*Introductory Guide for Grad Students

Metacognition--what is that and why would you care?

Think about the list of 'abilities': do you already possess each?  These take reflection (and self-honesty) but likely help you grow from student to academic; student to life-long learner.

Metacognition is the ability to:

• Think about one's own thinking
• Be consciously aware of oneself as a problem solver
• Monitor, plan, and control one's mental processing
  • Am I understanding this material, OR just memorizing?
• Accurately judge one's level of learning

From: Flavell, J.H. (1976). Metacognitive aspects of problem solving.  In L.B. Resnick (Ed.), The nature of intelligence (pp.231-236). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum