What is Metacognition?
Simply put, metacognition is thinking about your thinking.
Many students cram for exams in their college courses by memorizing the material that they think will be on the exams.
Students who find success in their courses (and beyond) are often doing more than that. They are using metacognitive skills to constantly assess:
- what they already know
- what information is being presented in class and in the textbook
- what connections exist between content in different parts of the course, courses they’ve already taken, and even other disciplines
- whether the studying and practice they are doing is helping to improve their understanding of the new information
Catalyze Your Success by implementing metacognitive learning strategies
The goal of the “Catalyze Your Success” program is to teach you metacognitive learning strategies:
- Using the Learning Cycle, Focused Study Sessions, and tips for Effective Groupwork to make the most of your limited study time
- Employing active reading techniques to engage fully with the reading assignments
- Treating homework assignments as assessments to mimic an exam or quiz situation
- Teaching the material to others uncover what you know well and what you need to work on
As you practice these strategies, you will learn to:
- plan how you will learn the new material in your course
- monitor whether you are using the course content while solving problems
- evaluate whether your understanding of course topics is sufficient to apply the information to new problems
Information in the Catalyze Your Success program has been adapted from learning strategies presented by the Louisiana State University Center for Academic Success and the book "Teach Students How to Learn" by Saundra Yancy McGuire, Stylus Publishing (2021).