Cognitive and Metacognitive Strategies

All the strategies covered in the General Purpose Study Strategies section of this course can be used metacognitively. As a learner, knowing which strategy to choose is metacognitive. It goes beyond just choosing a strategy at random. You use metacognitive knowledge of how you learn best to choose what strategy you will employ to help you learn.

Someone who is an auditory learner might ask a classmate to explain difficult material, or to engage in a discussion about it.

Someone who is a visual learner might use diagrams or some other graphical representation to help learn the material.

Teachers and others of us who are somewhat kinesthetic learners and "talk with our hands" might be able to clarify meaning by using imagery and imagining themselves explaining the problem to others. Specific points of the material that are problematic can then be worked out orally. Problem areas can at least be identified and a clarification method can be chosen.

Being in grad school, you probably know how you learn best, and you probably try to learn that way most of the time when you study alone (or in groups if you prefer).

In educational settings, the easiest ways to think about metacognition is that it is planning how you will learn the material presented, or selecting the strategy that works best for you for the type of material presented.