Formative Assessment and Metacognition towards Relevant Learning

Abstract

Improving metacognition through formative assessment is viewed to be one of the best possible attacks to make learning more relevant to students. The proposed paradigm is a shift from the traditional classrooms’ value to assessment for the purpose of evaluating and providing credit to students’ performance to an effective and efficient opportunity to monitor students’ process of learning and provide feedback both to the students and teachers while learning process is still intact. Embedding assessment in the teaching and learning process through metacognitive instruction is thought to help engage the students in activities that does not only promote superficial learning but more on the understanding of and applying the concepts for life-long learning. Embedded formative assessment here are activities and techniques such as: self-assessment, parallel or peer assessment, and tutor feedback or external assessment that are likely to help develop students’ understanding, synthesis and creative thinking, application and performance, and analysis and critical thinking.