Metacognition has been used predominantly as a strategy to improve student thinking and learning and to help students gain an awareness and control over their own thinking (Manning & Payne, 1996; Perfect & Schwartz, 2002; Robson, 2006). Recently, however, metacognition has been recognized as necessary in teacher learning to help teachers gain awareness and control over their thinking (Manning & Payne, 1996). Teacher metacognition is a critical antecedent to student metacognition because, teachers are not in a position to model higher psychological and metacognitive levels if they have not experienced these levels first as a prerequisite to encouraging them in students (p. xxi). Schraw and Moshman (1995) stated that having a better understanding of the constructive nature of knowledge and how it happens allows individuals an opportunity to regulate their cognition and learning. <p>The purpose of this study was to explore teacher metacognition within the context of successful learning communities. A phenomenological research method was used. Data were collected from three participants in three separate learning communities using a pre-interview, two semi-structured interviews, several telephone conversations, and a variety of informal contacts. The fist semi-structured interview was designed to access the participants experiences as members of their successful learning communities. The second semi-structured interview, termed the metacognitive interview, was designed to access the thinking behind their thinking.<p>It was found that the term metacognition required definitional reframing. This reframing resulted in the creation of an emerging model of Progressive Metacognition, indicating that metacognition was found to be progressive, and was catalyzed through reflection and dialogue. The interview process itself was also found to be an intervention in itself to catalyze metacognition. Each participant in this study was found to have a metacognitive characterization, which I referred to as their metacognitive fingerprint. This fingerprint represented both the participants individual characterizations as well as their strategies in influencing the processes of their learning communities. <p>Successes in planning, observation, and reflection provided members with evidence that enabled them to feel capable and competent, thus fueled their drive to continue to invest in the learning communities. Scholarship epistemology was found to have an integral part in the development of metacognition through the successful learning community. By providing participants with important tasks and challenging work within an environment of trust, space, dialogue, reflection, and accountability, deep thinking and learning took place. This study provided needed detail related to Evers and Lakomskis (2000) theory of socially distributed cognition, indicating that when knowledge travels through the social system, rather than simply assisting in distributing the knowledge, each participant had an effect on the knowledge. <p> Among the implications of this study on theory are its contributions to social learning theory and the action research spiral, indicating the effects of collaboration and success on motivation. Among the implications for research are the need to investigate the direct effects of time, reflection, and discussion on metacognition, as well as the need to conduct a longitudinal study in this area to determine these elements long term impacts. Among the implications for practice are a greater understanding of the elements at work in catalyzing metacognition, including the effects of success, as well as the environments and social dynamics required to encourage deep thinking and learning.

Metacognition has been used predominantly as a strategy to improve student thinking and learning and to help students gain an awareness and control over their own thinking (Manning & Payne, 1996; Perfect & Schwartz, 2002; Robson, 2006). Recently, however, metacognition has been recognized as necessary in teacher learning to help teachers gain awareness and control over their thinking (Manning & Payne, 1996). Teacher metacognition is a critical antecedent to student metacognition because, teachers are not in a position to model higher psychological and metacognitive levels if they have not experienced these levels first as a prerequisite to encouraging them in students (p. xxi). Schraw and Moshman (1995) stated that having a better understanding of the constructive nature of knowledge and how it happens allows individuals an opportunity to regulate their cognition and learning. <p>The purpose of this study was to explore teacher metacognition within the context of successful learning communities. A phenomenological research method was used. Data were collected from three participants in three separate learning communities using a pre-interview, two semi-structured interviews, several telephone conversations, and a variety of informal contacts. The fist semi-structured interview was designed to access the participants experiences as members of their successful learning communities. The second semi-structured interview, termed the metacognitive interview, was designed to access the thinking behind their thinking.<p>It was found that the term metacognition required definitional reframing. This reframing resulted in the creation of an emerging model of Progressive Metacognition, indicating that metacognition was found to be progressive, and was catalyzed through reflection and dialogue. The interview process itself was also found to be an intervention in itself to catalyze metacognition. Each participant in this study was found to have a metacognitive characterization, which I referred to as their metacognitive fingerprint. This fingerprint represented both the participants individual characterizations as well as their strategies in influencing the processes of their learning communities. <p>Successes in planning, observation, and reflection provided members with evidence that enabled them to feel capable and competent, thus fueled their drive to continue to invest in the learning communities. Scholarship epistemology was found to have an integral part in the development of metacognition through the successful learning community. By providing participants with important tasks and challenging work within an environment of trust, space, dialogue, reflection, and accountability, deep thinking and learning took place. This study provided needed detail related to Evers and Lakomskis (2000) theory of socially distributed cognition, indicating that when knowledge travels through the social system, rather than simply assisting in distributing the knowledge, each participant had an effect on the knowledge. <p> Among the implications of this study on theory are its contributions to social learning theory and the action research spiral, indicating the effects of collaboration and success on motivation. Among the implications for research are the need to investigate the direct effects of time, reflection, and discussion on metacognition, as well as the need to conduct a longitudinal study in this area to determine these elements long term impacts. Among the implications for practice are a greater understanding of the elements at work in catalyzing metacognition, including the effects of success, as well as the environments and social dynamics required to encourage deep thinking and learning.

The study was conducted with a qualitative design to explore dog handlers' experiences of the roles assumed by the dog when they work together in actual operations and to determine if there is an interaction that qualifies as socially distributed cognition. In the study, handlers working in the Swedish Police Authority, the Swedish Armed Forces, and the Swedish Customs were interviewed based on three research questions: how they perceive the dogs’ contributions, the dogs’ limitations, and the relationship with the dog. The interviews can be summarized that dog handlers experience a strong bond with the dog. The relationship is characterized by interaction and trust, but with different perceptions of how the dog should be guided. Handlers describe the dog as a tool but at the same time they see the dog capable to act independently. The results are compared against a theoretic framework of socially distributed cognition between humans and service dogs (Amon &amp; Favela, 2019). The results indicate that the handlers' experience of interaction with the dog may qualify as socially distributed cognition. The conclusion of the study is that dogs have diverse roles, shifting between being a tool and an independent actor. The results may challenge the criteria for social distributed cognition, indicating a need for supplementation, particularly concerning the significance of the relationship, communication, and how initiative shifts between the handler and the service dog. Therefore, the study suggests that further research is required to better comprehend the diversity of the dog's roles and the importance of the relationship. / Studien genomfördes med kvalitativ design för att förstå hundförares upplevelser av hundens roller när de arbetar tillsammans i en skarp insats och om det finns ett samspel som kan kvalificera för socialt distribuerad kognition. Datainsamling gjordes genom intervjuer med hundförare som arbetar i Polismyndigheten, Försvarsmakten och Tullverket utifrån tre frågeställningar: hur de upplever att hunden bidrar och begränsar dem i arbetet, och hur de upplever relationen med hunden. Intervjuerna kan sammanfattas med att hundförare upplever en stark relation med hunden. Relationen präglas av samspel och tillit, även om det fanns olika uppfattningar om hur hunden ska styras. Hundförarna beskrev hunden som ett verktyg, samtidigt som de upplever att den kan agera självständigt i arbetet. Hundförarnas upplevelser prövades mot ett analytiskt ramverk med en teori om socialt distribuerad kognition mellan människa och tjänstehund (Amon &amp; Favela, 2019). Resultatet visade att hundförarnas upplevelse av samspelet med hunden kan kvalificera för socialt distribuerad kognition. Studiens slutsats var att hundarna har varierande roller och växlar mellan att vara ett verktyg och en självständig aktör. Resultatet kan utmana kriterierna för socialt distribuerad kognition, och visa på behov av komplettering av, särskilt vad gäller relationens betydelse, kommunikation och hur initiativet växlar mellan hundförare och tjänstehund. Därför föreslår uppsatsen att mer forskning krävs för att bättre förstå mångfalden av hundens roller och relationens betydelse.