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Become a better student · Module 5: Plan, monitor, review

Plan, monitor, review: thinking about your thinking

Strong learners don’t just work hard. They check what they know, choose a strategy and change course when it isn’t working.

Written by the Brainhub Editorial Team Cites published research Updated 13 Oct 2026 7 min read

The course unlocks one lesson at a time. You can read this now, but it only counts once you’ve finished Stop re-reading.

Key takeaways

1. What metacognition is

Metacognition is “thinking about your thinking”. The psychologist John Flavell described it in the 1970s as knowing about your own thinking and keeping track of it as you go.[2]

The Education Endowment Foundation’s toolkit rates metacognition and self-regulation as one of the highest-impact approaches in schools, with an average of about seven months’ additional progress.[1]

2. The plan, monitor, review cycle

Stage
Ask yourself
Plan
What is the task? What do I already know? Which strategy will I use?
Monitor
Is this working? Do I understand it, or does it just look familiar?
Review
What went well? What would I do differently next time?

3. Check your confidence

Students are often overconfident about topics they have re-read and underconfident about topics they have practised. A quick fix: rate each topic red, amber or green, then test yourself on it. Where your rating and score disagree, trust the score.

Green means “I can do the questions”, not “I’ve seen this before”.

4. Make it a habit

Before

Write one line: the goal of this session and the method you’ll use.

During

Every 20 minutes, ask: can I do this without my notes yet?

After

Write one thing that worked and one change for next time.

For parents: Instead of “How did it go?”, ask “What will you do differently next time?” It builds the review habit.

Try it now

Test yourself on this page

Answer in your head first, then check.

  1. 1. What is metacognition?

  2. 2. What are the three stages of the cycle?

  3. 3. If you rate a topic green but score badly on a test, which should you trust?

Your next steps

  • Rate your topics red, amber or green for one subject.
  • Test yourself on three greens this week.
  • End each revision session with a one-line review.

Finished this lesson?

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Sources

  1. Education Endowment Foundation. Teaching and Learning Toolkit: Metacognition and self-regulation. educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/metacognition-and-self-regulation
  2. Flavell, J. H. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: a new area of cognitive-developmental inquiry. American Psychologist, 34(10), 906–911. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.34.10.906

This guide is general study advice. Every student is different. A teacher can help you work out what fits.