Chapter 9: Complex Cognitive Processes

Metacognition Knowledge + Regulation

• Metacognition literally means cognition about cognition—or thinking about thinking.
• Involves declarative, procedural, and self-regulatory knowledge
• Three skills used to regulate thinking and learning:
• Planning: how much time to give a task
• Monitoring: real-time awareness of “How I’m doing”
• Evaluating: making judgments about processes and outcomes of thinking and
learning
• Differences result from different paces of development (maturation) or biological
differences among learners.
Types
• Declarative metacognition
• Procedural metacognition
How teachers can support?
• Help younger students develop habit of “looking in” at their own thinking
• Explain KWL strategies
• K: What do I already know about this subject?
• W: What do I want to know?
• L: At the end of the reading/inquiry, what have I learned?
• For older students = build self-reflective questions into assignments + learning materials
• LINCS vocabulary strategy steps:
• List the parts – identify the vocabulary and key information
• Identify a remind word
• Not a LINCing story – create a story that bridges the vocabulary word with the
known word.
• Create a LINCing picture that represents the story.
• Self-test – check their learning of the word by reciting all parts of their LINCS.

Problem Solving
Representing the Problem
• Focusing attention on what is relevant
• Understanding the words
• Understanding the whole problem
• Translation and schema training: Direct instruction in schemas
• Translation and schema training: Worked examples
• The results of problem representation
Searching for Solution Strategies
• Algorithms: A step-by-step prescription for achieving a goal
• Heuristics: A general strategy that might lead to the right answer
• Means-Ends Analysis: The problem is divided into a number of intermediate goals or
subgoals, and then a means of solving each intermediate subgoal is figured out.
• Working-Backward Strategy: Begin at the goal
 • Analogical Thinking: One limits the search for solutions to situations that are similar to
the one at hand
• Verbalization: Putting problem-solving into words
Factors that Hinder Problem Solving
• Functional fixedness
• Lack of flexibility needed to represent problems accurately and to have insight into
solutions
• Common response set
• Tendency to think in the most familiar manner
• Representativeness heuristic: Relying too heavily on prototypes
• Confirmation bias: Judging potential solutions based on memories and beliefs

Creativity
Sources of Creativity
• Domain-relevant skills: Talents and competencies that are valuable for working in a
specific domain
• Creativity relevant processes: Include work habits and personality traits
• Intrinsic task motivation: Deep curiosity and fascination with the task

Critical Thinking + Argumentation

Critical Thinking includes:
• Defining and clarifying a problem
• Making judgments about information related to a problem
• Drawing conclusions
• Critical Thinking and Argumentation are closely linked skills and concepts.
• Critical Thinking provides the processes needed for argument formulation, while
Argumentation allows one to utilize and apply Critical Thinking skills through logical
reasoning.
 • Argumentation is defined as the act or process of forming reasons and of drawing
conclusions and applying them to a case in discussion or debate.
• This is all embedded in Critical Thinking where openness and receptiveness to all ideas
and arguments even those with which may be of disagreement.
Paul + Elder Model of Critical Thinking
• The centre of critical thinking is reasoning.
• With practice in clear reasoning, we develop intellectual traits of humility,
integrity, perseverance, and confidence.
• Argumentation
• The process of constructing and critiquing arguments and debating claims

Teaching For Transfer

• Transfer occurs when a rule, fact, or skill learned in one situation is applied in another
situation
– Applying to new problems the principles learned in other, often dissimilar
situations
– Information can be transferred across a variety of contexts:
§ One subject to another
§ One physical location to another
§ One function to another
• Automatic Transfer: Spontaneous application of well-learned knowledge and skill
• Mindful, Intentional Transfer: Involves reflection and conscious application of abstract
knowledge to new situations
•