#63 Being Metacognition Ready

Hi Everyone

It’s been great having conversations over the last few weeks with an increasing number of school staff who are now ready to think about creating a strategy that will support the development of metacognition in their learners.

It’s been several years since the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF, 2018) produced their original report looking at the most effective ways of supporting learner progress. Metacognition was identified as one of the best ways to do that, and has been on many people’s agendas since then.

The difficulty has been with how to develop a different way of thinking for students who don’t yet have the ability to reason in a more metacognitive way. They’re the ones who need it the most in order to help them make progress, so we really need to get to grips with how we can we make a real difference for them in particular.

The EEF has continued to release guidance on the practicalities of introducing a more metacognitive way of thinking into classrooms, but how do we actually turn theory into practice in an inclusive way, whilst continuing to meet the commitments of a curriculum?

It was great to work with a small group of educators from 2 different continents this week, sharing the contents of the masterclass; Classroom Practice that Supports Metacognition. Others (including those on yet another continent), are receiving the same content via specially made recordings.

For me, the 3 most important aspects of putting metacognition into practice, (and which are covered in detail during that training), are;

1)?? What’s going on inside learners’ heads? This has to be our first consideration because it’s the only place where metacognition can take place!?

2)?? How do you create a learning environment that is conducive to the development of metacognition? We need to consider whether our classroom is a place where thinking differently can flourish, or whether students might be nervous about doing so.?

3)?? Does our teaching practice actually model and promote a metacognitive way of thinking? Students will instinctively pick up on our expectation of how they’re approaching learning, but not from templates or written instructions on ‘how to’.

This is why a whole school approach is needed to integrate ‘metacognition’ across all classrooms. It doesn’t have to all be done at once, but a well-considered roll-out strategy is an essential starting point. Introducing the idea of metacognition is not a quick fix, but done properly over time will bring great results.

What’s really needed is for children and young people to learn how to think in a metacognitive way through a school’s long-term plan for improving student progress, using a natural and organic process that involves everybody. The students never have to hear the word ‘metacognition’, they just learn how to do it by default.

That is achieved by improving learners’ self-concepts so that they believe in their own ability to take control of their own learning, teaching them explicitly what the learning process looks like so that they know what to change, and helping them see clearly the role they need to play in their own progress.

What we want is for every learner to feel that they can learn in a more independent way, by asking themselves pertinent questions about how they're approaching it. Very few learners have a natural instinct for that questioning process, so it requires preparation over time to help more students work towards a more metacognitive way of doing things.

From my own practice, I can assure you that even students who face barriers to learning (as long as they have some level of cognitive ability), can rise well above expectations given this opportunity. You might be interested to read some real life accounts of the difference it can make. If so, then please either visit my website to download a free copy of 'The A-Z of Supporting Learner Achievement', or e-mail me and I'll happily send you a copy. ([email protected])

Helping you to achieve a whole school approach or any more specific aspect of putting metacognition into practice, is my speciality so if you would appreciate some support, keep in mind that I provide consultation, training and coaching that you might find useful. Just one word of warning though; I always advocate on behalf of the learner!

If you care deeply about the educational and life chances of every child and young person, then we’re a good match!

Please, be in their corner with me.

Take care till next time.

Warm regards

Liz