Metakognition

metacognition; thinking about one's own thinking

noun meh-tah-kog-ni-tsyOHN Rare

Origin: from Greek meta (beyond) + Latin cognitio

Usage Note

Metakognition refers to awareness and regulation of one's own cognitive processes. A key concept in educational psychology: metakognitive Strategien anwenden (to apply metacognitive strategies). Increasingly used in school pedagogy discourse.

Examples

"Metakognition hilft Schülerinnen und Schülern, ihr Lernen bewusster zu steuern."

Natural Translation

Metacognition helps students to direct their learning more consciously.

Literal Translation

Metacognition helps students, their learning more consciously to steer.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

Weil vs Denn vs Da: "Because" in German

Weil and da send the verb to the end; denn keeps it in second position. Here's how to pick the right German "because" and place the verb correctly.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

Der, Die, Das: Rules to Guess German Gender

German noun gender rules made simple: check the suffix first, then meaning. Endings like -ung, -chen, and -ling predict der, die, or das with ~90% accuracy.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Body Parts: Vocabulary + How to Say It Hurts

Learn German body parts with der/die/das and plurals, plus the two ways to say something hurts: Mir tut der Kopf weh and Ich habe Kopfschmerzen.

June 9, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German Modal Verbs: Können, Müssen, Wollen and More

German modal verbs put the modal in position 2 and the real verb at the end. Master können, müssen, wollen and the rest with charts and clear examples.

June 5, 2026 5 min read