Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay, https://pixabay.com/users/geralt-9301/

For Essential Update #7, let's investigate the differentiated learning concept of metacognition. Metacognition is the phase in differentiated learning where learners progress from an empirical/experiencial understanding of a subject to pattern recognition/theory making on that subject.

I propose that pattern recognition is a learned skill, but one that is frequently ignored in the standard learning environment. I will discuss why pattern recognition is important, how pattern recognition can be easily learned, and a repurposed method for moving learners through the pattern recognition process -- from understanding the concept into the theory making stage.

Definition of this concept

Oxford Dictionary defines metacognition as the "awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes."^[1] It is a crucial component in Differentiated Instruction (DI).

Getting in tune with your thought process requires the ability to recognize patterns. In the Front Neurosci journal article "Superior pattern processing is the essence of the evolved human brain," researcher Mark P. Mattson concludes that "superior pattern processing (SPP)" is "the fundamental basis of most, if not all, unique features of the human brain including intelligence, language, imagination, invention..."^[2]

I recall from Agile and Lean project management that many Japanese businesses embrace three steps for driving the theory process:

1. Learn all current steps for how others are performing a process,
2. Assimmilate those steps before tailoring them to your own fulfillment process, and
3. Work to determine how what you've learned can impact the greater good of the company, and pass that knowledge along.

Metacognition is the crux of that process. It holds a role both in the work environment and in the learning environment. Indeed, education is where this thinking process should be introduced.

And perhaps the easiest way to learn this skills is through pattern recognition.

Examples of the concept in practice

In the article "Metacognition: How Thinking About Thinking Can Help Kids,"^[3] author Rae Jacobson writes: "More and more studies are suggesting that kids who are taught to use metacognitive strategies early on are more resilient and more successful, both in and out of school." In that article Metacognitive Coaching Specialist Tamara Rosier cites a recognizable change in learners trained in metacognition:

“Instead of saying, ‘Math tests make me anxious,’ we’re asking ourselves, ‘What is it about math tests that makes me feel anxious and what can I do to change that?’”

I recently experienced first-hand an example of pattern recognition in practice. I applied to a job that required a pre-employment psychology test, known as the Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT). "Employers use aptitude tests to find the best & brightest to join their teams," reports the makers of the test's JobFlare app. The app "prepares you for these tests by sharpening your cognitive abilities." Within JobFlare^[4], pattern recognition played a major role. The app uses the shapes of cartoon robots and asks users to identify if two similar robots are the same or different.

A screenshot of one of the JobFlare cartoon robots, at https://jobflare.com/test-prep

The actual test, however, used geometric shapes. Here's a sample sample question from the CCAT test, asking "Which one is the odd one out?":

CCAT Sample Question, as found at https://prod-cdn-assessment-blob.azureedge.net/cache/a/9/1/0/a/e/a910ae7a0a1ea6876cf66e6aac66d4f7b1fa290d.png

(The answer, by the way, is B. Can you figure out why B is the test's "odd one out"?)

Patterns here reportedly measure Critical Thinking, Attention to Detail, and Memory -- all with simple pattern-related questions. Indeed, the test website reports that "a substantial body of research has concluded that for certain types of tests, especially tests of cognitive aptitude, validity evidence can be generalized across a broad range of jobs." Indeed, according to EEOC testimony cited by the testing authority, the "cognitive ability is universally relevant to and useful in predicting job performance."^[5]

Exercises in pattern recognition/theory making

The good news is that pattern recognition can be learned. Indeed, according to the Assessment Centre HQ, "A candidate with great spatial awareness will be able to notice patterns and will also be able to quickly imagine shapes viewed from a different angle or perspective. These skills were once thought to be innate and hereditary, but studies have now shown that repeated practice can significantly improve spatial awareness."^[6]

Spacial reasoning can be taught through spacial exercises like this Mirror Image quiz at the Assessment Centre HQ:

Mirror Image test sample at https://www.assessmentcentrehq.com/spatial-reasoning-test/

Additionally, to get learners into the spacial-thinking mindset, instructors can start asking questions that are solution-focused. For example, the ChildMind.org article encourages teachers and parents on this track to "think about how [a child] can use his understanding to change things in the future [with the question] 'How could you handle that differently next time?'^[3]"

Meanwhile, an article from Parenting Science recommends that parents can cultivate pattern/spacial thinking with construction games that challenge kids to "match the design." "Research hints that a particular form of block play, called structured block play, may be especially valuable. This is when kids are shown the 'blueprints' for a structure and given a set of blocks to recreate it. In recent experiments, 8-year-old children showed measurable improvements in their mental rotation abilities after just five, 30-minute play sessions. Post-training, they also showed changes in brain activity, suggesting that these kids had changed the way they processed spatial information (Newman et al 2016^[7])."^[8]

Finally, there's gamification in apps such as JobFlare and in online and off-line matching games like Mahjongg^[9], Personally, I've found regular Mahjongg games to be a great boost to my own ability to see the big picture and develop strategies that incorporate pattern recognition into more efficient workflows. 

In conclusion, I hope that now you can see why pattern recognition is important to differentiated learning, how pattern recognition can be easily learned, and how learners can be moved through the pattern recognition process toward full learning awareness.

Related links:

• "Spatial Reasoning Test Success 2019," Assessment Center HQ, https://www.assessmentcentrehq.com/spatial-reasoning-test/
• "20 Differentiated Instruction Strategies + Examples," https://www.prodigygame.com/blog/differentiated-instruction-strategies-examples-download/
• "The Power Of AGILE Instructional Design Approach," https://elearningindustry.com/the-power-of-agile-instructional-design-approach