While there has been a shift to an education based in the development of competences, the current approaches following a constructivist educative model (described as ideal for competence acquisition) still lack a clear conjunction with metacognitive practices. The introduction of metacognition improves self-cognitive processes that are fundamental for assuring aware and long-standing learning, among other essential characteristics for later applications on social and professional contexts. Here, following a state-of-the-art evaluation of Latin American education, we present a conceptual model to form competent people which integrates key factors from metacognitive development linked to a constructivist approach. Theoretically, the proposed model improves competence development through self-knowledge as what students are capable of, and what is the best attitude to accomplish their aspirations. Final conclusions depict steps for practical applications, describing also how stronger efforts have to get done in a social and institutional scale for actually reaching a solid competence development.
Current societies are strongly affected by technological and scientific advances in a dramatic way,
with demands of specialized knowledge but, at the same time, a very practical one, requiring fast
and efficient responses without knowing to much, given that information is reachable for everybody.
This implicates that people must be flexible, self-critic and open to change
In order to form competent persons, universities had have to reformulate their curriculum and,
along with it, their teaching models and methodologies. In consequence, an important portion
of the occidental educational entities has adopted a formation based on the development of
competences. Specifically, in Latin America there is a socio-formative approach, where there is a
focus in forming an ethic compromise with the self, with society and the environment that surround
us (
Competences are defined as a set of knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes, either specific
or transversal (or generic), that a graduate has to acquire in order to fully satisfy the social and
professional demands. This set is put into play when a problem is confronted, and its especially
interesting when it is an uncertain, complex problem. The specific competences (or technical
ones) are such that are related to a knowledge about a particular area, and must be developed
through learning from a specific discipline. On the other side, generic competences (also known
as soft or transversal) are the ones that tackle the formation of a person as a socially inserted
individual, and that makes reference to personal attributes with cognitive, social, attitudinal or
valuable characteristics, which enrich professional behavior, and increases the value of the specific
competences
Several authors have proposed that for developing competences is necessary to adopt a constructivist educative model, based in the formative process, aiming to promote a meaningful learning to ensure this competence acquisition (see for example the Tuning Latinoamérica project1), leaving behind the approaches based on behaviorism.
However, there is a disjointed relationship between the developing of competences and the constructivist educative model, which has been considered as ideal for competence acquisition. The bridge between them can be based on a metacognitive development, a fundamental element for ensuring the appearance of ideal competences. Metacognition refers to the knowledge and regulation of self-cognitive processes, i.e., the regulation of how to acquire knowledge, how to perform, how to react to a specific situation, when to perform certain actions, etc.
Then, here we present a search and later description of the factors that play a role in metacognitive development as an integral part of the teaching-learning process, with the goal of achieving in students a permanent reflective and self-evaluative state. This, for introducing in them an awareness of what do they learn, and how to transfer that knowledge to other situations.
This article proceeds as follows: first, we describe the bases for meaningful learning, and how constructivist methodologies and metacognitive considerations can enhance learning. Then, a description of the proposed strategy is presented, including a detailed systematical view to facilitate its application. Finally, conclusions and possible extensions of this work are depicted.
Nowadays, the main focus on pedagogical actions is to develop in the student the capacities for
producing meaningful learning by their-self, in a wide range of situations and circumstances, i.e.,
learning how to learn
David Ausubel, who introduced the concept of meaningful learning, proposed a theoretical
explanation of the learning process from a cognitive point of view, while taking into account
motivational and affective factors. According to him, learning involves the organization and incorporation
of cognitive information in a person, which happens when new information received by a subject
is related (i.e., interact) with relevant ideas that support it, which are already part of the cognitive
structure of the subject. This pre-existent structure is called integrator concept. In this sense,
Mechanical learning differentiates with meaningful learning because it takes into account the incorporation of new information without establishing any relationship with previous concepts or propositions, being stores in an arbitrary way.
In order to achieve meaningful learning, several conditions have to be met: the new information
has to be related in a non-arbitrary and substantial fashion, which depends on other factors such
as disposition, motivation, and attitude from the learner subject, and the nature of the matter being
studied, or its contents (
The predisposition of learning is also essential
The constructivist model of learning, developed at the ends of the XX century, and currently predominant in school environments, takes into account the described concepts for inducing meaningful learning.
Constructivism was build as a need for understanding and integrating the complex multidimensional
processes involved in learning. It aims to solve problems such as: identification and attention
to the diversity of interests, needs, and motivations of the students in relation with the
teachinglearning process; a re-description of the scholar curriculum for learning to learn; a recognition of
different methods and types of learning, considering intellectual, affective and social dimensions;
the relevance of promoting teacher-student and between students interactions; the role of the
teacher and the student; among others (
By definition, constructivism is an approach that integrates the subject with cognitive, social and
affective variables, factors that build the self day by day. Following this perspective, knowledge is
not directly ground truth, but instead, a construction of the self that is built through its relation with
the environment
The core characteristics of this educative model are that: it defines the learning process as an
active situation, centered in the student; it promotes the interaction among persons; the teacher
adopts a decentralized but active role; it promotes meaningful learning in all its shapes
(selflearning, learning by discovery and reception); and, it establish that knowledge is organized in a
base of conceptual structures that have to me remove or reshaped in function of later cognitive
requirements
Even while there is no constructivism without metacognition, the last one is often passed by
(
Metacognition is the knowledge of self-cognitive processes (e.g., being able to determinate how
capable is one for memorizing or for how difficult is a task) and the regulation of them (e.g., knowing
how many times one have to read a sentence in order to remember it)
Metacognition is composed of three fundamental components, which allow us to act and control
our self-cognitive activity: knowledge, experience and skills
Then, the process of metacognition makes explicit the process of knowledge construction,
implicit on learning, in order to achieve the desired performance and to know when and how that
knowledge should be applied, in a specific context. Also, metacognition must be used in any didactic
strategy applied in an educative context, given that a poor metacognitive formation in teachers
and students blocks the success of any constructivist methodology. This idea is supported by the
main focus of education, learn to learn, a complex function that is the base of all the other ways of
learning: to be, to do and to act
It is important to note that metacognition is not necessarily a conscious act, but it has to be
explicit at the beginning for adopting its practices, which eventually becomes an automatized
behavior, a habit, keeping its importance on performance (
Also, an important clarification is that the cognitive and metacognitive processes cannot be seen
as separated entities, but as complementary for learning processes, taking into account where is an
activity being developed and its features, constraints, and specificities. In this dynamic process of
external regulation and self-regulation is that appears mechanisms of interiorization (abstraction
and awareness, according to Piaget) and exteriorization (explicitation and accessibility to knowledge,
according to Vygotsky) that can be supported by cultural means or devices (computers, writing, etc.)
that are used as facilitators for regulating the cognitive activity (
As exposed, it is highly relevant to take into consideration the practice of metacognitive activities during learning processes and, therefore, relevant for the development of school strategies for enhancing learning and later knowledge applications, at the student’s personal and professional life.
There are several specific metacognitive strategies (
Based on this perceived issues, here a model is proposed which can be extended later as a methodology aiming to accompany students throughout their formative process, encouraging awareness of the transference of knowledge, skills, and competences, into other domains. This, with the goal to properly educate students for their professional life, reaching a high level of knowledge about what are they capable of, and what is the best attitude for accomplishing their aspirations (context-dependent), at a personal and professional level.
In order to develop a competence, it is necessary a knowledge transference that could articulate theory and action. There is a shift from a general knowledge to a concrete extramental situation, which affects our conduct efficiently to “do something”. Then, a competent action is such that is
DEMANDED BY THE
SOCIETY AND THE PROFESSIONAL MARKET
ON FUEL METACOGNITIVE
methodology
SELF- SELFREFLECTION EVALUATION
Monitoring of cognitive components of behavior
TRAJECTORY Knowing how to understand Knowing how to
DO Knowing how to BE / ACT MOTOR
Demonstration (either internal or external) done previous the real application of the
acquired competence performed by a subject who master it in all its domains: what has to be done (cognitive knowledge), how it has to be done (procedural knowledge), how do I must react (attitudinal knowledge) and, at which moment the action has to be started (conditions). This is all shown by how a subject performs.
Following this, a competent subject is a person who is able to use all these relevant knowledge
in a pertinent, efficient, and long-lasting fashion
Taking all the relevant concepts here described, associated to achieving knowledge acquisition and transference, and development of competences, here we present a conceptual, theoretical model as a base for developing a metacognitive methodology, transversal to the comprehensive learning process, aiming to improve the use of competences in social and professional contexts. The model is presented in figure 1.
The model articulates in conjunction the knowledge that composes a competence (to know, to do and to act) as a motor for an experiential knowledge. This knowledge introduces a specific way of evaluating and proof to the self (the student), and the surrounding community (teachers and classmates), the competences acquired in the integral formative process of a given course. The experiential knowledge is also able to feedback what has been learned previously, producing awareness about the competences that are mastered by the student, acquired through its educative process, and its meaningful learning in all the addressed areas. It prepares the student for competence behaving, which is required once their formative process ends.
The fuel that makes possible this swinging between knowledge is a metacognitive methodology
that must involve a reflective and self-critic attitude, through self-questioning what is known
(reflective dimension), what is controllable (managing dimension) and, what can be modifiable and
valuable (evaluative dimension). This three dimensions, besides integrating procedural and
cognitive elements, integrate emotional, affective, attitudinal elements, among others
Learn how to do What knowledge do I have to know?
toring of cognitive components”, they are a set of elements with multiple featuring components: methodologies, procedures, processes, skills, motivations, interests, etc.
Finally, what triggers the dynamics of learning, called here as the button, is the need for developing competences (either generic or transversal and technical or specific). This needs are directly associated with what is required in the social and professional context, and have to be developed inside a given course.
To describe how to apply the model, figure 2 introduces a flow diagram with separated steps and questions to self-analyze, prepare and complete the acquisition of knowledge. The reflective dimension has as objective to raise awareness of acquired theories and knowledge. The administrative dimension has to guide for understanding how to use the acquired knowledge. The evaluative dimension has to invite to analyze tangible results (experiential knowledge) to consolidate the learning process. While the three dimensions are crosswise to the whole experience, the systematic view proposed simplifies the planning of the learning experience.
It is important to note that the diagram exposed in figure 2 can be complemented with other
methodologies, tools or strategies in all its stages, in order to foster the effects on each dimension
(e.g., learning strategies as creative thought
Also, while the model can be fully or partly applied in different contexts, given the extension, complexity, and amount of concatenated challenges in a project-based methodology, the steps and analyses fit better in that context.
The described approach is the first step for a metacognitive methodology that can be transferred to diverse contextual scenarios. But, to achieve that, it is important to promote the concepts of participatory education, stimulate the redesign of educative curriculum and their evaluative systems, and promote as a high priority the research on education and the training of teachers as educative entities. Also, there has to be a permanent supervision and advising in this processes of transformation.
A metacognitive methodology builds upon the proposed model might act as a driver and promoter for meaningful learning which, according to what is exposed herein, would end up with an integral formation of the student, with incorporated metacognitive skills, facilitating each confrontation of future challenges. The main highlight of the proposed strategy is that generally the tools for acquiring metacognitive skills are introduced to the students in a parceled fashion, and not as a complete, single and continuous strategy.
A natural extension of this work is the development of a concrete methodology, which could incorporate specific tools depending on the learning process. This, introducing the two fundamental instances for the developing of competences: an individual instance, and a group instance. Also, this work can be extended introducing the roles played by the teacher and the student following this new metacognitive dynamic. Some examples for doing these extensions are the use of tools like a portfolio, activities with gaming cards, or a personal book with established activities, supporting introspection (personal stage). In a second instance, the tools have to integrate social elements supporting interpersonal feedback, as methods including simulations and games, confronting real case situations or, fomenting multidisciplinary projects of innovation and entrepreneurship in bachelor studies for consolidating the development of competences in personal valuable situations (interpersonal stage).