Use your strategies deliberately: name the method before you start

Saying "I use my strategies" only means something if you can name which one and why — make the method an explicit choice instead of a default habit.

Why it works

Most people study on autopilot with whatever feels easy — usually rereading. Naming the strategy you are using makes it a deliberate choice you can evaluate and swap, and it lets you match the method to the material and the goal. Conditional knowledge — knowing which strategy to use when — is a core part of metacognition that distinguishes flexible learners from rigid ones. The naming step does specific work rather than being a formality. An unnamed method cannot be evaluated, because there is nothing to compare an outcome against; naming converts a habit into a hypothesis you can be wrong about. It also exposes the mismatch between how a method feels and how well it works, which is the central failure in self-directed study: rereading produces a strong sense of familiarity that learners read as evidence of learning, so the least effective methods generate the most confidence. Stating the strategy out loud before you start interrupts that at the only point where the choice is still open.

How to do it

1. Before studying, name the specific strategy you are about to use.
2. State why it fits this material and this goal.
3. If it is "reread because it is easy", deliberately choose a more effortful method instead.

Evidence

Metacognitive research distinguishes knowing strategies from knowing when to apply them (conditional knowledge), and finds that strategy instruction improves learning most when learners understand when and why to use each method, not just how. Foundational theory formalizes this declarative/procedural/conditional split, grounding the claim that naming a strategy converts it into a monitorable, swappable choice. (observational)

Strategy awareness correlates with better learning, but the link is partly entangled with motivation and prior skill; awareness helps most when paired with effortful methods.

Sources

• Schraw, G., & Moshman, D. (1995). Metacognitive theories. Educational Psychology Review, 7(4), 351-371.
• Schraw, G. (1998). Promoting general metacognitive awareness. Instructional Science, 26(1-2), 113-125.
• Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58.

Common mistake

Defaulting to whatever method is most comfortable without ever naming it, so an ineffective habit like rereading never gets noticed or replaced.