As university students we need to practice thinking metacognitively to become self-regulated learners, and this requires thinking about how we think, learn, and approach new tasks. For example, we need to be aware of our strengths, weaknesses, prior knowledge, and even our preferred study location and learning strategies. By having this understanding, we can think about what’s working and what’s not so that we can make changes as needed and develop into strong learners.

Here are some strategies that may help you engage in metacognition when studying so that you can build up your learning skills.

Preparing For Your Course:  Your instructor has created a course syllabus to guide you through the learning journey. Take the time to review the learning outcomes or objectives, the course schedule, and see if you can identify how the topics or concepts are related within this course and to your other courses. Visit the syllabus throughout the term to monitor your progress.

Creating A Study Plan and Monitoring Learning: When we refer to study skills, we refer to a range of approaches to learning that improve your ability to study, and to retain and recall information. This can include things like time management, critical thinking, and thinking metacognitively.  The following guiding questions can help you think metacognitively as you plan, monitor, and evaluate your approach to learning and your ability to retain and learn new concepts. Whether you are studying, completing an assignment, attending class, participating in tutorial discussions or listening to a guest speaker, you can use the questions below as prompts to think metacognitively.