Cognitive Development of Other Key Abilities

Image Source: ChatGPT 4

Along with academic skills, various other cognitive abilities (including attention, metacognition, and critical thinking) must also develop for a child to be successful in school within the United States and similar cultures (Paris, Ricardo, & Rymond, 2019).  While some people who are educated in the United States or other Western cultures view these abilities as universally desirable, it is important to remember that sharp differences may exist regarding preferences for different cognitive abilities between (and even within) cultures.  Because this text is written for a U.S. audience, we will be focusing on the skills that are commonly needed for success within the U.S. educational system. However, we acknowledge the notion that other cultures, philosophies, or groups may prioritize different skills.

Attention

Attention plays a critical role in learning. Younger children often struggle with paying attention for extended periods. In early elementary school, children may only be able to focus on a single task for a few minutes at a time. In addition, it can be difficult for young children to engage in selective attention, which can be defined as the ability to ignore distractions and focus on a specific task or stimulus, or to switch their attention from one task to another. Due to this challenge, instruction during early elementary school is best delivered using short, focused lessons with breaks between activities. As children progress through elementary school, their ability to sustain and engage in selective attention will improve, and they will also begin to develop the ability to switch their attention between tasks more effectively. By middle school, most children should be able to maintain attention through a 20-minute lecture and are able to multi-task. By high school, you would expect a typical student to be able to effectively self-monitor and regulate their attention during a lesson (Paris, Ricardo, & Rymond, 2019).

Metacognition

Metacognition, or “thinking about thinking,” involves awareness and control of one’s cognitive processes. Metacognitive skills develop gradually, emerging in late elementary school and becoming more sophisticated throughout adolescence. In elementary school, teachers can begin fostering metacognition by encouraging students to talk about their thinking processes. This might involve asking students to explain how they solved a problem or asking them to predict what might happen in a story and justify their predictions. By middle school, students can begin to plan, monitor, and evaluate their learning. Teachers can support these skills by teaching specific strategies such as self-questioning during reading or using checklists to monitor progress on a task. In high school, students should refine their metacognitive skills and become more efficient learners (Paris, Ricardo, & Rymond, 2019).  Teachers can support this development by helping students set learning goals, monitor their progress, and reflect on their learning strategies.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking involves evaluating information and arguments, recognizing bias, and making reasoned judgments (Byrnes & Dunbar, 2014). In elementary school, teachers can start developing critical thinking by encouraging students to ask questions and express their opinions. This could be as simple as discussing a story and asking students to explain their viewpoints. During this period, students should learn how to identify patterns, engage in simple problem-solving, consider others’ perspectives, and evaluate the quality of information (Soloff & Houtz, 1991). By middle school, students should be capable of more complex critical thinking tasks such as evaluating the credibility of a source or recognizing logical fallacies. In high school, students continue to refine their critical thinking skills and become more independent thinkers. They can typically be expected to independently question assumptions, evaluate evidence, and construct well-reasoned arguments, although scaffolding for these activities may still be necessary for some students (Ellerton, 2020).