The role of metacognitive knowledge in learning, teaching, and assessing

Theory Into Practice, Autumn, 2002 by Paul R. Pintrich

Schneider, W., & Pressley, M. (1997). Memory development between two and twenty. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Snow, R., Corno, L., & Jackson, D. (1996). Individual differences in affective and cognitive functions. In D. Berliner & R. Calfee (Eds.), Handbook of Educational Psychology (pp. 243-310). New York: Macmillan.

Weinstein, C.E., & Mayer, R. (1986). The teaching of learning strategies. In M.C. Wittrock (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching (pp. 315-327). New York: Macmillan.

Pintrich, The Role of Metacognitive Knowledge in Learning, Teaching, and Assessing (pp. 219-225)

1. Bransford, J., Brown, A., & Cocking, R. (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

This book reviews recent cognitive science research on learning and teaching in a nontechnical and easily understood style. While there are few specific practical suggestions for teaching, the book as a whole provides a good introduction of current cognitive science and its applications to learning and teaching.

2. Zimmerman, B.J., Bonner, S., & Kovach, R. (1996). Developing self-regulated learners: Beyond achievement to self-efficacy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

This short guide for teachers is part of the Psychology in the Classroom series of the American Psychological Association, which focuses on applying principles and findings from educational psychology. It outlines how a self-regulatory learning cycle can be implemented to enable middle and secondary school students to develop five essential academic skills: planning and using study time, understanding and summarizing text material, note taking, anticipating and preparing for exams, and effective writing.

3. Jones, B., Rasmussen, C., & Moffitt, M. (Eds.). (1997). Real-life problem solving: A collaborative approach to interdisciplinary learning. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Part of a series on the application of educational psychology to the classroom, this book discusses problem-based learning and how to implement it in the classroom. Because the book and the series are aimed at teachers, there are plenty of pragmatic suggestions for classroom instruction.

Paul R. Pintrich is a professor of education at the University of Michigan.