Understanding metacognition

By Melissa Rohr
College of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
November, 2010

Today we began class discussing metacognition or how people understand information. We discussed learning strategies, and note taking and things of that sort. What really got my interest was the components of learning like analysis, planning, and implementation and I began to relate them to my own personal style of learning. Personally, I am very picky about my notes and make sure they're perfect so they are highly beneficial to me. Also when it comes to remembering things and learning them I tend to make mental associations or little tricks to help me remember things. For instance Parmenidies contributed to Plato's theory about a philosopher, therefore Parmenidies begins with a P and so does philosopher so that is my trick to associated Parmenidies with Philosophy. This association technique greatly assists me when studying and overall helps me recall information easily.

My notes are also a great aid when it comes to studying. In regards to other people, everyone learns different and everybody's study habits are unique to the individual although they may be similar to another. For instance, my roommate likes making flash cards when she has to study, I tend to break down my notes and make a review which greatly aids me in studying. Everyone has their own way of learning, and individual preferences and teacher must be aware of that. Some habits may be poor, some beneficial, so a teacher should try to take notice of the poor habits and possibly correct them.

Today we also got our midterms back. I am very happy to report I received a 95, which I am very satisfied with. I truly worked hard, and really tried to pay attention to the textbook as I read throughout the first half of the semester. Upon receiving our syllabus the first day of class, I was very overwhelmed at the amount of reading and the course load in general. However once it became time to start working, you just have to budget your time in a proper manner and you should be successful. It is safe to say I was pretty successful, so I will try to continue this habit throughout the rest of the semester.