Knowing – doing gap
The EEF Toolkit, and an evidence review undertaken by Professor Daniel Muijs and Christian Bokhove, show the positive potential of mobilising metacognition in classrooms.
However, understanding metacognition is only part of the process – and implementing and sustaining approaches that support metacognitive thinking and independent learning can be really challenging.
New starter kit
This starter kit signposts key EEF resources that could be helpful. Drawn from the key recommendations from our Metacognition and Self-regulation guidance report. It highlights a range of tools to help build staff knowledge and provides suggested activities for initial professional development on metacognition.
For many educators, metacognition offers teaching approaches that, crucially, can guide pupils towards becoming more independent in their learning. Whether it is writing an essay in history, tackling word problems in Year 2 mathematics, or debating a controversial topic – planning, monitoring, and evaluating appear to be valuable steps that we need to make explicit for pupils.
We hope that this starter kit proves helpful for schools seeking to develop pupils’ independent learning behaviours through the implementation of metacognition strategies.
The EEF’s Effective Professional Development guidance report offers further support for schools in developing professional development to improve teacher practice.
The research school network is an excellent source of information on the use of evidence to improve teaching practice. Further information on specific training and support can be found on their website.