Metacognition: Plan, Monitor and Evaluate
Firstly, we are going to look at metacognition, to understand why it is important in the self-direction and planning process. Metacognition is a multidimensional concept, but it can be simplified and explained as the awareness and understanding of your own learning and the processes involved (Schraw, 1998). By being aware of how you learn, you can plan and assess your learning strategies and identify areas where improvements can be made. Metacognition should not be confused with cognition, or cognitive skills, which is the mental functions used to complete a task (Education Endowment Foundation, 2024). The metacognition process can be practiced, and it will help you to become more adaptable and flexible in your approach. You will develop the skills and understanding to become a lifelong self-directed learner, tackling each task with a unique perspective by implementing strategies you have learnt.
The metacognition cycle has three distinct steps: planning, monitoring and evaluating (Stanton, Sebesta, and Dunlosky, 2021). In terms of planning and self-direction, goals need to be realistic yet ambitious. It has been identified that success in a task is not only dependent upon the importance of what is to be completed, but also the anticipated likelihood of success (Wigfield and Eccles, 2000; Eccles and Wigfield, 2002). Therefore, it is important that you do not set yourself up for failure by being unrealistic. Although, you do need to ensure that there is an element of challenge involved. There is information on SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) analysis here, which may help you to identify barriers to achieving your goals, allowing you to prepare for them in advance. Overall, it is about finding the correct balance for your goals, anticipating difficulties, and ensuring that you have achievable steps along the way.
To create achievable steps, you may need to break the main goal into manageable stages and create specific, measurable objectives. There is more information on goal setting in the next section. By taking a structured approach, tasks will seem more achievable, helping you to avoid feeling overwhelmed. With clear goals and a well-defined plan, your efforts are focused and purposeful and when goals are achieved, it spurs on the learning process by maintaining or increasing your confidence. There is more guidance on planning in the next section, which will support the first stage in developing your metacognition skills.
Once you have your plan, and you have set goals and identified the steps you need to take to achieve the outcome, it is important to monitor progress at regular intervals. The use of Gantt charts and other time-management planners will help you to monitor progress, and they will be discussed later in the guide. There are also suggested time-management techniques to prevent you from procrastinating. It can be a case of trial and error with different organisation and time-management strategies. There are no study techniques that work for everyone, plus, different assignments or tasks may require different approaches.
Finally, the third and final stage in the metacognition process is the evaluation stage. When you evaluate you are considering the effectiveness, reflecting upon what worked well and what could be improved. Taking time to reflect on goals and time-management techniques allows for continuous improvement, enhancing all areas of your life (Dakshinkar and Nimsarkar, 2014). There are different reflective models that can support you through the reflective process. As you become more familiar with the concept of setting goals, planning and organising your time, and evaluating their effectiveness, you will get a feel for what methods work best for you. Now that you understand metacognition, you can use the rest of this guide to support your self-direction and planning.
References
Dakshinkar, M. and Nimsarkar, N. (2023) ‘Time management techniques and strategies for improving personal productivity and work-life balance’, Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research, 10(5), pp. 203-211.
Eccles, J. S. and Wigfield, A. (2002) ‘Motivational beliefs, values and goals’, Annual review of Psychology, 53(1), pp. 109-132.
Education Endowment Foundation (2024) Metacognition and Self-Regulation. Available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/metacognition-and-self-regulation (Accessed: 20 December 2024).
Schraw, G. (1998) ‘Promoting general metacognitive awareness’, Instructional Science, 26(1), pp. 113-125.
Stanton, J. D., Sebesta, A. J. and Dunlosky, J. (2021) ‘Fostering metacognition to support student learning and performance’, CBE Life Science Education, 20(2), pp. 1-7.
Wigfield, A. and Eccles, J. S. (2000) ‘Expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation’, Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1, pp. 68-81.