Metacognition

How we think about thoughts is composed of metacognitive knowledge - our understanding of our thinking and learning, metacognitive regulation - strategies and practices that control our learning, and metacognitive experiences - thoughts and feelings while learning something.

See also:

  • Thinking Better Thoughts

    I remember when I first started working at Stripe I felt like the dumbest person in the room. I was amazed at how smart everyone seemed and the writing…gosh, the writing! If I wanted to be like that too, something needed to change.

  • Strategy Bugs

    Like software bugs, strategy bugs are a failure of understanding of how the real world works and the value your product creates. They also have varying degrees of severity—some which should be solved right away and some which can slowly accumulate without significant harm.

  • Language Is Crucial to a Developing Mind, but Not Essential to a Fully Formed Mind

    The notion that “the limits of my language mean the limits of my world” (Ludwig Wittgenstein) is only partially true. To a young developing mind, delays in language development hinder math (it’s hard to count above 5 without words for it) and inferring other people’s thoughts—as is the case with some deaf children. However, adults that lose their language facilities (global aphasia) do not lose other cognitive functions such as the ability to do math, theory of mind, music, and more.