Metacognition and Learning Strategies: Reflect on Your Study Skills and Use What Works for You!
Metacognition is “awareness about your learning.â€
Metacognition* is the ability to:
- Think about your own thinking.
- Be consciously aware of yourself as a problem solver.
- Monitor, plan and control your mental processing.
- Accurately judge your level of learning.
Using the following questions as a guide and a metacognitive approach to develop your study skills, identify which study skills have been and are successful for you. You can also reflect on strategies that proved challenging or needed modification. Use this insight to help you recognize what works best for you and plan to use effective and efficient study strategies in the future!
Where (and how) did you learn to study?
What study skills or strategies have you successfully used in previous coursework?Ìý Which of these study strategies could be used across multiple courses?Ìý Which strategies are better suited to a particular course or subject area?
What study strategies present the biggest challenges to you?Ìý Which classes are most directly impacted by these challenges?
Which study strategies or skills do you enjoy utilizing more than others?Ìý What do you enjoy about studying in this way?
Explain your current (or most recent) study process for an important exam.Ìý When do you begin studying?Ìý How often do you study and for what duration?Ìý What strategies and skills do you use?Ìý What is your biggest concern?Ìý About what are you most confident?ÌýÌýÌýÌý
Now that you have reflected on your study and learning strategies, what is one small adjustment you can make to your study routine to make it more effective for you?
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*McGuire, S.Y., & McGuire, S. (2018).ÌýTeach yourself how to learn: Strategies you can use to ace any course at any level.ÌýSterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC.