First, METACONGITION, it is like judging your own thoughts, and be aware of yourself as problem solver.
Some strategies I use in classroom are:
1- Break the ice between the students and myself by letting them understand that we are equal partners in the learning process.
2- Encourage my students to ask questions. When students ask questions, they start to be involve in the learning process.
3- Throw these questions back to the class, and students will hit back.
4- At each objective of the lesson I ask my students if they understand or not. If a student express that he/she did not understand, I will erase the board and explain it again. Most of the time it is not about what teachers say, it about what they hear.
5- I make my students work the problem with me in class. For example; if the lesson about bending stress, and I need first to find the shear, and moment diagrams plus the moment of inertia…I ask my class to work as groups to figure out all the above, then I add what is the bending stress. So, I use what they already know to be able to apply these concepts to view the context.

As McGuire mention; we are excellent teachers, but do we help our students to be active learners!!!