"Thinking about your thinking" refers to a concept known as metacognition. It is the process of becoming aware of your own thoughts, cognitive processes, and mental activities. Metacognition involves observing and reflecting on how you think, problem-solve, learn, and make decisions.
When you engage in metacognition, you are essentially stepping back from the immediate content of your thoughts and examining the process by which those thoughts arise. This self-awareness allows you to better understand your cognitive strengths and weaknesses, identify biases, and improve your overall thinking and learning abilities.
Metacognition can take various forms, such as:
Self-monitoring: Paying attention to your thought patterns, recognizing when your mind wanders, or noticing distractions during a task.
Self-reflection: Examining your problem-solving strategies, evaluating your decision-making process, and considering whether alternative approaches might be more effective.
Planning: Setting goals and considering the steps needed to achieve them, including the cognitive processes required to accomplish those goals.
Self-questioning: Asking yourself questions like "How do I know this to be true?", "What assumptions am I making?", or "Is there another perspective I should consider?"
Evaluation: Assessing the quality of your own thinking and being open to adjusting your beliefs and ideas based on new information.
Metacognition is a valuable skill that can enhance your learning and problem-solving capabilities. By understanding how you think and learn, you can become more efficient, adaptable, and critical in your thoughts and actions. It's particularly useful for students, professionals, and anyone seeking to improve their cognitive processes and decision-making skills.