This article reports on the explicit introduction of metacognitive strategies by an early career science teacher to support the application of mathematics skills. The research investigated the effectiveness of these strategies with three Year 11 physics students using an action research approach. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using a think-aloud activity completed by the students during a pre-test and a post-test and through observation of in-class work. The findings suggest that all three students improved in applying their mathematical problem-solving skills as a result of using metacognitive strategies. Most notably, the students improved by allocating more time to comprehending the question and used strategies such as highlighting relevant data, which helped them to solve the physics problems more effectively. The students also appeared to demonstrate more confidence when they used a range of metacognitive strategies and followed a structured approach to solving problems. It is recommended that further research investigates explicit teaching of self-regulation in order to further develop students' metacognitive skills.