metaskill

A metaskill is a higher-order skill that governs how individuals learn, manage, and apply other skills. Unlike domain-specific abilities, metaskills operate across contexts by shaping learning strategies, decision making, collaboration, and adaptation. The term is used in education, human resources, and cognitive psychology to describe abilities that enable rapid skill acquisition and effective performance.

Common metaskills include learning how to learn (metacognition, planning, goal setting), adaptability and resilience, critical thinking and problem framing, information literacy and digital fluency, self-regulation, transfer of learning, and communication and collaboration. Metaskills enable individuals to identify relevant skills, organize practice, seek feedback, and adjust strategies when contexts change.

In practice, metaskills are taught through active learning, deliberate practice, reflective assessment, and project-based work. They are related to soft skills and 21st-century skills but are distinguished by focusing on the process of skill development rather than the content itself. Some critics argue that the term is vague or umbrella-like and that metaskills may overlap with cognitive and personal-effectiveness concepts.

Developing metaskills is common in lifelong learning frameworks, workforce development programs, and educational curricula that emphasize self-directed learning, feedback loops, and transfer across tasks. While there is no universal consensus on a definitive list, the concept provides a framework for organizing instruction and personal development around the ability to learn how to learn and to adapt across domains.