Train metacognitive competencies in math as a supplement to spontaneous development, matching the trained component to the developmental moment¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 5 claims (5 for) · 1 study (1 associational), q3 · 1 of 1 report an effect size · 5 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The article recommends supplementing the spontaneous, partly maturational development of metacognitive skills in math with explicit training programs. It cites IMPROVE, in which "students are taught to use a series of metacognitive questions during math tasks", the WWW&H rule (what activities, When, Why, and How), and the MASTER program for special education. It concludes that "children, varying substantially in intellectual and metacognitive abilities, can benefit from training their metacognitive competencies in math", and that such training "could be very useful as a supplement to spontaneous development, especially if the right component is trained at the right moment in the developmental trajectory".

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Training programs that teach metacognitive activities during math tasks, such as the metacognitive questions of IMPROVE or the WWW&H instructions

Constraints¶

• The article notes Desoete (2006) found evidence against purely maturational development in children with mathematical learning disabilities, so spontaneous development cannot be assumed for all learners

Target Learners¶

• secondary school students aged 13–15
• children in special education (MASTER program)

Target Learning Goals¶

• metacognitive regulation of math problem solving
• mathematics achievement

Claims¶

• The roles of intelligence and metacognitive quality as predictors of math performance turn around between ages 13 and 15 [+W]
• Metacognitive components differ in developmental trajectory: planning and evaluation grow in quantity and quality, orientation quantity decreases, and elaboration grows in frequency but not quality [+W]
• Both the quantity and the quality of metacognitive skills in math increase between the second and third year of secondary education (ages 13–15) [+M]
• The mixed model holds for metacognitive quality in both age groups: metacognitive skillfulness contributes uniquely to math performance on top of intelligence [+W]
• Metacognitive skillfulness develops alongside, but not fully dependent on, intellectual ability, in line with the monotonic development hypothesis [+W]

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Van der Stel, M., Veenman, M. V. J., Deelen, K., & Haenen, J. (2010). The increasing role of metacognitive skills in math: a cross-sectional study from a developmental perspective. ZDM Mathematics Education, 42, 219–229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-009-0224-2