So how does this apply to language…?
Good question
The answer really isn’t black and white – it’s going to look a little bit different for everyone. But that’s the idea of metacognition. You can take in recommendations, or even come up with your own methods, try them out, keep what works, and revise what doesn’t. Here, we will offer some foundation recommendations that will help you keep track of what you’re doing and what’s working vs. What’s not, as well as some common applications of metacognition. Finally, we’ll give you some examples of metacognition in action.
Phases of Metacognition in Language Learning
Do you remember the phases of metacognition that we discussed earlier? Let’s look at an example of how to apply them to language learning now:
- Assess the Task
- Evaluate Strengths and Weaknesses
- Plan the Approach
- Apply the Strategies
- Reflect
One of the most crucial parts of metacognition is keeping a record of what your long- and short-term goals are, your current strategies, as well as what’s working and what’s not. Journals are generally one of the more popular methods because they make it easy to visualize the full picture of your language learning journey. Supporting methods of recording may include using calendars, language learning websites/apps, or keeping a blog. You’re more easily able to self-assess and monitor progress in your L2 and the metacognitive progress overall.
Whatever your method is, your record can be a home for things like SMART goals, hypotheses, reflections, and whatever else you feel might fit. Keeping organized in this way makes it easy to measure whether we are obtaining both short-term and long-term goals; if not, we may be able to identify patterns or specific areas of struggle to inform us on what to work on. This allows us to engage in “language awareness” which is defined as “reflections on one’s knowledge, experiences, emotions and learning” (Haukas, 14) in a language learning setting.