension questions at the end of the chapter.

Preparing and Planning for Learning

Selecting and Using Learning Strategies

The metacognitive ability to select and use particular strategies in a given context for a specific purpose means that the learner can think and make conscious decisions about the learning process. 後設能力是指學習者在學習過程中能去思考和決定在指定文本中為達成某種目標需選擇和使用的策略 E.g. – Readers encounter vocabulary that they do not know and that they have determined they need to know to understand the main idea of a text. 當他們遇到他們不知道但他們必需要知道才能瞭解文本意義的生字

Selecting and Using Learning Strategies 1.Word analysis: dividing the word into its prefix and stem. 生字分析 ,教師應先教字首字根2.Use of context clues: using of context clues to help guess the meaning of a word. 用上下文推測字意 Teachers need to show them how to choose the strategy that has the best chance of success in a given situation. 老師需要告訴他們如何在指定的情況下 選擇最佳策略

Monitoring Strategy Use Once they have selected and begun to implement specific strategies, they need to ask themselves periodically whether or not they are still using those strategies as intended. 一旦他們選定並開始使用策略, 他們需要定時檢視自己是否仍然按照計劃使用那些策略。 E.g. –an effective writing strategy involves thinking about their audience and their purpose in writing . 有效的寫作策略應考慮到讀者理解到什麼和寫者的目的

Monitoring Strategy Use They should pause occasionally while writing to ask themselves questions about what they are doing, whether or not they are providing the right amount of background information for their intended audience and whether the examples they are using are effective in supporting their purpose. 他們應該偶爾停下來審視自己是否達到目的.(是否提供足夠的資訊,舉的例子是否適當) (Self-questioning is used to ensure that the goal is met.)

Orchestrating Various Strategies Knowing how to orchestrate the use of more than one strategy is an importantmetacognitive skill. 如何編排使用策略是一個重要的後設認知技巧 Teachers can assist students by makingthem aware of multiple strategies available tothem and also needs to show students how torecognize when one strategy isn’t workingand how to move on to another. 老師協助學生知道可使用的策略並且指導他們如果一個策略不成功應如何使用另一個

Orchestrating Various StrategiesE.g.—A a student may try to use word analysis to determine the meaning of the word“antimony”, having recognized anti as a prefixmeaning against. Anti is not a prefix here sothat strategy won’t work in this instance. When the student finds that word analysisdoes not help her figure out what this word means, she needs to know how to turn to otherstrategies, such as context clues, to help herunderstand the word. “Antimony” 這個字無法用生字分析的方法推 測意思 , 只好改用上下文推測意思

Evaluating Strategy Use and Learning

What am I trying to accomplish? What strategies am I using? How well am I using them? What else could I do?

(1)Preparing and Planning for Learning(2)Selecting and Using Learning Strategies(3)Monitoring Strategy Use(4)Orchaestrating Various Strategies

(1)Preparing and Planning for Learning學生能明白現在要試圖找出文章主旨，並且知道這樣是了解文章其他部分的關鍵。(2)Selecting and Using Learning Strategies學生知道有哪些他們可用的策略，且能辨認出自己利用哪一個策略找出主旨。(3)Monitoring Strategy Use學生能評斷他們選擇使用的策略好不好，也就是，是否如他們所想的那樣實行了，以及有沒有幫助他們達到目標。(4)Orchaestrating Various Strategies 如果原本使用的策略無法達到目標，老師就需要讓學生知道其他可以用的所有策略，使他們可以使用替換的策略。

Reading skill ~ main idea comprehension

Learners whose skill and knowledge bases are weak in a particular area tend to overestimate their ability in that area.

(Kruger & Dunning, 1999)The high-ability learners do not recognize the extent of their knowledge or skills, so they may underestimate their ability.It is possible to teach learners at all ability levels to access their own performance more accurately.

The Interaction of Metacognition Skills

Not a linear process.More than one metacognitive process may be occurring at a time during a second language learning task.Think about how they combine various strategies facilitates the improvement of strategy use.

Conclusion

When learners reflect upon their strategies, they become better prepared to make conscious decisions about what they can do to improve their learning.