1st Edition

Metacognition, Strategy Use, and Instruction

Edited By Harriet Salatas Waters, Wolfgang Schneider Copyright 2010

    Showcasing exemplary research programs, this book explores how the latest theories and findings on cognitive development can be used to improve classroom instruction. The focus is on how children acquire knowledge about the processes involved in learning—such as remembering, thinking, and problem solving—as well as strategies for mastering new information. The contributors are leading experts who illustrate ways teachers can support the development of metacognition and goal-directed strategy use throughout the school years and in different academic domains. Teacher behaviors and instructional methods that promote these abilities are identified, and innovative assessment approaches and research designs are described.

    Foreword, John G. Borkowski

    I: Skilled Memory

    1. Metacognition and Strategy Discovery in Early Childhood, Harriet Salatas Waters and Thomas W. Kunnmann

    2. Teachers’ “Mnemonic Style” and the Development of Skilled Memory, Peter A. Ornstein, Jennie K. Grammer, and Jennifer L. Coffman

    3. Metacognition and Memory Development in Childhood and Adolescence, Wolfgang Schneider

    II: Math And Science

    4. Self-Explanations Promote Children’s Learning, Robert S. Siegler and Xiaodong Lin

    5. Bird Experts: A Study of Child and Adult Knowledge Utilization, Harriet Salatas Waters and Theodore E. A. Waters

    6. The Dual Components of Developing Strategy Use: Production and Inhibition, Deanna Kuhn and Maria Pease

    7. Fostering Scientific Reasoning with Multimedia Instruction, Richard E. Mayer

    8 The Importance of Metacognition for Conceptual Change and Strategy Use in Mathematics, Martha Carr

    III: Reading, Writing, and Academic Performance

    9. Determining and Describing Reading Strategies: Internet and Traditional Forms of Reading, Peter Afflerbach and Byeong-Young Cho

    10. Metacognition and Strategies Instruction in Writing, Karen R. Harris, Tanya Santangelo, and Steve Graham

    11. Metacognition, Intelligence, and Academic Performance, Cesare Cornoldi

    IV: Conclusion

    12. Common Themes and Future Challenges, Harriet Salatas Waters and Wolfgang Schneider

    Biography

    Harriet Salatas Waters, PhD, is Emerita Professor of Psychology at Stony Brook University, State University of New York. A graduate of the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development, she has made significant contributions to research on attachment narratives in middle childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. She is a recipient of the 2021 Bowlby–Ainsworth Award for contributions to the theory and measurement of attachment representations

    Wolfgang Schneider, PhD, is University Vice-President and Professor of Psychology at the University of Würzburg, Germany. He earned his PhD in psychology from the University of Heidelberg in 1979. He is Past President of the German Psychological Society and President-Elect of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development. His research interests include the development of memory and metacognition, giftedness and expertise, and reading and spelling, as well as the prevention of reading and math difficulties.

    "The editors have done a marvelous job bringing together acclaimed psychology and education researchers who share common interests but who often travel in separate circles. Collectively, the chapters illustrate how metacognition and strategy use contribute to skilled memory and to performance in math, science, reading, and writing. Experts in the field will enjoy the syntheses of recent work; novices will especially appreciate how the authors situate current ideas in their historical context. The excellent reviews of what has come before make this volume a suitable text for graduate seminars."--Linda Baker, PhD, Chair, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

    "Integrating basic research on cognitive development into real educational environments, this timely volume examines the complex interactions among strategy use, metacognitive development, individual differences, and instructional contexts. Advanced students and researchers will find in this volume a foundation for multidisciplinary research that could have a powerful impact on educational practices for many years to come."--Kelly B. Cartwright, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Teacher Preparation, Christopher Newport University

    "This volume provides rich historical and conceptual perspectives on the relevance of metacognition across the K-12 curriculum; it is a superb resource for educators who want to create instructional practices based on sound psychological theories and evidence. The distinguished authors focus on specific uses of metacognition to support cognitive development, self-regulated learning, and academic success."--Scott G. Paris, PhD, Head, Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice, National Institute of Education, Singapore

    "Waters and Schneider have assembled a prolific group of researchers to speak directly to classroom practice. Dedicated to the late Michael Pressley, known for his work on cognitive strategies that readers employ to support their own reading, this volume points to the coming of age of the study of metacognition. The book explains central metacognitive concepts and strategies, teases out the relationships among them, and examines how they have been operationalized in empirical work. What began as an interesting idea 40 years ago has now led to a vast body of research. Scholars, students, and teachers will find stimulating theories and findings as well as clear applications to teaching and learning."--Diane E. Beals, EdD, School of Education, University of Tulsa

    "Waters and Schneider have produced a thorough volume that presents a unique balance of theory, research, and practical instructional suggestions. This book is a valuable contribution for every educator focused on moving beyond isolated strategy instruction. It offers ways to help the learner and the teacher become more purposeful and successful, based on the latest research. I recommend this text for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students in educational psychology and education. The book's coverage of metacognition and strategy use across multiple academic domains is a special strength."--Dixie D. Massey, PhD, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Washington

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    This collection would be a valuable text in a graduate course focusing on educational psychology as well as research design....Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections.
    --Choice, 5/3/2010