: Metacognition in the classroom – plan, monitor and evaluating learning How we can practically use metacognition strategies in the classroom?

In the first blog in this series we began with a question for the ​‘lay teacher’, those of us interested in metacognition but not (yet) in the research fellow league. We asked – what (actually) is metacognition? It is a question that has interested me as a teacher for a number of years and has led me delve into the research and practice.

Metacognition is a term often used but hard to define. We attempted to move beyond a ​‘thinking about thinking’ generalisation and began to think instead about metacognition as ​‘a learner’s conscious management of their learning’. This sounds complex, and it is, but recommendation two of the EEF Guidance report – ​‘Explicitly teach pupils metacognitive strategies, including how to plan, monitor, and evaluate their learning’ offers up some practical assistance for teachers in the classroom.

As teachers, how we can practically use these strategies in the classroom – how might we get our learners to plan? To monitor? To evaluate their learning? What might this look like and how can we help our learners to be more metacognitive?

As with all other learning, explicit instruction is vital for metacognition, we must make the implicit, explicit. Whilst many children will develop their metacognitive skills as they mature, this cannot be taken for granted. There is evidence which points towards disadvantaged pupils being less likely than their peers to use metacognitive strategies and self-regulated learning without such explicit instruction. So, we know it is important, we can’t leave it to chance, but how to help?

To bring each stage to life for the classroom, I’ve outlined some practical suggestions which could be applied to each aspect. I’ve also shared some examples of the kind of questions which can be used for teacher metacognitive modelling (eg think alouds) and also as prompts for learners to develop their own self-regulation.

Supporting learners to develop their planning might include helping them to:

• set their own goals or reflect on goals given
• ensure they understand the task
• make a plan to tackle the task
• activate relevant prior knowledge
• select appropriate strategies
• allocate or select any resources
• decide where to put their efforts
• decide how much time to spend on an activity or aspect of a task

Questions that develop learners’ planning could include: How will I approach this task? What has worked for me before? What do I already know? What have I learned from the examples we’ve looked at? Where shall I start? What resources might I use? How long should it take me/​do I have? What can I do if I get stuck? How can I keep myself motivated?

Supporting learners to develop their monitoring (during the task) might include helping them to:

• self-test
• check their own understanding
• question themselves
• deliberately change (or not change) their strategies based on their monitoring

Questions that develop learners’ monitoring could include: Am I doing well at this task? Have I selected the right strategies? Do I have enough time? Is there a different strategy/​tool/​resource that might improve my work? Do I need to ask for help?

Supporting learners to develop their evaluation might include helping them to:

• appraise the outcomes – was the task completed?
• appraise their performance – how effective was the plan and where the right strategies selected?
• appraise the processes of learning – how well was the plan implemented?

Questions that develop learners’ evaluation could include: How successful was I? Did my strategy work? Did my change in strategy improve my work? How could I have made it better/​do it better next time? What have I learned about my approach to this task? Did I stay motivated?

(Further prompts for teachers can be found in the additional tools of the guidance report – Supporting Knowledge of Self Through Modelling).

It is important to recognise that all three of these elements may not take place in one lesson but build across a series of lessons. As with all learning, getting better at metacognition will first need to be guided and scaffolded by the teacher and increasingly used by the learner independently. There will need to be plenty of opportunity to practice over time and across contexts. As learners’ metacognitive skills develop, they may well be able to do each of these stages automatically and quickly – just like we do and many other successful learners do; almost without being aware of doing so and in turn become more successful learners themselves.

In the final blog in this series, we will be building on practical strategies for the classroom by looking in more detail at recommendation 6 – ​‘explicitly teach pupils how to organise and effectively manage their learning independently’ and in particular which tools have the greatest evidence to support impact on learners.

References and further reading

• EEF Podcast ​‘Metacognition’ Evidence into Action (2023)
  
  
• EEF, (2021): ​‘Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning’ Education Endowment Foundation
  
  
• Muijs D, Bokhove C, (2020): ​‘Metacognition and Self-Regulation: Evidence Review’ Education Endowment Foundation
  
  
• Heron H, (2023):​‘Supporting self-knowledge through modelling’ EEF blog May 2023