- Title: Exploring the relationship between metacognitive and collaborative talk during group mathematical problem-solving
- Authors: Smith and Mancy
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Paper summary
This research article investigates the relationship between metacognitive and collaborative talk during group mathematical problem-solving among 9-10 year old students. The authors developed coding schemes to analyze student interactions, focusing on whether metacognitive utterances were preceded or followed by collaborative talk. Their findings reveal a strong positive association between metacognitive and collaborative talk, suggesting that collaborative metacognition emerges from a combination of individual and group processes. A new definition of collaborative metacognition is proposed to clarify the reciprocal interaction between learners. The study’s limitations, including small sample size, are acknowledged, suggesting directions for future research.
What are the key implications for teachers in the classroom?
- Teachers should understand the positive association between metacognitive talk and transactive (collaborative) talk. When students engage in collaborative talk, there is a higher probability of metacognitive talk occurring. Conversely, metacognitive talk is more likely to be followed by collaborative talk. This suggests that encouraging collaborative talk can promote metacognitive thinking in students.
- Teachers should be aware that a higher proportion of metacognitive talk is collaborative than other types of talk. This emphasizes the importance of group interactions in facilitating metacognitive processes.
- Teachers can support collaborative metacognition by understanding that it arises from combined individual and group processes. They can facilitate this by designing learning environments and activities that encourage students to explain their reasoning, critique each other’s suggestions, and work together to construct shared understanding.
- Teachers should use metacognitive interventions strategically. Interventions targeting teachers can be effective in promoting metacognitive thinking in students. Providing training on metacognitive questioning techniques can help teachers encourage students to articulate their reasoning and justify their answers.
- Teachers should consider the task and the students’ metacognitive ability when designing interventions. Metacognitive instruction is more effective when the problem requires higher levels of metacognitive reasoning. Interventions have also been shown to be more beneficial for lower-achieving students. This suggests that teachers should tailor their interventions to the specific needs of their students and the demands of the task.
- Teachers should encourage students to use metacognitive prompts. Providing prompts can help students develop self-regulation skills by making them more aware of when they need assistance. Giving students the option to use prompts allows them to take ownership of their learning and develop their metacognitive abilities.
- Teachers should facilitate effective group work skills in mathematics problem-solving. Since these skills rarely develop automatically, teachers need to provide explicit instruction and support. This could involve teaching students how to communicate effectively, listen actively, and negotiate different perspectives.
By understanding these implications, teachers can create a more conducive learning environment that fosters collaborative metacognition and enhances students’ problem-solving abilities in mathematics.
Quote
Collaborative metacognition is metacognition which can be identified as having contributed to, or arisen as a result of, group processes (or collaborative talk).
