The Importance of Metacognitive Skills and Self-Regulated Learning in Education

 In-depth conversation with Dr. Jean Marie Schmidt part 3

by Ria Uiterloo

In the realm of education, an ongoing debate centers around how to optimize students’ learning and promote their self-regulatory skills. In Part 1 and 2 of an exclusive interview with Dr. Jean Marie Schmidt, a renowned education specialist, various concerning trends and challenges in education were uncovered.

• Limited Expertise: She emphasizes that decisions about how education should be delivered are often made by individuals without expertise in learning, which complicates the professional work of teachers.
• Excessive Influence of Science: She points out that education is overly influenced by scientific research, sometimes ignoring classroom reality. There is a need to strike a balance between research and practice.
• Lack of Knowledge Among Teachers: Dr. Schmidt stresses that teachers often lack knowledge, even in the field of pedagogy, which affects the effectiveness of education.
• Lack of Lifelong Learning: She highlights the need for lifelong learning for teachers, but some educational institutions provide inadequate support.

 Part 3 of the conversation focuses on the practical aspects of teaching metacognitive skills and offers insights into the solutions proposed by Dr. Schmidt, incorporating insights from experts like Daniel T. Willingham, Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, and Taylor’s metacognitive model.

Dr. Schmidt advocates for teaching metacognitive skills to students to promote self-regulated learning. She emphasizes the importance of understanding why learning is a crucial skill because the future is unpredictable. Practical approaches are discussed, such as:

• Planning skills: The importance of introducing planning skills early, even with preschoolers, and gradually developing them using planning boards and task lists in later grades.
• Choice Boards and Portfolios: Empowering children to work on their own development goals using a choice board and a portfolio, giving them autonomy in their learning process.
• Setting objectives and Subgoals: Dr. Schmidt emphasizes the need for teachers to identify intermediate steps and subgoals when setting objectives, requiring teacher guidance to achieve this.
• Process-Based Comparison: She encourages comparing children based on their learning processes, not their personalities, to understand where they may struggle or excel.

 

Dr. Schmidt refers to insights from experts to clarify the above approaches as the foundation for solid development:

Daniel T. Willingham: This expert emphasizes the importance of preserving the joy of learning in education. Removing this joy can have negative effects on students’ brain development.

Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath: A pioneer in neuroscience, Dr. Horvath suggests that we should first teach children how to learn. This means preparing them for an unpredictable future by focusing on understanding how learning works and how they can self-regulate their learning process.

Dr. Schmidt stresses the importance of teaching effective learning strategies to children as the first step in their education. It is essential to help them understand why learning is the only skill that is future-proof because the future is unpredictable.

She illustrates this point with an example of a child during the COVID-19 crisis who was overwhelmed with homework from various teachers and was expected to plan independently. The child felt lost, as did her parent and didn’t know how to handle it. After three weeks of guidance, the child was able to plan independently. This example underscores the importance of teaching coping skills to both children and parents.

Dr. Schmidt emphasizes that comparing children based on processes, not personal traits, is important. She points out that we need to understand where children get stuck and what is expected of them. What happens in one child’s brain can also happen in another child. Therefore, she advises parents to encourage each other and learn from each other by asking, “How do you do that?” Sharing experiences can provide valuable insights and help with a holistic understanding of children’s development.

She provides examples of students who get stuck and have discovered that they suffer from the fear of failure or test anxiety. “To help these children, it is important to look at individuals as well as the group as a whole. It is important to compare children, not to judge who is ‘better,’ but to ensure the right alignment takes place.

 Taylor’s Metacognitive Model:

This model emphasizes the importance of modeling and discussing steps and thought processes in learning. It encourages teachers to guide students through modeling, providing instructions, seeking feedback, and reflection, creating a metacognitive cycle. A key aspect is verbally naming the thinking steps and justifying the choices. This stimulates metacognitive thinking.

Dr. Smith advocates for this model in which a learning journey of modeling, guiding, and facilitating thought processes is undertaken. In her guidance of graduate students during their thesis process, she uses the Metacognitive Cycle, a framework that goes beyond mere learning and encompasses dimensions of management, leadership, and governance.

Further exploration of this cycle reveals the integral socio-emotional aspect, with an explicit focus on promoting emotional intelligence and empathy as fundamental pillars.

“This she says brings us to a crucial aspect of the metacognitive cycle, namely recognizing that students, despite their ability to work independently, may sometimes require guidance to achieve successful project or thesis completion”.

Therefore, she emphasizes that improving the guidance of graduate students may involve integrating principles from the Taylorian management model.

My post-interview research has revealed several elements that can be effectively applied to their study process:

• Task Division: Assisting students in defining and dividing tasks within their thesis projects, establishing clear responsibilities.
• Standardization: Implementing standardized procedures and guidelines for writing and structuring theses to enhance quality and consistency.
• Efficiency Improvements: Analyzing and streamlining processes to enhance productivity and save valuable time.
• Performance Assessment: Regularly assessing students’ progress and performance to identify areas for improvement.
• Training and Development: Providing students with the necessary training and tools to strengthen their thesis-related skills.

Action plans and process modeling emerge as crucial components of the Taylorian management model. When applied to guiding students through their thesis process, these methods offer exceptional value. Here’s how they can be effectively employed:

Action Plans: Creating a well-defined action plan helps students break down their thesis into manageable stages, each with specific goals and milestones, enabling progress tracking and organizational clarity.

Process Modeling: Providing students with a valuable framework for addressing their own tasks by modeling the thesis writing process, including structuring components such as the introduction, literature review, methodology, data analysis, and conclusion.

These approaches not only enhance efficiency but also strengthen students’ understanding and clarity in their pursuit of successful thesis completion. These methods are essential to help them achieve their goals and succeed in their thesis.

Dr. Smith describes a practical example for younger children: "It begins with demonstrating the steps and verbalizing them, after which the thinking process is stimulated. This process is called ‘modeling.’ Then, you repeat the steps by providing instructions. You revisit, let go, and bring them back to ask how it went, what worked and what didn’t, and why. What would they do differently next time? This initiates the metacognitive cycle. A crucial aspect of the metacognitive cycle that is often overlooked is that everyone forgets. This is why students and learners get stuck in their learning process.”

Vision of Homework:

Dr. Schmidt advocates for restraint in giving homework to children under the age of ten. She emphasizes that learning should be enjoyable, and homework should not take away that joy. She suggests phased homework from around the age of ten, with an emphasis on spaced practice and retrieval practice. She suggests that homework should have various dimensions, such as practical tasks focused on communication and memory.

Spaced and Retrieved Practice: Repeated retrieval of information can enhance long-term retention in students. Spacing involves sequentially presenting material, spreading information across multiple lessons rather than in just one lesson. Retrieval practice entails students actively recalling information they’ve previously learned to answer questions, rather than looking up information in a book or asking the teacher. Spaced retrieval practice is the active exercise of retrieving previously learned material at a time after the initial lesson, supporting the consolidation of information in students’ long-term memory.

Dr. Schmidt illustrates her vision of effective homework by referring to Daniel T. Willingham’s book, “Why Students Don’t Like School.” She emphasizes that we should preserve the joy of learning for as long as possible but introduce homework later in the learning process. Between 0 and 10 years, children need space and play, and from the age of 10, homework should be phased and not given daily, as spaced practice is more effective. Instead of giving children daily homework on the same subjects, it’s better to give them homework three times a week that is spread across multiple subjects. This is compensated for by retrieval practice in the classroom. This means preparing students in the classroom for homework by asking them to write down what they know about a specific topic, such as the human body, to reinforce retrieval practice. Together, we create repetition because repetition is necessary, but to repeat, students need to be able to talk daily about the subjects they are studying.

Homework should have diverse dimensions, so it’s not just about writing in a notebook. Homework can, for example, involve students explaining to their parents at home how an egg is formed. This engages them in spaced practice and retrieval practice, but also teaches them communication, verbal skills, memory, and repetition, all in a natural context. Therefore, she advocates introducing homework at various levels and in different phases from around the age of ten, with a focus on how the brain learns.

She concludes at the end of our conversation: “Teaching metacognitive skills and promoting self-regulated learning are crucial aspects of effective education. Dr. Jean Marie Schmidt emphasizes the importance of understanding the learning process, setting goals, and preserving the joy of learning. Her insights provide valuable guidance for teachers and educational institutions looking to contribute to the development of competent, autonomous, and motivated learners.