After watching video 1, in which Dr. Kalantzis explains the concept of metacognition as reflection on what we're doing, on the concepts we're developing and the way we're applying any particular kind of knowledge, i.e. thinking about thinking, it was clear the importance of metacognition for learning, something that I agree with. On the other hand, I was not sure I quite agreed on the fact that e-learning environments did make such a difference in terms of metacognition as compared to schooling. I agreed it did if compared to traditional schooling, but other forms of education might as well provide students with more chances to develop metacognition. The same seems to apply to e-learning environments as well. Some might enhance the development of metacognition while others may not. In other words, it seems to me it is more connected to pedagogies than to being in e-learning environments or not. However, I do agree with Dr. Cope that e-learning environments favour the development of metacognition due to its often present dialogical characteristic. Consequently, in e-learning environments, in which metacognition becomes more commonly a part of educational practices, its development becomes not only more practical, more possible, but also more likely to provide chances for critique to take place.

In that sense, I would like to write a little bit about being critical as discussed by Monte Mór (2013) who distinguishes 2 possible ways of understanding being critical: connected to level of study and to citizens’ critical perceptions, no matter their schooling. These would be equivalent to criticism and critique, respectively. In other words it could also be connected to being critical related to university studies, based on the positive method and the ideological one, connected to subjectivity and taking place through interpretation. Which critical human being are we thinking about when considering metacognition?

Reference:

MONTE MÓR, W. Crítica e Letramentos Críticos: Reflexões Preliminares. In: ROCHA, C. H.; FRANCO MACIEL, R. (Orgs). Línguas estrangeiras e formação cidadã: por entre discursos e práticas. Campinas, SP: Pontes Editores, 2013.