Pair Problem-Solving and Metacognition in Remedial College Mathematics.

This paper presents the thesis that pair problem-solving serves as an aid to students in developing their metacognitive skills. Metacognition has been defined as knowledge and cognition about cognitive objects and as any kind of monitoring. The ability to monitor one's thoughts and actions is greatly facilitated through the pair problem-solving method. Briefly, the method calls for one student to listen to another student solve a problem aloud. The listener may ask questions so as to understand each step and all the reasonings of the solver's solution. Modeled after the clinical interviews of Piaget, students learn self-monitoring skills while learning math concepts. Examples of verbal protocols from college freshmen illustrate the emergence of metacognition during clinical interviews and during pair and group problem-solving in class. Finally, a description of a remedial math program at a major university provides practical applications of metacognition in the classroom. (Author/PK)