---
type: permanent
status: mature
created: "2026-01-14"
description: "Awareness and regulation of one's own thinking processes — knowing what you know and don't know"
tags:
  - metacognition
  - self-regulation
  - learning-skills
---

# Metacognition

Metacognition is "thinking about thinking" -- the awareness and regulation of one's own cognitive processes. It involves knowing what you know, knowing what you don't know, and deploying appropriate strategies.

## Components

1. **Metacognitive knowledge**: Understanding of one's own learning processes
2. **Metacognitive monitoring**: Tracking comprehension in real time
3. **Metacognitive control**: Adjusting strategies based on monitoring

## Why It Matters

Students with strong metacognition:
- Choose more effective study strategies (e.g., [[Active Recall]] over re-reading)
- Allocate study time efficiently using [[Spaced Repetition]]
- Recognise illusions of competence (contrast with [[Dunning-Kruger Effect]])
- Self-correct errors during problem-solving

## Developing Metacognition

- **Reflection prompts**: "What did I find confusing? What strategy worked?"
- **Calibration exercises**: Predict performance before a test, then compare
- **[[Elaborative Interrogation]]**: Asking "why" forces monitoring of understanding
- **Teaching others**: Explaining reveals gaps in knowledge ([[Feynman Technique]])

## Connections

- Poor metacognition leads to the [[Dunning-Kruger Effect]]
- Metacognitive monitoring guides when to use [[Active Recall]] vs. re-study
- [[Growth Mindset]] supports metacognitive development by framing struggle as learning
- Central skill in [[Self-Determination Theory]] competence needs
- Key target in [[Teaching Methodology Research]]

#metacognition #self-regulation
