What is metacognition?

Metacognition refers to the awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes. It involves not just thinking, but thinking about how we think. This encompasses self-regulation of cognition through planning, monitoring, and evaluating one's understanding and performance. For instance, when students reflect on which study strategies worked best for them or assess their level of comprehension after a lesson, they are engaging in metacognitive practices.

The other options represent different cognitive or collaborative processes that are important in learning but do not fully encompass the essence of metacognition. Learning from memory implies a focus on the retention and retrieval of information, while analyzing past performances pertains to self-evaluation, which is a part of metacognition but does not capture its broader scope. Collaborating with peers involves social interaction, which can enhance learning but is distinct from the introspective nature of metacognitive practices. Thus, the identification of metacognition is best captured by the concept of thinking about one's own thinking.