Metacognition: thinking about your own learning

In short: Metacognition means observing and steering your own thinking and learning: What do I already know, what don’t I know, and which strategy helps right now? The term became widely known in the 1970s, mainly through the psychologist John Flavell.

In more detail: Good learners are not just hard-working; they plan, check and adjust their approach. Research shows that these skills can be trained and are linked to better learning outcomes.

In detail

• Planning: Before studying, clarify the goal, how much time is available and which method suits.
• Monitoring: While studying, check: do I really understand this, or am I just reading along?
• Evaluating: Afterwards, consider what worked and what should be done differently next time.
• The illusion of competence: Many people overestimate their knowledge because familiar material feels familiar; self-tests show more honestly what has stuck (testeffekt-und-abrufueben).
• Helpful questions: “Could I explain this to someone?”, “Where am I unsure?”, “Which question would surprise me in the exam?” (feynman-methode).
• Learning journal: Short notes after each study session make progress and problems visible.
• Analysing mistakes: Marked exams and exercises give valuable clues about which strategy is missing (fehler-aus-klausuren-richtig-auswerten).
• Switching strategies: If you notice that a method is not helping, deliberately try another one instead of simply doing the same thing for longer.
• For all ages: Even primary school children can learn to talk about their learning; with practice it becomes a habit.