Metacognition
Written by:
Cody Hoffman, HBA, BEd, OCT
| May 2026
Leo is a bright grade eight student who wants to do well. He spends hours at the kitchen table each night leading up to his science test — re-reading his notes, highlighting almost every line in his notebook, and making dozens of flashcards. When the teacher hands Leo’s test back a week later, he is devastated to see a 60% at the top of his page. He thinks to himself, Maybe I’m just not good at science.
Leo’s struggle isn’t due to a lack of intelligence or capability. Parents and teachers of students with ADHD see this disconnect between effort and outcome all the time. In many cases, the missing piece is an executive function skill called metacognition. Understanding how to support a student’s metacognitive development is the key to helping them move from passive ‘doing’ to active, independent learning.
What is metacognition?
Metacognition is a high level executive function skill that can be simply described as ‘thinking about our own thoughts.’ It’s our inner dialogue that helps us to take a step back and reflect on what we are doing, thinking, and feeling. Metacognition involves three key skills that help to guide us through each stage of a task:
- Planning (before the task)
- Monitoring (during the task)
- Evaluating (after the task)
Metacognition is highly related to learning outcomes: studies have shown that students who have learned to use metacognitive strategies are more resilient, and more successful in achieving their academic goals.
Metacognition and the ADHD brain
Children who learn to think about their thinking can regulate their emotions more easily, and are better equipped to handle the tricky situations that they face day-to-day. However, children with ADHD often require more time and effort to develop their metacognitive skills than their neurotypical peers.
Children who struggle to self-monitor and reflect on their thinking may not understand why they are hitting roadblocks at school, at home, or with their friends. This may result in negative thought patterns and a fixed mindset about their own abilities. You might hear them say things like I can’t do this or I’m just not good at writing, rather than reflecting on what’s not working for them and exploring different strategies.
Fortunately, metacognition is a skill that can be taught, practiced, and strengthened over time. When children with ADHD learn how their brain works, practice cognitive strategies, and are encouraged to reflect on their progress, they can become confident, independent problem solvers with a growth mindset.
What metacognition looks like
PLANNING
The planning stage (before the task) involves setting clear, achievable goals and identifying the steps needed to reach them. Before a student begins studying, they should pause to create a roadmap. A student with strong metacognitive skills might ask themselves:
- What concepts will be on the test and what format will it take?
- When will I study, and for how long?
- How will I study? (e.g. will I quiz myself with flashcards, or complete a practice test?)
This proactive planning significantly lowers the barrier to entry, making students less likely to fall into the trap of procrastination.
MONITORING
The monitoring stage (during the task) involves the student periodically checking in on their progress, and adjusting their approach if they hit a roadblock.
For example, while completing a math worksheet, a student might pause and ask themselves Do I truly understand what I’m doing?, Is this strategy working, or is there another tool that I could use? or Do I need to ask for help? These self-reflective questions prompt students to problem-solve, rather than getting stuck when they encounter a challenge.
EVALUATING
The final stage involves reflecting on the process and the product after the task. When reflecting on an English essay, a student might realize that they spent too much time gathering research, and felt rushed during the writing stage as a result. They might plan to use a visual timer when writing their next essay, and set limits around the amount of time spent researching.
By evaluating what worked and what didn’t, the student is practicing a growth mindset, rather than making judgments about their abilities.
Strategies to support metacognitive growth
Like all executive function skills, metacognition can be taught, practiced, and improved over time. There are several ways for parents and educators to support students’ metacognitive skills.
Ask metacognitive questions
Rather than simply directing (“do this”), parents and teachers can engage in reflective questioning to prompt the student to ‘supervise’ their own work.
Reflective questioning gets the student’s frontal lobe to do the heavy lifting, rather than yours. With practice, they will develop their ability to ask themselves these questions and reflect on their learning independently.
- Before a task: What is your goal? What is the first step? How much time do you think this will take? What strategies/tools did we use last time?
- During a task: How is your focus level right now, on a scale of 1-10? Which part are you finding tricky? Is this strategy working for you? What tools or strategies might help make this easier?
- After a task: Do you feel like you reached your goal? How do you know? Was that strategy a ‘win’, or should we try something different next time? What was the hardest part? What would you change for next time?
Think aloud/Model self-talk
Narrating your own problem-solving process out loud shows students that even adults hit roadblocks. Over time, this explicit modelling helps students to develop their own internal dialogue and become independent problem-solvers.
Thinking aloud makes the invisible work of the brain visible for students – you are teaching them how to identify a problem and select a strategy. Essentially, you are providing them with a ‘script’ that they can eventually use to coach themselves through their own challenges.
- “I’m looking at this grocery list and feeling overwhelmed because the items aren’t organized by aisle. I’m going to take a moment and put them into groups so I don’t have to walk back and forth.”
- “The internet isn’t working – instead of getting frustrated, I’m going to make a list of things to try. First, I’ll reset the router. If that doesn’t work, I will check the cables. If it’s still not working, I’ll call our internet provider.”
Teach goal-setting
Goal-setting is a vital step in the learning process, especially for tasks where the “finish line” isn’t clear — like studying for an exam or completing an open-ended art project. For students with ADHD, these kinds of tasks are often the hardest to start — and finish. Teaching students to set goals for their work supports the ‘planning’ stage of their metacognitive process, and makes tasks feel less overwhelming.
Goal-setting makes the finish line visible rather than abstract. When a student knows exactly what ‘done’ looks like, they can more accurately monitor their progress and evaluate their own success.
- Example: ‘Study for science’ is a big, abstract task. ‘Create 10 flashcards from unit one and quiz myself’ is a much more manageable goal for a single study session. Creating these mini-goals helps students to stay on track and experience small wins at each step of the task.
Encourage a growth mindset
Students with executive function challenges often develop a negative inner voice that frames their skill deficits as personal flaws. By modelling and encouraging a growth mindset, parents and educators can help students tune out their inner critic, and replace it with metacognitive thinking. If a student only receives positive feedback about the grade they earned, it can lead to a fixed mindset: If I get a good grade, then I am a good student. If I get a poor grade, I am a bad student.
Acknowledging the process over the product helps students to replace self-criticism with self-reflection. When things don’t go according to plan, a growth mindset helps the student to view setbacks as learning opportunities rather than something shameful.
- Example: When a student brings home an A+ spelling test, it’s important to celebrate the effort and strategy rather than just the outcome. Try saying: “I am so proud of how you kept trying even though memorizing your spelling words was tricky” or “I’m really impressed with how you tried out different strategies to learn those words. Which one do you think worked best?” If your student brings home a less-than-stellar grade, this is a great opportunity to help them reflect on the process: “It looks like the strategy we tried didn’t work so well. What should we adjust for next time?”
How executive function coaching can help
An executive function coach encourages your child to reflect on their strengths and needs, and provides targeted practice in their specific areas of challenge. A coach can help your child to set personal goals, make a plan to tackle tough assignments, and evaluate which strategies work best for them. By learning to ‘think about their thinking,’ your child can become an independent, confident learner ready to face any challenge that comes their way.
Cody Hoffman, an Ontario certified teacher and Communicative Disorders Assistant with extensive experience working with neurodivergent learners, is an Executive Function Coach at Red Oak. She focuses on helping students (and their parents) understand how their brain works, identify how they learn best, and develop the confidence and self-advocacy skills that support success at school and in daily life.