Metacognitive Activity

Metacognitive Activity

1. Please take the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory below.
2. Use the scoring guide on pages 4 & 5 to score yourself.
3. Identify one section of the MAI you do well on. Reflect in writing (1/4 page) on when and how do you those strategies.
4. Now identify one section of the MAI that you do not do well.  Write a detailed and specific* plan (¾ to one page) to improve your implementation of those strategies.
5. Page format is standard 12pt font (e.g. Times New Roman, Ariel, etc.), normal 1″ margins, and single line to 1.5 line spacing.  If you double space, then double the length.
6. Turn in a copy of your MAI and reflection to Metacognitive Activity #2 (Extra Credit) dropbox.

*Detailed and specific should include when, where, and how you will implement those strategies. We do not improve unless we have a specific plan on what we are going to do.

For example:

Not effective – I’m going to eat less and exercise to lose weight. (This is not specific or detailed.)

Effective – I will use my Fitbit app to record all of the food/calories I eat during the day.  I will go walking with Sally at 8am Monday through Friday. Using my FitBit app, I will eat 200 calories per day less than I use. (This is effective because it has three behaviors that should result in gradual weight loss.  It includes a partner who will be walking with me, so I am more likely to do the exercise. Finally, I can evaluate myself in a couple of weeks to see if I’ve been doing these behaviors and tweak my program if it’s not working as well as I would like.)

 Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI)

  Think of yourself as a learner. Read each statement carefully. Consider if the statement is true or false as it
generally applies to you when you are in the role of a learner (student, attending classes, university etc.)
Check (ü) True or False as appropriate. When finished all statements, apply your responses to the Scoring Guide.

	True	False
1.        I ask myself periodically if I am meeting my goals.
2.        I consider several alternatives to a problem before I answer.
3.        I try to use strategies that have worked in the past.
4.        I pace myself while learning in order to have enough time.
5.        I understand my intellectual strengths and weaknesses.
6.        I think about what I really need to learn before I begin a task
7.        I know how well I did once I finish a test.
8.        I set specific goals before I begin a task.
9.        I slow down when I encounter important information.
10.     I know what kind of information is most important to learn.
11.     I ask myself if I have considered all options when solving a problem.
12.     I am good at organizing information.
13.     I consciously focus my attention on important information.
14.     I have a specific purpose for each strategy I use.
15.     I learn best when I know something about the topic.
16.     I know what the teacher expects me to learn.
17.     I am good at remembering information.
18.     I use different learning strategies depending on the situation.
19.     I ask myself if there was an easier way to do things after I finish a task.
20.     I have control over how well I learn.
21.     I periodically review to help me understand important relationships.
22.     I ask myself questions about the material before I begin.
23.     I think of several ways to solve a problem and choose the best one.
24.     I summarize what I’ve learned after I finish.
	True	False
25.     I ask others for help when I don’t understand something.
26.     I can motivate myself to learn when I need to
27.     I am aware of what strategies I use when I study.
28.     I find myself analyzing the usefulness of strategies while I study.
29.     I use my intellectual strengths to compensate for my weaknesses.
30.     I focus on the meaning and significance of new information.
31.     I create my own examples to make information more meaningful.
32.     I am a good judge of how well I understand something.
33.     I find myself using helpful learning strategies automatically.
34.     I find myself pausing regularly to check my comprehension.
35.     I know when each strategy I use will be most effective.
36.     I ask myself how well I accomplish my goals once I’m finished.
37.     I draw pictures or diagrams to help me understand while learning.
38.     I ask myself if I have considered all options after I solve a problem.
39.     I try to translate new information into my own words.
40.     I change strategies when I fail to understand.
41.     I use the organizational structure of the text to help me learn.
42.     I read instructions carefully before I begin a task.
43.     I ask myself if what I’m reading is related to what I already know.
44.     I reevaluate my assumptions when I get confused.
45.     I organize my time to best accomplish my goals.
46.     I learn more when I am interested in the topic.
47.     I try to break studying down into smaller steps.
48.     I focus on overall meaning rather than specifics.
49.     I ask myself questions about how well I am doing while I am learning something new.
50.     I ask myself if I learned as much as I could have once I finish a task.
51.     I stop and go back over new information that is not clear.
52.     I stop and reread when I get confused.

 

 

 

 

Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) Scoring Guide

 

Directions
For each True, give yourself 1 point in the Score column.

For each False, give yourself 0 points in the Score column.

Total the score of each category and place in box. Read the descriptions relating to each section.

 

Knowledge about Cognition

 

Declarative Knowledge ·    The factual knowledge the learner needs before being able to process or use critical thinking related to the topic ·    Knowing about, what, or that ·    Knowledge of one’s skills, intellectual resources, and abilities as a learner ·    Students can obtain knowledge through presentations, demonstrations, discussions Procedural Knowledge ·    The application of knowledge for the purposes of completing a procedure or process ·    Knowledge about how to implement learning procedures (e.g., strategies) ·    Requires students know the process as well as when to apply process in various situations ·    Students can obtain knowledge through discovery, cooperative learning, and problem solving Conditional Knowledge ·    The determination under what circumstances specific processes or skills should transfer ·    Knowledge about when and why to use learning procedures ·    Application of declarative and procedural knowledge with certain conditions presented ·    Students can obtain knowledge through simulation		Declarative Knowledge	Score
		5.  I understand my intellectual strengths and weaknesses.
		10.   I know what kind of information is most important to learn.
		12.   I am good at organizing information.
		16.   I know what the teacher expects me to learn.
		17.   I am good at remembering information.
		20.  I have control over how well I learn.
		32.  I am a good judge of how well I understand something.
		46.   I learn more when I am interested in the topic.
		Total	8
Procedural Knowledge	Score	Conditional Knowledge	Score
3.  I try to use strategies that have worked in the past.		15.  I learn best when I know something about the topic.
14.  I have a specific purpose for each strategy I use.		18.  I use different learning strategies depending on the situation.
27.  I am aware of what strategies I use when I study.		26.  I can motivate myself to learn when I need to.
33.  I find myself using helpful learning strategies automatically.		29.  I use my intellectual strengths to compensate for my weaknesses.
		35.  I know when each strategy I use will be most effective.
Total	4	Total	5

 

 

 

Regulation of Cognition

Planning ·   Planning, goal setting, and allocating resources prior to learning Information Management Strategies ·   Skills and strategy sequences used to process information more efficiently (e.g., organizing, elaborating, summarizing, selective focusing) Comprehension Monitoring ·   Assessment of one’s learning or strategy use   Debugging Strategies ·   Strategies to correct comprehension and performance errors Evaluation ·   Analysis of performance and strategy effectiveness after a learning episode		Planning	Score
		4.  I pace myself while learning in order to have enough time.
		6.  I think about what I really need to learn before I begin a task.
		8.  I set specific goals before I begin a task.
		22.  I ask myself questions about the material before I begin.
		23.  I think of several ways to solve a problem and choose the best one.
		42.  I read instructions carefully before I begin a task.
		45.  I organize my time to best accomplish my goals.
		Total	7
Information Management Strategies	Score	Comprehension Monitoring	Score
9.  I slow down when I encounter important information.		1.   I ask myself periodically if I am meeting my goals.
13.  I consciously focus my attention on important information.		2.   I consider several alternatives to a problem before I answer.
30.  I focus on the meaning and significance of new information.		11.  I ask myself if I have considered all options when solving a problem.
31.  I create my own examples to make information more meaningful.		21.   I periodically review to help me understand important relationships.
37.  I draw pictures or diagrams to help me understand while learning.		28.   I find myself analyzing the usefulness of strategies while I study.
39.  I try to translate new information into my own words.		34.   I find myself pausing regularly to check my comprehension.
41.  I use the organizational structure of the text to help me learn		49.   I ask myself questions about how well I am doing while learning something new.
43.  I ask myself if what I’m reading is related to what I already know.
47.  I try to break studying down into smaller steps.
48.  I focus on overall meaning rather than specifics.
Total	10	Total	7
Debugging Strategies	Score	Evaluation	Score
25.  I ask others for help when I don’t understand something.		7.  I know how well I did once I finish a test.
40.  I change strategies when I fail to understand.		19.   I ask myself if there was an easier way to do things after I finish a task.
44.  I re-evaluate my assumptions when I get confused.		24.  I summarize what I’ve learned after I finish.
51.  I stop and go back over new information that is not clear.		36.  I ask myself how well I accomplish my goals once I’m finished.
52.  I stop and reread when I get confused.		38.  I ask myself if I have considered all options after I solve a problem.
		50.I ask myself if I learned as much as I could have once I finish a task.
Total	5	Total	6

Schraw, G. & Dennison, R.S. (1994).  Assessing metacognitive awareness.  Contemporary Educational Psychology, 19, 460-475.