The ARC Metacognition Cards (MC) are designed to help you identify your most effective method for completing the task you have ahead of you by having you think aloud about your steps and processes.
The cards have prompts on them that ask general questions about the task, you, and the ways that you know how to do the task.
Getting Started
- Read the question on the card
- Carefully consider what it is asking
- Say your response to it out loud
Similar to testing yourself for a class quiz or exam with flashcards, saying the answer out loud allows you to consider what you are saying and determine if it is true.
Make a note of your responses and use them to help plan your approach to accomplishing the task.
That’s it! You can get started now, or if you’d like to dig a little deeper then read on.
Next Level
Each of the cards has the phases of the Study Cycle across the top.
The five phases of the study cycle include:
- Before Class
- During Class
- After Class
- Studying
- Testing
The study cycle offers you a framework for your learning, and it’s a great way for you to know when and what you should be doing each step of the way.
On the bottom left is Self-Regulated Learning, which involves behaviors that enhance your learning and your understanding of your learning through self-observations and reflections. You will see one or more of each stage of the self-regulated learning cycle:
- Planning
- Performance
- Evaluation - feeds right back into the next planning phase.
On the bottom right you have Metacognitive knowledge, which is the knowledge you have about your cognitive processes (how you think). This includes knowledge of yourself, of the task that you need to do, and the strategies you know for completing the task. Metacognative Knowledge is broken down into:
- Person Variables - knowledge of yourself
- Task Variables - knowledge of the task
- Strategy Variables - knowledge of strategies
Your answers to the questions on these cards provide the raw material for your metacognitive knowledge and helps you determine the best approach for your task.
