METACOGNITION QUESTIONS

 

 

 

The following are metacognition questions aimed at helping you become aware of your learning process. In other words, with these questions I want to help you understand your own learning.

 

Not all questions will be relevant for your process or for every issue you are learning. You should discard those questions that are irrelevant. Ideally, you should gradually create new questions that will help you think about your own thinking so that you can use the standards of the discipline to recognize shortcomings and correct your reasoning as you go.

 

1.       What criminology theory underlines my understanding of the problem? Is the problem explained under a certain criminological view/theory? Would I see it differently if I approached the problem from a different criminological view or theory?

 

2.       What is the Criminal Justice model that underlines my understanding of the problem? Is the problem explained under a certain Criminal Justice model? Would I see it differently if I approached the problem from a different Criminal Justice model?

 

3.       What is the notion of crime that underlines my understanding of the problem? Is the problem explained under a certain notion of crime, perhaps the mainstream, legalistic, common law notion of crime? Would I see it differently if I approached the problem from a different notion of crime?

 

4.       If statistics are involved, am I aware of the possible flaws in the collection of criminal data? Will my understanding of the problem changed if the statistics were not correct?

 

5.       Is the problem affected by Criminal Justice bias? For example, if minority groups are being arrested more in a certain area, does this mean that they are committing more crimes or simply that police are arresting minority groups more than white mainstream Canadians?

 

6.       Am I making connections to the class activities or am I only analyzing the problem in isolation?

 

7.       Am I applying or taking into consideration several or the appropriate criminological theories or Criminal Justice theoretical models or am I simply analyzing the problem from my common sense?

 

8.       Am I considering the implications and applications of the problem or am I simply coming to conclusions without taking into account the implications and applications of the problem?

 

9.       Am I critically analyzing the reasoning method surrounding the problem or am I just taking for granted the validity of the reasoning method?

 

 

 

The following general questions may also help you think about your learning process:

 

1.       Where does the problem come from?

2.       Are there any gaps or inconsistencies in the problem?

3.       Can you distinguish fact from conjecture in the problem?

  1. Can you find any hidden assumptions in the problem?