Essay on Building Strategic Knowledge and Metacognitive Awareness in Comprehension Instruction
Traditionally, educators believed that passage reading and questioning based on learning taxonomies was ineffective way in teaching students, especially when the development of reading and writing skills was needed. On the other hand, today, many researchers (Durking, 1977) argue that building strategic knowledge and metacognitive awareness in comprehension instruction is more effective and successful. In such a situation, the question concerning the effectiveness of each method arises. In fact, students are more successful when they are aware of instructions and the learning material. If they understand the essence of the learning material and have the strategic knowledge of the learning material, they are capable to think and use the learning material and acquired knowledge and skills in their regular life and to make further progress in their learning. In this regard, passage reading and questioning based on learning taxonomies is limited and prevents students from independent and critical thinking, limiting their autonomy, bounding their knowledge and skills to the learning material.
In actuality, building strategic knowledge and metacognitive awareness in comprehension instruction is essential for the development of effective teaching strategies and improvement of the quality of teaching. In fact, this method of instruction is quite effective due to the development of analytical thinking of students and their in-depth understanding of the learning material. Students should understand not only the learning material but also the background and reasoning behind the learning material.
The passage reading and questioning based on learning taxonomies is the traditional method applied by many educators but today this method turns out to be less effective compared to building strategic knowledge and metacognitive awareness in comprehension instruction (Taberski, 2011). In fact, this method is less effective because it involves the use of the learning material and does not encourage research activity of students that naturally fails to make students aware of the essence of the learning material and how it can be applied in the real life effectively.
Furthermore, building strategic knowledge and metacognitive awareness in comprehension instruction stimulates independent, creative and analytical thinking of students. Educators using this method encourage students’ creative and research activities. They can conduct their research to understand the learning material and to develop the strategic knowledge. Moreover, the metacognitive awareness helps students to understand how their learning material and their knowledge and skills can help them in their real life. Moreover, students become aware of the importance of their progress and learning for the further development and overall success.
At the same time, the passage reading and questioning based on learning taxonomies is effective, when drilling is needed but this method prevents students from critical and analytical thinking. They develop within the framework of the learning material. In such a way, students turn out to be bound to the learning material and fail to progress in their independent thinking and research activities (Scieszka, 2005). Students can use passage reading and questioning based on learning taxonomies to develop their knowledge but such progress is relatively ineffective because they do not have strategic knowledge. They can just learn the learning material and use their knowledge in the real life. However, the knowledge is rather superficial and they cannot generate new knowledge.
Instead, building strategic knowledge and metacognitive awareness in comprehension instruction provides students with the possibility to apply their knowledge and skills in the real life and, more important, they can generate new knowledge. In fact, the generation of new knowledge derives from understanding of the learning material and fundamental principles related to the learning material (Jones, 2002). They attempt to think strategically. They can understand the learning material and they can use it to generate new knowledge. Students learn to think strategically.
In the contemporary society, the ability of students to generate new knowledge and to think independently is more important than a set of knowledge, which cannot make students flexible in their research activities and in their academic progress. Students can develop effective learning strategies on their own, while using building strategic knowledge and metacognitive awareness in comprehension instruction. In fact, the ability of students to generate new knowledge and to learn new techniques helps them to adapt to the changing environment, in which they live.
Therefore, building strategic knowledge and metacognitive awareness in comprehension instruction is more effective compared to passage reading and questioning based on learning taxonomies. In such a way, the use of building strategic knowledge and metacognitive awareness in comprehension instruction is very important in the contemporary education because this method help students to develop independent thinking and creativity. Therefore, students can learn successfully and reach positive outcomes in their academic, professional, and personal development.
