Learning, VCoL, & metacognition
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Metacognition is thinking about thinking. Metacognitive skills are an interrelated set of competencies for learning and thinking, and include many of the skills required for active learning, critical thinking, reflective judgment, problem solving, and decision-making. People whose metacognitive skills are well developed are better problem-solvers, decision makers and critical thinkers, are more able and more motivated to learn, and are more likely to be able to regulate their emotions (even in difficult situations), handle complexity, and cope with conflict.
Although metacognitive skills, once they are well-learned, can become habits of mind that are applied unconsciously in a wide variety of contexts, it is important for even the most advanced learners to “flex their cognitive muscles” by consciously applying appropriate metacognitive skills to new knowledge and in new situations.
Lectica’s learning model, VCoL+7 (the virtuous cycle of learning and +7 skills) leverages metacognitive skills in a number of ways. For example, the fourth step in VCoL is reflection & analysis, the +7 skills include reflective disposition, self-monitoring and awareness, and awareness of cognitive and behavioral biases.
Learning in any context occurs optimally when the learner has a reflective disposition, consciously uses metacognitive strategies, and receives both institutional and educational support.
