One calls métacognition , in connection with a person, the component of sound To know which relates to the same processes of acquisition of this To know, to some extent “his way of learning”. The métacognition is the intimate dimension of the intellectual maturity which allows to connect and articulate the lessons of the Expérience , beyond the assimilation of the contents of To know: it thus supposes an attention Naturelle and relatively spontaneous with the Erreur apparently negative S and other features.

Confucius affirmed already that it would not know to have there to know without a form of Récursivité of the knowledge: Do you want that I teach you the means of arriving at the Connaissance? What one knows, knowledge that it is known; what one does not know, knowledge that it is not known: it is knowto know truly.

Definition in Pedagogy and Sciences of Education

The métacognition indicates the activity of learning (raises) which is exerted as from the moment when it is not any more in the action but in a reflection, charged or not, on this action. It is shown that this activity, allowing an awakening of the procedures, methods and intellectual processes implemented to solve a problem, improves acquisition of knowledge and the stability of the assets.

Indeed, " The métacognition refers to the knowledge that one has his own cognitive processes, of their products and all that touches there, for example, the relevant properties for the training of information or data… " (Flavell J.H., 1976, p.232)

Recursive knowledge

This collective and recursive dimension of knowledge appears in the etymology of the word knowledge (cum = with, to be born with).

One can conceive the métacognition like the part of the Self-knowledge relating to the capacity to learn and the personal control acquired Connaissance S: “I know what I know! ”. What is called Conscience and particularly the reflexive conscience (Introspection) naturally has a central role in the processes métacognitifs.

It should be noted that, like all the relations of the type méta , the métacognition and its study for a purpose of epistemological “stacking” is sensitive: studying cognition, the métacognition is deepened, from this one one passes to the concept of méta-métacognition and so on. Concretely, it is not sure that the individual learning lives other thing that a first degree of clearness or unfolding of his thought, remaining well in on this side processes of background which research seeks to put at the day and to elucidate. It is thus necessary to make the share in this field between what remains accessible for the people as a Connaissance S and what concerns the theory and the conjectural one.

The training

Since the years 1990, the métacognitive capacity appeared of a great interest in the effectiveness of the trainings. One however finds of them remote premises in all the forms of Pédagogie attached to autonomy and the watchword “To learn how to learn! ”. Many work relates to this capacity, as well as the means of reinforcing it, in particular in the processes of remote Enseignement or by the means of average data processing.

The cognitive capacity is usually badly revealed by the ordinary modes of evaluation in which the result makes screen in front of the routes which allowed it. When it could be evaluated, the correlation was important with the success of the studies. Evaluations however showed that it was possible to arrive to an elevated level of formation without the métacognition being developed much.

According to its natural predisposition and of sound Character, learning it is more or less attentive with its way of including/understanding, of learning and of solving the problems. He wonders more or less about the origin of the difficulties which he encounters; he stops more or less on the assessment of his forces and his weaknesses; he variously sticks to transpose his successes and his assets of a problem to another or a field to another.

Teaching should thus include/understand a “cognitive education” heard as “explicit research, in the implementation of a step of formation, improvement of the intellectual operation of the people”.

Cognitive education stresses the integration of the Connaissance S more than on their memorizing; on autonomy more than on tangible competences; on knowledge-learning it and the cognitive development of statégies more than on the contents themselves.

Between the idiosyncratic factors of learning and the tasks from training or objectives of formation, and resting on them, the métacognition develops by steps of the strategic type: car-evaluation (motivation) and evaluation of the difficulties; fixing of under-objectives and stages (planning); regulation by continuous adjustments (self-regulation). In a perpendicular axis, these steps must be spread more or less explicitly between the comparable Connaissance S (to know) and the Apprentissage S envisaged or possible.

From this point of view of consolidation of autonomy, “the development of the intelligence is conceived as the progressive passage of mechanisms hétérorégulateurs (whose activation would depend on the part played by a third, the such teacher) with autolevelling mechanisms (on which activation would depend on the child himself)”.

Regulation

The concept of regulation seems very relevant in the study of the métacognition: the métacognitive regulation can be in particular distributed according to the degrees and possible forms of clarification by learning, resting on its clearness and its capacities of expression.

Allal, To rust and Saada-Robert released four categories of métacognitive regulation:

  • “implicit regulations”, inaccessible background for the subject in all the cases;
  • the “regulations explicitables”, put at the day only in the event of request by particular interlocutors or protocols;
  • “clarified regulations”, those which translate the lived métacognition and that the subject deliberately implements and can express easily;
  • “regulations instrumented”, requested and reinforced by trainings with métacognitive aiming.

Starting from a certain degree of maturity, the métacognition is expressed by “cognitive skills” tangible or “métacognitives competences”. On a firm basis of autonomy, these competences make it possible the person to permanently evaluate her intellectual capital and its know-how; to operate transfers of Knowledge S and to make up the deficits (self-training); to make the best choice in a range of possible procedures and to overall adopt the best strategy according to the initial objectives.

Animals capable of métacognition

In addition to the human being, several animal species showed that they can show métacognition:
  • the monkeys
  • the dolphins
  • the rats (2007)

Quotations

If the spirit which says not knows why he says not, he has already the means of defining his next yes. Pierre Gréco, Encyclopœdia Universalis, 1988, p. 664.

A African proverb said if we give a fish to a man, it will not be hungry during one day, but if we learn how to him to fish, it will not be hungry the remainder of its life. To give a fish is similar to make known while to learn how to fish is similar to give a métaconnaissance. Jacques Pitrat, Métaconnaissances , Hermes, Paris, 1990.

“The little which I know, it is with my ignorance that I must. ” (Sacha Guitry)

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