Learning is all trendy nowadays, and it can get very overwhelmed sometimes. We want to know how to learn better, how to learn faster, and how to learn efficiently. There are plenty of resources, and new technologies are emerging. There is so much information for us to learn and new techniques and discoveries in the field of education and learning psychology. We do need to learn how to learn and for that, we need to start with the basics. The first step is a simple assessment to know where we are. And, the first thing you have to do is to see if you are a metacognitive aware learner.
Don’t rush! Before jumping on taking the assessment, give me a couple of minutes to provide you with some context. Both, about myself and about this assessment tool, that helps you deepen your knowledge about the way you learn, and most important how aware are you about that.
A few years ago I’ve understood the importance of lifelong learning and the impact of that learning has on us, as individuals and communities. At that time I was working with a youth NGO on promoting alternative activities for youngsters that would enhance and develop their critical thinking and their social skills, through the use of non-formal training methods.
While working with them, developing and delivering thematic workshops, I’ve started to ask myself how do we learn and how can we accelerate our information acquisition? I’ve enrolled myself to a master course – Training and Management of Human Resources in Education – to have a better understanding of how we learn and how can I design better training programmes focused on the adults teaching needs. I am happy to see how much I grew professionally and personally. On my academic journey, I’ve learnt about theories of developmental psychology, and professional development, and training management. I used to think that learning is the same for everyone, but no, it is not. Now I know what’s specific in adult learning, what are the learning models and how we use, without being aware, self-directed learning. I’ve embarked on the tangled stories of team management and relationship management, learning how to identify a dysfunctional team, and how to plan workshops to boost dynamics. I’ve improved my communication skills in management and training, and I’ve learnt how to design, implement and assess instruction. Looking back, I am sure that it was one of the best decisions that I’ve ever taken since learning was one of my all-time favourite topics.
So, In spring 2018, I conducted academic research – as part of my master thesis in education science – to analyse the metacognition awareness of adult learners and to understand the impact of their knowledge on the learning process. The survey used in this assessment is based on Metacognitive Awareness Inventory for Adults, developed by Schraw and Denisson (1994).
My thesis analysed the level of metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive skills on a group of 33 adults (average group age 25-34) from 11 European countries. At the time of the research, the participants were engaged in at least one learning process, being either an academic, on-job on self-directed. One surprising aspect of the study was that the participants were involved in on-the-job and self-directed learning processes.
The results of my research consisted of a set of recommendation and learning methods to foster metacognition skills development towards an efficient learning process. These recommendations and techniques can be used by trainers in their training design or by individuals in their learning process – and they can be shared on-demand.
If you’re interested in collaboration projects around learning, metacognitive skills or learning skills, let’s catch up:
