Thinking Smarter: How Teachers Can Shape Expert Learners Through Metacognition

In education, there’s a buzz building around using cognitive science to boost how students learn and retain knowledge. With strategies rooted in research, we can help students not only understand their subjects but become expert learners.

The Education Endowment Foundation cites modelling as “a cornerstone of effective teaching.” This post dives into what metacognition means and explores hands-on strategies for embedding it into teaching, with a particular focus on English classrooms.

The Power of Cognitive Science in Classrooms

At its core, cognitive science examines how we learn, focusing on our brain’s journey to long-term memory. Here’s how it works:

1. Attention: Information grabs our focus.
2. Working Memory: This stage handles new info but has limits (think of it as cognitive load).
3. Long-Term Memory: Techniques like retrieval practice and spaced learning secure information here.

With these principles, teachers can create lessons that lighten the cognitive load and help students achieve deeper understanding.

Understanding Metacognition: Thinking About Thinking

Metacognition, is often over-simplified as, “thinking about thinking.” However, this is a flawed definition as it’s too vague and basic to really get to the heart of the concept. More precisely, metacognition is about planning, monitoring, evaluating and reflecting on the learning processes, allowing students to develop powerful self-learning habits. The metacognitive process looks like this:

Figure 1 Metacognition Process Model (Dowey, 2023)

• Planning: Setting learning goals and identifying strategies. For instance, students might use “look, write, cover, check” or spaced repetition to prepare for a spelling test.
• Monitoring: Checking the effectiveness of chosen strategies, adjusting as needed.
• Evaluating:? Considering what worked and what didn’t, paving the way for smarter learning in the future.
• Reflecting: Working out which strategies to use for a similar task and if you need to alter your approach next time

This metacognitive process empowers students, helping them develop independent skills to tackle learning challenges head-on.

Deliberate Teacher Modelling: A Blueprint for Metacognitive Skills

Teacher modelling is more than showing steps – it’s revealing the thought process behind a task. Here’s a framework teachers can follow:

1. Explicit instruction: Start with a clear explanation of the task and objectives.
2. Think-alouds: Walk students through your thought process. In an English lesson, for example, this might involve analysing a poem aloud, discussing metaphors, themes, and meanings.
3. Worked examples: Share completed examples and highlight key points and potential missteps.
4. Scaffolding: Gradually reduce support, allowing students to gain confidence and independence.
5. Reflection: Encourage students to assess their own strategies, challenges, and solutions.

This approach helps students see learning as an active process, where they can strategize, reflect, and refine their skills.

Bringing Modelling to Life in the English Classroom

Imagine guiding Year 7 students through constructing a balanced argument. Start with a relatable topic: “The stress of exams builds resilience. Write a letter supporting this viewpoint to your student council.”

Here’s how you can model the planning process:

• Set the Scene: Explain that you’ll be working together on planning and why a solid plan makes for a stronger argument.
• Structure the Plan: Use a three-column table to separate arguments and counter-arguments. This visual aid reduces cognitive load and keeps thoughts organized.
• Brainstorm: Populate the table with arguments and counter-arguments, showing students how to connect ideas logically.
• Select and Link Ideas: Talk through the process of linking ideas to build a persuasive, cohesive argument.

This hands-on example brings metacognitive techniques to life, allowing students to grasp and apply them in their own work.

Six Quick Tips for Effective Modelling

Here are small changes with big impact:

1. Prepare your model: Outline the structure and examples in advance.
2. Show it works: Ask students how confident they feel before and after the activity.
3. Embrace mistakes: Model problem-solving by making a deliberate error, then discuss how to correct it.
4. Verbalise thought: Talk through each decision to show the “why” behind your steps.
5. Active engagement: Keep students involved with questions and avoid passive notetaking.
6. Guide revision: Demonstrate revision techniques like flashcards, spaced practice, or self-quizzing.

By integrating metacognition and deliberate modelling, teachers empower students with tools for lifelong learning. These skills extend beyond the classroom, giving them a framework to tackle challenges in all areas of life. When teachers consistently model their thought processes, students not only gain knowledge but learn how to learn.

Ready to dive deeper?

Explore our English Mastery Secondary programme, where cognitive science principles are woven into every lesson, from structured models to interactive CPD sessions. Let’s elevate students’ learning journeys together.

For more information on metacognition:

1. Review the guidance from the Education Endowment Foundation:

• Guidance Report on Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning
• Cognitive Science Approaches in the Classroom: A Review of the Evidence

2. Watch our webinar with Dr Sarah Dowey, in which she demonstrates live the teacher modelling example described above.

3. Read Dr Sarah Dowey’s blog on metacognitive monitoring taken from her chapter in Teaching Hacks. Fixing Everyday Classroom Issue with Metacognition.