Much of the current work in reading comprehension features the idea that reading for meaning involves metacognitive activity of comprehension monitoring, which entails keeping track of the success with which one's comprehension is proceeding, ensuring that the process continues smoothly, and taking remedial action if necessary. The resurgence of interest in the topic of reasoning or thinking reflects a paradigm shift in the field of learning psychology. Thus, although metacognition is not a new field of study, the new concepts and methods used in current research should eventually have a greater impact on education than earlier work on the same topic did. There is now sufficient evidence from studies of children that less able readers are not particularly adept at monitoring their understanding of what they listen to or read. Research has shown that approaches teachers can use to improve these children's metacognitive strategies include (1) providing instructions to predict outcomes that require a reader's active involvement and constructive thinking, (2) encouraging children to integrate their prior knowledge with story content, and (3) training students to monitor their understanding by asking themselves questions as they read. Teachers should be cautioned, however, that an overt demonstration of an understanding of metacognitive skills is unnecessary. Rather, the teacher should model good questions, provide examples of strategies students might use, and provide many opportunities to apply the strategies to various types of reading materials. (HOD)