Metacognition: how to think about thinking - Ness Labs

Metacognition means “thinking about thinking” or “knowing about knowing.” The word “metacognition” means “above cognition”.

It’s translate into being aware of your own awareness so you can choose the right learning and problem-solving techniques, as well as when to use them.

• Metacognitive knowledge: What you know about yourself and others in terms of thinking and learning processes.
• Metacognitive regulation: The methods you use to control your learning.
• Metacognitive experiences: The thoughts and feelings you have during your learning process.

• Declarative knowledge: the knowledge you have about your learning style and about what the factors that influence you.
• Procedural knowledge: what you know about learning in general - strategies you found or that you have already applied.
• Conditional knowledge: it refers to knowing when and why you should use declarative and procedural knowledge.

You need to master these skills:

• Planning: think about the right learning methods you will use for learning something new and the way you will manage your time and energy.
• Monitoring: be aware of your progress while learning; don't be passive and always question everything.
• Evaluating: when you finish a chunk, consider your performance and assess the strategies you used.