Handout 1
What is MetaCognition?
Metacognition is a process by which an individual is aware of his or her own brain
processes that occur during learning. In other words, metacognition is thinking
about thinking. It can also be described as knowing about knowing. The goal of
using metacognitive strategies is to make a person’s thinking visible to themselves
and others, as well as to achieve learning outcomes.
The theory of metacognition is usually attributed to J.H. Flavell, who first coined
the term in 1979. In recent years, the strategies of metacognition have been
increasingly applied in the classroom environment. Through the use of visible
thinking, metacognition can assist students and teachers in tackling projects,
approaching reading, and completing assignments across the curriculum.
The basic tenet of metacognition is that by understanding what the mind is
thinking during learning, an individual will be able to focus his strengths and
improve upon his weaknesses when tackling a project, assignment, or text. Cognition
can be described as an awareness of knowledge, while metacognition is a fartherreaching subject that involves using that knowledge, as well as applying strategies,
when cognitive processes fail to serve the learner in completing a task.
Many good students use metacognitive strategies naturally; for others, this is a
process which must be learned. Students who use metacognitive strategies, such as
awareness, self-regulation, and refocusing, outperform those who don’t.
One major element to the practice of metacognition is the avoidance of
distraction. When an individual is aware of the mind’s ability to be easily distracted
away from an assignment due to the external environment, he or she can re-train
the brain to identify the interruption, and then refocus on the task at hand.
Another important part of metacognition is the use of learning strategies such as
forecasting expected outcomes, fact checking, identifying important components,
and re-reading for understanding. This may involve previewing a text or
assignment, breaking down the parts of an experiment, researching unfamiliar
terms, or integrating previous knowledge with new information.
One way that teachers and students reach this understanding of the brain’s
internal work is through the metacognitive conversation. This involves both
teachers and students being aware of their own mental process and then speaking
about those internal processes aloud. For example, an instructor may act as a model
in tackling a particularly difficult text by showing students how he or she would
deal with the reading using metacognitive strategies. Verbalizing these internal
brain operations makes them available to students, who can then apply the
strategies to their own learning. In order to create an environment in which
strategies and skills for completing goals are shared, students may also talk aloud
to each other about their metacognitive functions.
Written By: Licia Morrow
Handout 1
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL Of ACADEMIC RESEARCH Vol. 3. No. 3. May,
2011, II Part
EFL TEACHERS’ SOCIO-AFFECTIVE STRATEGY USE IN RELATION
TO STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT1
Mahnaz Saeidi, Nahid Jabbarpour
2. SOCIAL STRATEGIES
Social strategies are communicative strategies used to facilitate delivering
messages to others and finally to accelerate the teaching process (3). Based on
research literature, some social strategies are as follows:
- Preparedness (being ready): Teaching is more than just the act of talking.
Successful presentation requires extensive preparation and lesson planning
(8).Emotionally intelligent teachers seek to have confidence not just in their
content and materials but also in their flexibility and readiness to respond; they
not only put energy into getting materials and methods planned but also into
preparing to meet the learners (9). Well-prepared teachers are usually well
organized. - Enthusiastic presentation (Being energetic): Collins developed and
tested a training program that examined a specific set of enthusiastic behaviours
such as rapid, uplifting, varied local delivery, wide-open eyes, frequent and
demonstrative questions, and exuberant overall energy (10). - Multi-tonus speech:
Studies have repeatedly shown that teachers that talk routinely constitute about
two thirds or three-fourths of classroom discourse (11), so teachers should vary
the speed and tone of their speech to prevent boredom of a monotonous lecture.
- Using students’ prior knowledge, establishing set, and providing cues: Establishing
a communicative link between learners and information that is being presented is
defined as connecting learning to students' world (12) and activating schemata (13).
- Concept mapping: Concept maps are graphical representations of knowledge that
are comprised of concepts and the relationship between them. It facilitates
meaningful learning and helps learners organize knowledge and structure it (14).
- Verbal ability: The clarity of a presentation has a major role in determining how
much students will learn.
- Time management (maintaining consistency): Teachers should prevent deviant
behaviours and be careful not to waste time; nothing should interfere with the
flow of activities and slow down the process of teaching. (11). - Feedback style:
Teacher's feedback, which means information given to students about their
performance, should create a caring community of learners. Feedback on good or
bad performance is an important motivational factor (15). - Eye-contact: Teachers
who constantly look at a fixed direction or only address a specific group of
students only isolate the remaining individuals in class and create a feeling of
neglect (9). - Kinesics (body language): This is a type of nonverbal language, which
is usually helpful in expressing some feelings and ideas that are impossible to
present verbally. Nearly everyone is accustomed to reading nonverbal
communication at some level. If the nonverbal communication message given is at
odds with what is being said, the non-verbal message is usually perceived as more
trustworthy (9).
Handout 1
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL Of ACADEMIC RESEARCH Vol. 3. No. 3. May,
2011, II Part
EFL TEACHERS’ SOCIO-AFFECTIVE STRATEGY USE IN RELATION
TO STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT1
Mahnaz Saeidi, Nahid Jabbarpour
3. AFFECTIVE STRATEGIES
Affective strategies involve lowering affective filter (4) through stating positive
statements, having fun, etc. (16). Some affective strategies, based on research
literature, are as follows:- Sense of humor: Using laughter is one of the anxiety
lowering affective strategies for language learners (4). Sometimes a bit of joking
changes the mood of a boring class into a lively one (17). - Teacher's visual image:
Due to some strange sixth sense that students have, they will form first
impression opinions about you. In addition to how you act as a teacher, your
clothes, accent and haircut will also project aspects of your personality (18). In the
first five seconds of meeting, a person can make a judgment about the teacher
even if that initial encounter is nothing more than a quick glance (19). - Positive
attitude: Be positive about yourself to develop a social presence, calm and relaxed,
cheerful and optimistic. Regularly find and acknowledge something good in each
pupil. Be able to make good judgments in evaluating others. Believe that every
individual can achieve goals. Create a positive self-image in students and believe
that you can make a difference (11-20). - Equity (Fairness): Pupils want equal and
fair treatment with the rest of the class whatever a pupil's size, ability,
assertiveness, gender, culture or other attributes (21). - Encouragement: To
encourage learners towards self-initiated learning, a teacher should help create a
positive self-image in students, make the subject look easy and interesting,
express positive feelings, find and acknowledge something good in each pupil, try to
maintain their well-being, and make good judgments in evaluating others (19). Respected authority: In order to earn respect, you must show respect. You must
be firm but fair, you might be fun and cheerful while you are very stern (11).
- Punctuality: The clock rules a teachers’ life and timetables. They usually follow a
time-keeping routine. (19). - Politeness: Be polite and train yourself to respond
instinctively with non-offensive phrases when bad or annoying things happen (19).
- Flexibility: Teachers should take time to hear students’ expectations. This has a
positive effect on how they feel (9). - Proximity (Distance with students): The
teacher should be in an equal proximity to all students. Circular seating is an
excellent way for pupils to be encouraged to listen actively and for all group
members to be heard. Even the shyest member will usually feel able to take part
(21). Overall, successful teaching has remained a mystery through ages. The
question rarely asked is why teachers, who have the same major, same level of
proficiency, and identical period of experience show different results and offer
different degrees of achievement among the homogeneous students of an equal
situation. In addition, why some have different levels of success, even though they
have been trained for the same purpose and by the same organization. To realize
what goes into the making of a good teacher, we need to find many of the missing
pieces ranging from cognitive to emotional, individual to social, mental to physical,
and many other related elements that influence a teacher’s result, directly or
indirectly. As well as all the usual measurable features expected of a teacher including teacher's knowledge, experience, teaching skills - there are many
immeasurable features - including psychological, emotional and social knowledge that are equally effective. Regarding research of socio-affective strategies, there
is lack of research on social and affective strategies (22). Some studies provide
the evidence that language learners ignore the efficiency of socio-affective
strategies (23). Researchers and teachers know about the effect of socioaffective strategies much less than cognitive and metacognitive strategies (16).
This is true not only in language learning strategies but also in language teaching
strategies. Lack of research studies in the field of teaching strategies and its
long-term investment needs to be considered by researchers (11). In addition, the
existing research literature primarily addresses the theoretical basis of the role
of socio-affective strategies used by EFL teachers and their students’ language
achievement. There are few empirical studies available investigating the
relationship between EFL teachers’ socio-affective strategy use and students’
academic achievement. In order to fill this gap, researchers investigated the
relationship between EFL teachers’ socio-affective strategy use and students’
academic achievement. The following research question was asked accordingly:
Is there a relationship between socio-affective strategy use by teachers and
students’ academic achievement?
HANDOUT 2
WHAT ARE YOUR OWN LEARNING STRATEGIES?
Identify a challenge you have faced in the last month.
Example: I bought a new cell phone and had to learn how to add
my phone numbers to it.
The strategies I used were:
 trying the way I used with my old cell phone (that didn’t
work)
 asking my daughter – she said she hadn’t figured it out yet
either
 looking in the user’s manual – the instructions were not in
clear English
 calling the help line – finally I got the answer I needed!
My Challenge:
____________________________________________________
Describe to a partner the strategies you used to meet the
challenge.
What did you learn about your partner's strategies?