Do you know how to learn? Many people don’t. Specifically, they don’t know how to look inward to examine how they learn and to judge which methods are effective. That’s where metacognitive strategies come in. They are techniques that help people become more successful learners. Shouldn’t this be a crucial goal of instructional design?
Improved metacognition can facilitate both formal and informal learning. It can improve the performance of new tasks on the job and help teams problem solve more effectively. Here are few ways in which you can develop your metacognitive skills
- Understand that you don’t know it ALL – Knowing the gaps in your knowledge is key.
- Set Yourself Goals – Goals should be both challenging and realistic.
- Prepare Properly – 5 minutes spent preparing is an hour saved later on.
- React Better to the Feedback you Get – Feedback that is sought but not actioned is a wasted opportunity.
- Monitor Your Performance – Don’t wait until the end to see how you are doing.
- Seek Out Feedback – This improves your knowledge base, helping you make better choices.
- Keep a Diary – This will improve self-awareness.
- Ask Yourself Good Questions – Is this similar to previous tasks? What should I do first? and What would I do differently next time?
In summary, metacognition is a set of skills that enable learners to become aware of how they learn and to evaluate and adapt these skills to become increasingly effective at learning. In a world that demands lifelong learning, providing people with new and improved metacognitive strategies is a gift that can last forever.
Be Inspired..!! 
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