Metacognition and Education: Future Trends

Book excerpt: Metacognition is crucial to education in a changing world. The role of mobile applications, AI and global issues such as climate change make the need for developing learners with the ability to monitor and control their own thinking increasingly necessary. Metacognitive learners are learners who can draw on their own knowledge of their own thinking processes to optimise the conditions under which they learn best. Metacognitive learners are self-regulating and pro-active in motivating themselves to learn new skills. Metacognitive learners are strategic in terms of managing their own resources to get the best from every learning opportunity and to transfer that knowledge to new areas of work. This book is timely in demonstrating how metacognition research is addressing issues of importance in future education. The chapters are authored by an international group of scholars from four continents, who are experts in the field of metacognition and self regulation research. Drawing on their years of experience they look to the future to suggest the future trends in metacognition research. At the same time chapters are rooted in practical application and suggest ways in which the research can be translated into educational environments. The book addresses some new areas of metacognition research such as mind wandering as well as established areas such as teacher metacognition. We are also reminded to consider the social interactions between students and others and the role that relationships play in developing metacognition. Both researchers and educators of all types will find something of interest here. The book sets the trend for future trends in metacognition research.