Research School Network: Metacognition: 5 key changes in the new EEF report The EEF has published an updated version of its popular metacognition guidance. But what’s changed since the previous report?

Metacognition and self-regulation approaches support pupils to think about their own learning more explicitly, often by teaching them specific strategies for planning, monitoring and evaluating their learning. According to the EEF teaching and learning toolkit, metacognition has low cost, strong evidence, and high impact on pupil outcomes, something which is bound to attract the attention of teachers and leaders in our schools!

We know that high-quality classroom teaching is the biggest lever schools have in improving outcomes for all pupils, but particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. We also know that as we look to improve our practices, we should focus on issues that are controllable and ​‘within our gift’: those that are preventing pupils from thriving in the classroom and in wider school life.

With this in mind, the emphasis of the vignettes featuring in the report has shifted from what the pupils does when they are behaving metacognitively, to what teachers can do to support their pupils in becoming metacognitive learners. This is an important shift, as we know that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to deploy metacognitive strategies unless they are explicitly taught how to do so.

This shift can be seen in the example below. While in the previous guidance report focused on how Freya prepared for her spelling test, here the focus shifts to her teacher Mr Thomas and how he supports her in using effective strategies. These vignettes are ideal for use in teacher professional development sessions as we reflect upon our current practices and how we might nudge these to become more informed by research evidence.

Vignette
What are metacognition and self-regulated learning?
Over the past half-term, Mr Thomas noticed pupils struggling with spelling tests. In response, he slowed the pace and made his teaching more explicit.
Thinking aloud, Mr Thomas shared examples like, ​‘I sometimes forget tricky endings too. What helps me remember? A rhyme, a rule, or grouping the words.’ To deepen understanding, he led peer discussions on tricky spellings, modelled using mnemonics, and demonstrated how to
follow them up with low-stakes strategies like partner checks or self-quizzing, explaining how and when to use them effectively.
After each test, Mr Thomas set aside time for evaluation, using prompts like: ​‘What worked?’, ​‘What will you do differently next time?’ He also encouraged pupils to apply these strategies at home, building their independence as learners.

Exemplification from real schools which captures practices and reflections can be helpful if you are considering implementing similar approaches in your setting. While case studies describe a specific context which might not be the same as your own, we often hear from the schools we work with that they are useful tools. (Used alongside the underlying evidence and consideration of effective implementation of course.)

One example of this from the report is the exemplification of the use of ​‘think aloud’ modelling from the WISE Academies Trust in the North-East of England. This takes a key recommendation from the guidance – modelling our own thinking in order to help pupils develop their metacognitive skills – and brings it to life through showing how this might impact upon teacher behaviours in classrooms.

Case Study
Across schools in the WISE Academies Trust, teachers use ​‘think aloud’ modelling to develop pupils’ writing skills. This aligns with the school’s ​‘tight but loose’ framework: clear expectations applied flexibly to suit needs.
Using the gradual release model (‘I do, we do, you do’), teachers verbalise writing decisions. For example, during the ​‘I do’ stage, a teacher might say: ​‘I want to show contrast, so I’ll start this sentence with ​“however” and follow it with a comma.’ This helps pupils learn how to structure sentences, choose cohesive devices, and shape their tone with intent.
In the ​‘we do’ phase, teachers and pupils co-construct writing, with pupils increasingly verbalising their choices. As confidence grows, scaffolds are removed. During ​‘you do’ phase, pupils write independently, supported by feedback and reflection time.
The ​‘you do together’ phase encourages pupils to choose and explain a ​‘stellar sentence’ or revise a weaker one with their partner. For example, ​‘This sentence is cluttered — I’ll shorten it for clarity.’
Teachers also model how to give effective feedback using think alouds. This shared approach is embedded through professional development, promoting consistent methods and helping pupils become strategic, independent writers.

The popular ​‘seven-step model’ from the original report has had a minor update. Step 4, which previously referred to ​‘memorisation of a strategy’ has been replaced by ​‘check understanding of strategy’. This aligns the model with the language which is commonly used in schools to refer to formative assessment strategies.

Classroom talk has become a real focus for school over that last few years, and with good reason. Professor Becky Francis, speaking to TES in her role as lead for the Curriculum and Assessment Review, said that​“the evidence on the need for the spoken word is clear and we’ve been convinced by it” but​“the teaching of oracy is not always happening adequately on the ground”.

While metacognitive talk did feature in the original guidance report, additional tools and resources now support teachers and leaders in developing an understanding of what the support offered to pupils to develop these skills might look like. In particular, there is a spotlight on the ​‘think aloud’ approach and how this might be faded over time to support pupils in developing independence, and an updated tool to support teachers in ​‘Promoting metacognitive talk’.

One of the most popular tools from the Deployment of Teaching Assistants guidance report released earlier this year was the scaffolding framework for teaching assistant – pupil interactions. At the time, I felt this would be a very useful resource for teachers too, and pleasingly a teacher-focused tool has now been released alongside the updated metacognition report. This framework offers verbal, visual, and written scaffolds to promote pupils’ increasingly independent use of metacognitive strategies over time, supporting teachers in using the principle of ​‘least help first’. Prompting, clueing, modelling, or correcting only as necessary, to guide pupils toward self-scaffolding.