R11

Question: What does metacognition mean for students with disabilities?

Quotation: “Students who lack knowledge of their own strengths and weaknesses will be less likely to adapt to different situations and regulate their own learning in them” (Pintrich, 2002, p. 223).

Connection: This week’s readings on metacognition allowed me to think about what implications the skill of (or lack of) metacognition may have for students with disabilities.  Specifically, in working with students on the Autism Spectrum, I have frequently noticed a lack of awareness of their weaknesses in the area of social skills.  For example, one individual with Asperger’s Syndrome that I have worked with has minimal understanding of inappropriateness of his behaviors at times.  He continues to think that he has a significant strength in social skills and that his interpretations of various social situations are always correct.  This individual is unaware that he is frequently overly hostile toward peers, unfriendly, and easily frustrated by minimally obtrusive behaviors in others.  This limitation in understanding his own weakness means that he does not “buy-in” to the social skills interventions provided to him because he feels that we are wrong and he is right, therefore undermining any new skills that we may hope to teach him.  This example clearly demonstrates the importance of metacognition to learning.  A lack of awareness of our own weaknesses can significantly hinder any learning that may occur, as we are not aware of what skills or lessons we need to concentrate or improve. 

Outside Connection: Additionally, in interacting with students with disabilities, it is important to work with an awareness that they may not have the pre-requisite skills that Pintrich identifies as being important to success in the classroom (e.g., metacognition).  Specifically, of the three types of metacognitive knowledge described by Pintrich, strategic knowledge is probably taken for granted by many teachers.  James said “Man, whatever else he may be, is primarily a practical being, whose mind is given him to aid in adapting him to this world's life” (p. 11).  However, this statement may not be wholly applicable for students with disabilities.  For the example of the student discussed previously, he has obviously adapted poorly to the social demands or cues that have been present in his environment, allowing for significant consequences for how he has performed socially.  Individuals working with students with disabilities should not take the skills involved in metacognition for granted, and must ensure that explicit instruction in the types of metacognitive knowledge is provided.