Metacognition is "thinking about thinking." It is a person's awareness of how they learn and their ability to watch, check, and adjust their own thinking while they work. A student who stops in the middle of a page and says, "Wait, I don't understand this part, I should reread it," is using metacognition. It has two main parts: metacognitive knowledge (what you know about yourself as a learner, about the task, and about strategies) and metacognitive regulation (planning, monitoring, and evaluating your own learning).
What is metacognition?
The term was made popular in the 1970s by developmental psychologist John Flavell, who studied how children come to understand their own memory and thinking. Since then, metacognition has become a key idea in education and cognitive psychology. The word comes from "meta," meaning "beyond" or "about," and "cognition," meaning thinking. So metacognition is the thinking a person does about their own thinking process.
Everyone uses metacognition to some degree. Adults use it when they notice they have read the same paragraph three times without taking it in, or when they decide to make a list because they know they forget things. Children develop these skills gradually. Young students often believe they understand something when they do not. With age, practice, and direct teaching, most learners get better at judging what they know and choosing what to do next.
Metacognitive knowledge
Metacognitive knowledge is what a learner knows about learning. Researchers often describe three types:
- Knowledge about yourself: "I learn vocabulary best with flashcards," or "I lose focus if I study with music on."
- Knowledge about the task: "A test with essay questions needs a different kind of studying than a multiple-choice quiz."
- Knowledge about strategies: "When I get stuck on a word problem, I can draw a picture."
Metacognitive regulation
Metacognitive regulation is how a learner controls their thinking during a task. It usually happens in three steps:
- Planning: setting a goal, deciding which strategy to use, and estimating how long the task will take.
- Monitoring: checking understanding and progress along the way ("Does this make sense? Am I on track?").
- Evaluating: looking back when the task is done ("What worked? What would I do differently next time?").
This plan-monitor-evaluate cycle is the heart of self-regulated learning. Students who use it tend to become more independent, because they can notice problems and fix them without waiting for an adult to step in.
Metacognition examples
Metacognition is easier to understand through everyday examples. Here are some common ones from school and home:
- A reader notices a sentence does not make sense and goes back to reread it. This kind of self-checking is an important part of reading comprehension.
- A student finishes a math problem and asks, "Is my answer reasonable?" before moving on.
- Before a test, a student sorts topics into "I know this," "I kind of know this," and "I don't know this yet," and studies the last two groups first.
- A writer rereads a draft and uses a checklist to look for capital letters, punctuation, and a clear main idea.
- A child who knows they get frustrated with long tasks decides to break homework into small chunks with short brain breaks in between.
Metacognitive strategies
Metacognitive strategies are the tools teachers and parents use to help students think about their thinking. Most of them work best when an adult first shows the strategy, then practices it together with the student, and slowly hands over control. This is sometimes called "I do, we do, you do."
Think-alouds
In a think-aloud, the teacher says their thinking out loud while solving a problem or reading a text. For example: "I'm not sure what this word means. Let me look at the sentence around it for clues." Think-alouds make hidden thinking visible, so students can see what good problem solving sounds like. Later, students can do think-alouds themselves with a partner.
Self-questioning
Students learn to ask themselves questions before, during, and after a task. Before: "What am I being asked to do?" During: "Does this make sense? What should I do if I'm stuck?" After: "Did I answer the question? How do I know?" Question cards or bookmarks can serve as reminders.
Checklists and planning sheets
A simple checklist breaks a task into steps and gives students a way to check their own work. Planning sheets and graphic organizers help students set goals and organize their ideas before they start writing or solving.
Self-monitoring
Self-monitoring means students track their own behavior or progress, such as marking a chart each time they finish a step or rating their understanding from 1 to 5 after a lesson. Some classrooms use "exit tickets" where students write one thing they learned and one question they still have. Self-monitoring is also used in behavior support plans to build self-awareness and self-control.
Reflection and self-assessment
Short reflection routines help students connect effort, strategies, and results. A teacher might ask, "Which strategy helped you most today?" Learning journals, rubrics, and comparing a prediction ("I think I'll get 8 out of 10") with the actual result all support this kind of self-assessment.
Benefits of metacognition and how to improve metacognitive skills
The idea comes from developmental psychology: psychologist John Flavell described metacognition in the late 1970s, building on his research on metamemory – what children know about their own memory. Today it is studied in educational sciences and cognitive neuroscience, and it is related to self-regulation and theory of mind.
The benefits of metacognition are practical. Students with strong metacognitive skills know their own strengths and weaknesses, choose effective strategies, notice when they do not understand, and adapt when something is not working. That improves learning in reading, writing and mathematics, and helps students solve problems on their own – a foundation for lifelong learning.
Metacognition skills can be developed with consistent practice. Teachers improve metacognitive awareness when they model their own thinking, ask students to set realistic goals, and build short reflection into the learning process ("What worked? What will I change next time?"). Simple self-evaluation, error correction routines and learning strategies that students can use across subjects make metacognitive development visible and actionable.
Metacognition in education
Metacognition in education is about teaching students not only what to learn but how to learn. The U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES), for example, has published a practice guide on reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade that recommends teaching students how to use comprehension strategies, including monitoring their own understanding and clarifying what is confusing. Metacognitive teaching fits well with approaches such as Universal Design for Learning and differentiated instruction, which aim to help every student become an expert learner.
Why metacognition matters for students with learning disabilities and ADHD
Many students with a specific learning disability, such as dyslexia or dyscalculia, work very hard but may not know which strategy to use or when to change course. They may not notice when they have lost the meaning of a passage or made an error in a calculation. Explicit teaching of metacognitive strategies gives them a clear plan to follow and a way to catch mistakes.
Students with ADHD often have trouble with planning, keeping track of time, and checking their work before turning it in. These are exactly the skills that metacognitive routines practice. Checklists, self-monitoring charts, and planning steps give them external structure that, over time, can become habits.
Metacognitive goals can be written into an IEP. For example, a goal might target a student's ability to use a self-check routine when editing written work. Like any IEP goal, it should be specific and measurable (see SMART goals). Metacognition is also closely linked to self-advocacy: a student who understands how they learn is better able to explain what help they need.
Metacognition and executive functioning
Metacognition and executive functioning skills overlap, but they are not the same thing. Executive functions are the brain's management skills, such as working memory, flexible thinking, and impulse control. Metacognition is the awareness and self-reflection that directs those skills toward a goal. You could say executive function supplies the tools, and metacognition helps a student choose which tool to use and check whether it is working. Weak executive functioning can make metacognition harder, because it is difficult to monitor your thinking when you are struggling to hold information in mind or stay focused. Supporting both together often works best.
How parents can build metacognition at home
- Ask open questions about homework: "How did you figure that out?" or "What will you try first?"
- Share your own thinking out loud when you plan a trip, cook, or fix a mistake.
- Praise the strategy, not just the result: "You checked your answers. That's why you caught that mistake."
- Help your child make a simple checklist for routines like packing a backpack.
Frequently asked questions about metacognition
What is metacognition in simple terms?
Metacognition means thinking about your own thinking. It includes knowing how you learn best and checking whether you understand something, then changing your approach if you don't.
What are the two types of metacognition?
The two main parts are metacognitive knowledge (what you know about yourself as a learner, the task, and strategies) and metacognitive regulation (planning, monitoring, and evaluating your learning).
What is an example of metacognition?
A common example is a student who realizes they did not understand a paragraph and goes back to reread it or looks up an unknown word. Checking a math answer to see if it makes sense is another example.
Is metacognition a symptom of ADHD?
No. Metacognition is a skill everyone uses, not a symptom. Many people with ADHD find it harder to monitor their own thinking and behavior in the moment, which is why teaching metacognitive strategies explicitly can be especially helpful for them.
Can metacognition be taught?
Yes. Students can learn metacognitive strategies through modeling, think-alouds, self-questioning, checklists, and regular reflection. Explicit teaching is especially helpful for students with learning disabilities or ADHD.
Is metacognition the same as executive function?
No, but they are related. Executive functions are the mental skills that manage attention, memory, and self-control. Metacognition is the awareness that guides and checks how those skills are used.
