Chapter 7: Complex Cognitive Processes

define metacognition

knowledge and beliefs about ones own cognitive processes / ‘‘ thinking about thinking’’

define learning strategy

learners use an approach to remember something

effective learning strategies

OVERT strategies: taking notes, creating summaries

COVERT strategies: internal mental processes we cant see

define cognitive load

the amount of mental effort needed to complete a task or process information, ‘‘brainpower’’

define epistemic beliefs

students belief about the nature of knowledge and learning

define self regulation skills

process of setting goals for oneself

what are some metacognitive strategies in the digital age?

make good choices about paths and hotlinks to follow, identify specific learning goals to be accomplished and monitor progress toward achieving those goals, critically evaluate the information and misinformation found on websites

diversity, disabilities, and exceptional abilities

there could be a cultural difference in students epistemic belief, and students with disabilities might need explicit instruction/ scaffolding

define positive transfer

something weve learned before helps us learn something new

define negative transfer

something we’ve learned before makes it harder for us to learn something new

define specific transfer

what we learned before overlaps with what we’re learning now

define general transfer

learning in one situation affects learning and performance in somewhat dissimilar situation

what are some factors that affect transfer?

meaningful learning promotes better transfer than rote learning, both positive and negative transfers are more common when a new situation appears to be similar to a previous one

what are some recommendations for teaching metacognitive strategies?

ask students to explain what theyre doing and why theyre doing it, help students to identify common errors in their problem solving, ask students to reflect on their solutions to determine whether the solution makes sense within the context of the original problem

how can you foster creativity among students?

show students that creative thoughts are valued, ask though provoking questions, give students freedom and security they need to take risk