Metacognition – Self-Regulated Learning Lab

What Is Planning?

Planning involves "thinking ahead" about your approach to an assignment or activity. Learners who plan often will try to answer several questions:

"What are some different ways I can complete this assignment?"

"What do I already know about this task?"

Asking these types of questions is a key step in becoming more self-aware about what is needed to be successful.

"What resources (e.g. time, notes, skills) are needed to perform well on this task?"

Why Is Planning Important?

The more you plan or think ahead, the better prepared you will be to tackle challenges in school.

IF YOU OFTEN PLAN...

You attempt to identify the expectations and requirements of assignments
You think about the strategies that would best help you
You make concrete and specific plans about managing your time

THIS MEANS YOU TYPICALLY...

Complete your assignments in a timely manner

Feel relaxed and prepared when approaching assignments and studying

Are more “proactive” than “reactive”

Feel more confident in handling challenges that arise

IF YOU SOMETIMES PLAN...

You occasionally seek to identify expectations and requirements of assignments
You think about how you should learn but often not in specific terms
You do not consistently seek to manage your time

THIS MEANS YOU TYPICALLY...

Submit some assignments late because you underestimated the difficulty or how long they would take

May feel lost and confused about how you should approach an assignment

Notice that you feel most relaxed and at ease when you take the time to plan your work

IF YOU RARELY PLAN...

You rarely estimate how difficult your assignments are
You dive into schoolwork without creating a plan to approach it and without thinking too deeply about the strategies to use
You often use the same strategies in school, even if they don’t work well

THIS MEANS YOU TYPICALLY...

Often submit assignments late

Notice that you often attempt to complete assignments at the last minute

Often feel that you are behind and cannot keep up with the work

Feel overwhelmed and anxious about school

How planning changed Sophia’s experiences in school

In the following scenario, try to identify the planning strategies that Sophia used to enhance her learning.

1

Experience before planning

Sophia, a second-year college student, felt stressed and overwhelmed in the second week of her math course due to the workload. She felt paralyzed and wanted to avoid the class altogether.

"Wow! I have a lot of assignments for this class. All of the work is really stressing me out."

2

Sophia’s Planning Actions

Sophia began to think about how she can approach math class in a more effective way. She asked a classmate for help and reached out to her college advisor. They gave Sophia a few helpful planning tips:

Sophia began to re-think her approach to completing assignments and studying for tests. She typically just looked over her notes and memorized formulas to prepare for tests, but she decided that a better plan was to practice problems and to quiz herself.

Sophia realized that she needed to better organize her schedule and upcoming assignments. She printed her syllabus, got her planner, and highlighted due dates for assignments and tests.

Sophia also decided to read each assignment carefully so that she understood completely what was expected. If she was confused, she would immediately reach out to her instructor rather than wait until the day before the assignment was due.

Action 1 of 3

Action 2 of 3

Action 3 of 3

3

The effects of Planning

"I never realized that making a weekly schedule and thinking ahead about my assignments would really make a difference. I am so much less stressed now. I feel more in control and empowered."

Key Thought

Planning or thinking ahead helps students become more goal-directed, strategic, and self-aware when completing assignments.

How to Improve Your Planning

There are many different types of planning strategies. Click on the links below to learn about these strategies for reading, writing, and studying activities.

Ways to plan before writing

Ways to plan before studying

Ways to plan before reading

What Is Monitoring?

Monitoring involves mentally or physically keeping track of your learning. Learners who monitor their behaviors often will try to answer several questions:

"What am I doing that is or is not helping me learn?"

"Am I on the right track for this assignment?"

Asking these types of monitoring questions is a key step in becoming more self-aware about what you are doing in order to learn more efficiently with fewer negative consequences.

"Am I meeting my learning goals and learning what I need to?"

"What material have I mastered? Are there topics I still have to learn?"

Why Is Monitoring Important?

When you monitor your thinking and learning, you are more likely to notice when you stray off track.

If you often monitor...

You think about the strategies you use to complete assignments or study
You track your progress towards learning goals
You are mindful about your actions while learning, including how well you use time
You notice when things distract you from completing your work

This means you typically...

Feel satisfied that your time and effort were used well

Are more likely to display intentional, strategic behaviors as you learn

Can identify when you misunderstand information or assignment directions at the beginning of a task

Feel confident in your ability to succeed in school

If you sometimes monitor...

• You sometimes consider what strategies you use while working
• You occasionally pause to check how well you understand the material
• You may not always notice when your learning goes off track

This means you typically...

Make careless mistakes without realizing it

Feel frustrated when you realize you wasted time

Feel somewhat confident in your ability to learn and improve

May not always think about how to improve

If you rarely monitor...

• You read entire chapters or articles before noticing you misunderstood crucial information
• You rarely keep track of time or what you are paying attention to when learning
• You reach the end of an assignment before realizing you did not follow the directions correctly

This means you typically...

Only notice mistakes after receiving feedback on an assignment

Make the same mistakes repeatedly

Become frustrated when your efforts did not lead to the results you wanted

Feel lost and confused when you encounter challenges during learning

How Jose’s experiences in school changed once he started monitoring his behavior during learning

In the following scenario, try to identify the monitoring strategies that Jose used to overcome his challenges.

1

Experience before Monitoring

Jose, a third-year college student, is enrolled in an online biology course. There are many assigned readings for the class, and Jose tries to get through them as quickly as he can, often without stopping to make sure he understands what he reads.

"Finally! I finished reading that long book chapter. But what did I just read…?"

2

Jose’s Monitoring Actions

Jose struggled to complete all the class readings. However, he realized there are some steps he could take to monitor his comprehension while reading instead of just getting through each assigned reading as quickly as possible.

Jose decided to pause after each section of his readings to check his comprehension. He now summarizes the reading and creates questions to quiz himself.

Jose recognized that he tends to skip over words or content that he does not understand; he thinks he can get the gist. To improve, he decided to look up new words and highlight confusing content.

Jose committed to taking a few moments to check his comprehension after reading, and to generate at least a couple of questions, perhaps about the highlighted content. He found that he had a lot more questions than he realized before he took this step. He now asks his classmates or instructor about his questions before moving on to the next readings.

Action 1 of 3

Action 2 of 3

Action 3 of 3

3

The effects of Monitoring

"It was totally worth it to take my time and keep track of how I was approaching my reading assignments. It took an extra few minutes, but now I understand so much more and I cannot wait to ask my teacher the questions that I wrote down."

Key Thought

Although Jose spent extra time tracking his understanding and challenges, Jose completed his reading assignments more efficiently and with less stress, as he did not need to repeat the readings to understand them. Jose more effectively identified and overcame challenges and felt better prepared for future tests and assignments.

How to Improve Your Monitoring

There are several monitoring strategies. Click on the links below to learn about these strategies for reading, writing, and studying activities.

Ways to Monitor While writing

Ways to Monitor while Studying

Ways to Monitor while Reading

What Is Evaluating?

Evaluation involves making judgments about your overall learning or performance on assignments and tests. It also involves your thoughts about your actions or strategies that were most effective in helping you learn.

"Did I perform well on the assignment?"

"What did I do that worked well? What should I change?"

Asking yourself these types of questions is a key step in identifying if you need to change how you are learning and what changes you may need to make to improve your learning.

"What challenges did I encounter, and how can I overcome these in the future?"

"What have I learned after reading this chapter?

Why Is Evaluating Important?

The more you evaluate your performance, the better prepared you will be to succeed on similar learning tasks in the future. This is the first step in creating change.

If you often evaluate...

You think about how well you performed on a task and what you still have to learn
You think about what strategies worked well and those that did not
You determine how you will use more effective strategies in the future
You think about how you can adjust your behaviors to be more successful

This means you typically...

Feel confident in your ability to adapt strategies and behaviors for the future

Are more knowledgeable about ways to improve your learning

Are highly aware about what interferes with your learning

Attribute your successes and struggles to your use of strategies

If you sometimes evaluate...

You will think about grades or learning in one course or assignment but not others
You will periodically think about strategies that are most helpful to your learning

This means you typically...

Submit incomplete work because you believe you have met all learning objectives when you have not

Feel somewhat confident in your ability to make positive changes for the future

Feel unsure about what strategies helped you learn, and those that did not help

Are surprised when your grades are lower than you expected

If you rarely evaluate...

You finish assignments without considering the quality of your work or how well you learned
You overestimate what you have learned because you think you “spent enough time” studying
You may not notice when you need to stop and revise something to make it better

This means you typically...

Feel like you do not have enough time to complete assignments

Overestimate your performance and give less effort than is needed in the future

Feel helpless or defeated when an assignment or test does not go the way you expected

Use the same types of strategies regardless of whether they worked or not

How Anthony’s outlook changed when he started to evaluate his academic performance and learning

In the following scenario, try to identify the evaluation strategies that Anthony used to overcome some difficulties and enhance his learning.

1

Experience before Evaluating

Anthony, a first-year college student, just finished taking the semester's first history exam. When Anthony received his test score the next week, he was shocked and upset. He received a 74, despite feeling confident the night before because of how much time he spent studying. Anthony overestimated his history knowledge because he did not assess how well he had actually learned the material.

"I think I did well on that exam. I tried really hard and spent a lot of time studying."

2

Anthony’s Evaluating Actions

Anthony starts to wonder how he can evaluate his learning more effectively. He asked a classmate and his instructor for help. They gave him a few useful tips to try after studying for an exam.

After Anthony finishes reading his assignment, the next day he tries to summarize that material. This is a good test of what he understood and can recall. He can restudy weak points to bolster memory and seek help from friends or the teacher to improve comprehension.

Anthony keeps track of the strategies he uses to study (e.g., notecards, videos, outlining chapters) and notes what worked well and what he needs to change when preparing for the next test.

Anthony asks himself “Did I meet my study goals and learn what I set out to?” When Anthony realizes he still has more to learn, he creates a plan (see Metacognition planning strategies) to help him accomplish these goals. Anthony recognizes that how he evaluates his test performance can impact his success in studying for future exams. Anthony recognizes that how he studies can affect his understanding and how well he scores on tests.

Action 1 of 3

Action 2 of 3

Action 3 of 3

3

The effects of Evaluating

"I now see that frequently self-evaluating helped me become more aware of how well I was learning and the effectiveness of the strategies I was using. I intend to use that knowledge to improve how I study for my next test!"

Key Thought

Anthony’s experience of overestimating his learning during studying is common among college students. The key to avoiding these types of misjudgments is to test yourself under conditions like real tests and wait a day or two to do that. That will improve the accuracy of your judgments about what you’ve learned.

How to Improve Your Evaluating

Improve Your Evaluating

There are many different types of evaluating strategies. Click on the links below to learn about these strategies for reading, writing, and studying activities.

Ways to evaluate after writing

Ways to evaluate after studying

Ways to evaluate after reading

Using MetaCognition to become a Better Writer

Use the following questions and strategies to help you when writing.

There are several planning questions you can ask yourself before beginning writing.

Questions to Ask Yourself

An illustration of a head with 6 lightbulbs

What am I supposed to learn? What is the takeaway? What do I already know, and what would I like to learn? How can I organize myself and my materials? How much time do I have to complete it? How much time do I need? What are ways this paper or assignment is like ones I did before, and how did I succeed on those earlier tasks? What resources do I have to complete this writing assignment?

There are several monitoring questions students can ask themselves while writing.

Questions to Ask Yourself

An illustration of a head with 4-6 lightbulbs

What strategies am I using that are or are not working well to help me learn? What other resources can I use to complete my writing assignment? What is most challenging about this writing assignment? What can I do differently at this point to address these challenges? Am I meeting my learning goals?

There are several evaluation questions students can ask themselves after they finish writing.

Questions to Ask Yourself

How well did I accomplish the goals of this assignment? What did I learn? What did I do that worked or did not work well? What should I do differently next time I have a similar assignment? What should I do the same? What topics am I still confused about? How can I answer these questions?

Using MetaCognition to become better at studying

Use the following questions and strategies to help you when studying.

There are several planning questions you can ask yourself before studying to better orient yourself and study more efficiently.

Questions to Ask Yourself

What am I supposed to learn? What is the takeaway? What do I already know, and what would I like to learn? How can I organize myself and my materials? How much time do I have to complete it? How much time do I need? What are some ways I can accomplish my studying goals? What resources do I have to complete my studying?

Asking the following monitoring questions can help guide your studying efforts and keep you on track.

Questions to Ask Yourself

What strategies am I using that are or are not working well to help me learn? What other resources can I use to complete my studying? What is most challenging about studying? What can I do differently at this point to address these challenges? Am I meeting my learning goals?

Asking the following evaluation questions after studying can help you reflect on your performance and make positive adaptations for the future.

Questions to Ask Yourself

How well did I accomplish my study goals? What did I learn? What did I do that worked or did not work well? What should I do differently next time I have a similar test to study for? What should I do the same? What topics am I still confused about? How can I answer these questions?

Using MetaCognition to Become a Better Reader

Use the following questions and strategies to help you when reading.

There are several planning questions you can ask yourself before reading to help orient your attention and set goals.

Questions to Ask Yourself

What am I supposed to learn? What is the takeaway? What do I already know, and what would I like to learn? How can I organize myself and my materials? How much time do I have to complete it? How much time do I need? What are some ways I can accomplish this reading? What resources do I have to complete the reading?

There are several monitoring questions you can ask yourself to enhance your awareness and understanding of how well you are reading.

Questions to Ask Yourself

What strategies am I using that are or are not working well to help me learn? What other resources can I use to complete this reading? What is most challenging about this reading? What can I do differently at this point to address these challenges? Am I meeting my learning goals?

There are several evaluation questions you can ask yourself after reading to enhance the quality of your reflection.

Questions to Ask Yourself

How well did I accomplish the goals of this reading assignment? What did I learn? What did I do that worked or did not work well? What should I do differently next time I have a similar reading assignment? What should I do the same? What topics am I still confused about? How can I answer these questions?

The Metacognition Loop: Effects of Planning The Metacognition Loop: Effects of Monitoring The Metacognition Loop: Effects of Evaluating

Explore Tips for Evaluating:

Explore Tips for Monitoring:

Explore Tips for Planning:

Key Metacognition Tips to Remember

Use MetaCognition To:

Improve Your Writing

Improve Your Studying

Improve Your Reading

Questions to Ask Yourself

Questions to Ask Yourself

Questions to Ask Yourself

Questions to Ask Yourself

Questions to Ask Yourself

Questions to Ask Yourself

Questions to Ask Yourself

Questions to Ask Yourself

Questions to Ask Yourself

IF YOU OFTEN PLAN...

THIS MEANS YOU TYPICALLY...

IF YOU SOMETIMES PLAN...

THIS MEANS YOU TYPICALLY...

IF YOU RARELY PLAN...

THIS MEANS YOU TYPICALLY...

Experience before planning

Sophia’s Planning Actions

The effects of Planning

Key Thought

If you often monitor...

This means you typically...

If you sometimes monitor...

This means you typically...

If you rarely monitor...

This means you typically...

Experience before Monitoring

Jose’s Monitoring Actions

The effects of Monitoring

Key Thought

If you often evaluate...

This means you typically...

If you sometimes evaluate...

This means you typically...

If you rarely evaluate...

This means you typically...

Experience before Evaluating

Anthony’s Evaluating Actions

The effects of Evaluating

Key Thought

Questions to Ask Yourself

Questions to Ask Yourself

Questions to Ask Yourself

Questions to Ask Yourself

Questions to Ask Yourself

Questions to Ask Yourself

Questions to Ask Yourself

Questions to Ask Yourself

Questions to Ask Yourself