{"id":18269,"date":"2022-09-22T09:21:03","date_gmt":"2022-09-22T08:21:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings-new\/?page_id=18269"},"modified":"2023-11-16T13:00:12","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T13:00:12","slug":"metacognition","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/send\/educational-psychology\/resources\/devon-psychology-in-action\/metacognition\/","title":{"rendered":"Metacognition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:25%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#what-is-metacognition\">What is metacognition?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#how-psychology-helps-us-to-understand-metacognition\">How psychology helps us to understand metacognition:<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#five-fab-facts-about-metacognition-function\">Five fab facts about metacognition function<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#top-tips-to-help-children-and-young-people\">Top tips to help children and young people:<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#1-ask-questions-that-encourage-reflective-thinking\">1. Ask questions that encourage reflective thinking<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#2-explore-helpful-thoughts\">2. Explore helpful thoughts<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#3-encourage-a-growth-mind-set\">3. Encourage a growth mind set<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#4-practice-sorting-and-categorising-skills\">4. Practice sorting and categorising skills<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\t<div class=\"dcc-documents-cpt-fixed dccdocs-sticky dccdocs-hidden\">\r\n    <div class=\"grid-container\">\r\n        <div class=\"grid-x grid-margin-x\">\r\n            <div class=\"cell medium-12\">\r\n                <a class=\"back-to-top hide-for-print\" href=\"#content\"><svg class=\"app-c-back-to-top__icon\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"13\" height=\"17\" viewBox=\"0 0 13 17\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M6.5 0L0 6.5 1.4 8l4-4v12.7h2V4l4.3 4L13 6.4z\"><\/path><\/svg> Contents<\/a>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:75%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:41.333%\"><div class=\"document-meta-acf-block clearfix \" id=\"block_0fc0aacada3e69a9c99a6779388c02bc\"><div class=\" dcc-documents-meta\"><div class=\"dcc-documents-widget dcc-documents-widget-block\"><div class=\"dcc-documents-widget-box2\"><p class=\"dcc-documents-published\"><span>Published<\/span> <time datetime=\"2022-09-22T09:21:03+00:00\">22\/09\/2022 9:21am<\/time><\/p><p class=\"dcc-documents-updated\"><span>Last Updated<\/span> <time datetime=\"2023-11-16T13:00:12+00:00\">16\/11\/2023 1:00pm<\/time><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:58.666%\"><div class=\"document-download-acf-block clearfix \" id=\"block_86cba065c9c264fe9262e432e08361b0\">\r\n\r\n\t\t<div class=\" dcc-documents-downloads hide-for-print\"><div class=\"dcc-documents-widget dcc-documents-widget-block\"><div class=\"dcc-documents-widget-box2\"><div class=\"content-container\"><div class=\"content-column download-copy\"><h2 class=\"dcc-documents-title\">Document resources<\/strong><\/h2><p class=\"dcc-documents-intro\">These files may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"content-column download-button\"><ul class=\"dcc-documents-widget-dropdown dcc-documents-widget-menu\"><li class=\"dcc-documents-widget-is-dropdown\"><button class=\"button secondary dcc-documents-widget-noarrow dcc-documents-widget-button dcc-documents-widget-download-button\" >Download<\/button><ul id=\"\" class=\"dcc-documents-widget-vertical dcc-documents-widget-menu dcc-documents-widget-is-submenu\" data-disable-hover=\"true\" data-click-open=\"true\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/devoncc.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/PublicDocs\/Education\/EYGyqej9D_1NvEK2iCEw1HoB8D0UgcG4BOiWKZk8FVZNIA?e=EG08Na\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"dcc-documents-widget-text\"><span>Metacognition (Document)<\/span><\/span><span class=\"dcc-documents-widget-size\">170KB<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-metacognition\">What is metacognition?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Metacognition means \u2018thinking about our thinking\u2019 (literally, \u2018beyond knowing\u2019). It is something most of us do every day without noticing. Teaching young people to reflect on their thoughts can make a big difference to their wellbeing, behaviour and learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Metacognition helps us to become aware of what we know about something, what we don\u2019t know and how we can apply learning to different situations. It is the conversation we have in our heads when we \u2018talk to ourselves\u2019 and make plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-psychology-helps-us-to-understand-metacognition\">How psychology helps us to understand metacognition:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Metacognition describes the processes involved when learners understand how to plan, monitor, evaluate and make changes to their own behaviour and learning, to help achieve a goal. It gives people power over their own performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Metacognition has two main areas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Knowing what skills I already have, what skills are needed to complete a task, and what strategies I might try.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Monitoring how well these strategies are working and changing to a new strategy if necessary. Using metacognition can help us to understand our own learning better.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n<figure class=\"dcc-infographic-block\" id=\"block_5c63a9e111dada56c000846da65feb54\"><img decoding=\"async\" tabindex=\"-1\" id=\"longdesc-return-18272\" longdesc=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings?longdesc=18272&#038;referrer=18269\" aria-describedby=\"longdesc-link-wp-image-18272\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/166\/2022\/09\/Untitled-design-20-600x600.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-18272\" alt=\"Flow chart - how psychology helps us to understand metacognition\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/166\/2022\/09\/Untitled-design-20-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/166\/2022\/09\/Untitled-design-20-440x440.png 440w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/166\/2022\/09\/Untitled-design-20-640x640.png 640w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/166\/2022\/09\/Untitled-design-20-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/166\/2022\/09\/Untitled-design-20-400x400.png 400w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/166\/2022\/09\/Untitled-design-20-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/166\/2022\/09\/Untitled-design-20-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/166\/2022\/09\/Untitled-design-20-470x470.png 470w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/166\/2022\/09\/Untitled-design-20-270x270.png 270w, https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/166\/2022\/09\/Untitled-design-20.png 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" longdesc=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings?longdesc=18272&amp;referrer=18269\" id=\"longdesc-return-18272\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"five-fab-facts-about-metacognition-function\">Five fab facts about metacognition function<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Helps to promote deep, analytical and creative thinking<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Helps us to become effective communicators and team players<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Turns passive learners into active learners<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can promote wellbeing and resilience<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gives pupils a sense of control over their learning<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"top-tips-to-help-children-and-young-people\">Top tips to help children and young people:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember: progress happens when we are patient! Metacognition calls for some high order skills which take time to master. Parents and school staff have to trust that the work needed is happening behind the scenes in the brain \u2013 even if it doesn\u2019t always appear that way!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1-ask-questions-that-encourage-reflective-thinking\">1. Ask questions that encourage reflective thinking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Suitable questions will be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open-ended, giving the learner space to reflect on their thinking. For example; \u201cCan you tell me more about why you think that?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Non-judgemental and non-blaming e.g. \u201cWhat happened next? What were you thinking when that happened? What were you feeling?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Solution-focused. For example, \u201cCan you think of a time when someone did give you something you asked for?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Process-oriented. For example, \u201cWhat things will you need? How much time have you got? What\u2019s the first step? What will you do next? How will you know when your drawing is finished?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-explore-helpful-thoughts\">2. Explore helpful thoughts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Encourage pupils to consider how helpful their thoughts are. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Q. What do you think when a maths lesson starts?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A. I\u2019m going to get the answer wrong everyone will laugh at me<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Q. What would the strongest, wisest, kindest person you know say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A. It\u2019s ok to say, \u2018I don\u2019t know.\u2019 Remind yourself of all the things you can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Q. Which of these two thoughts is more helpful to you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3-encourage-a-growth-mind-set\">3. Encourage a growth mind set<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Learners can develop a \u2018fixed mind-set\u2019 that makes them passive when approaching a challenge. Some learners believe they either can or can\u2019t do something. By teaching metacognitive skills, we can move learners from this \u2018fixed mind-set\u2019 towards one of self-awareness, personal responsibility, growth and resilience. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fixed Mind-set thinking<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI got the best\/worst marks in the class\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou didn\u2019t do as well as\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhy haven\u2019t you finished the worksheet?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Growth Mind-set questions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIs there another way to tackle this problem?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI know it\u2019s hard, but I\u2019ve noticed how you get quicker and more accurate the more you practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI saw you going to get a book to help you when you were stuck. That\u2019s a great learning skill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"4-practice-sorting-and-categorising-skills\">4. Practice sorting and categorising skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Some learners find metacognition particularly difficult and don\u2019t seem to get better even when you try the things that have already been suggested. In these situations, we need to take things back to basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>First, introduce concepts of \u2018like\u2019 and \u2018not like\u2019 using:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Spot the difference pictures<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sorting paired pictures into \u2018same\u2019 and \u2018different\u2019 trays<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Playing matching games such as \u2018Snap\u2019<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Collect together a number of similar objects that share\/don\u2019t share a given property <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>E.g. short and tall green wooden blocks, fluffy and smooth toys, cards with words ending with \u2013ing or \u2013ed, characters from a book who display \/ do not display a given characteristic<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Introduce the target concepts and words to the child. Sort the items into two groups for the child, then together, then ask the child to sort the items.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Third, explore similarities and differences<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Collect together a number of topic-related objects. Ask the child to choose three of them. Encourage the child to say which two of these objects are most like each other, and ask why they chose these. How is the third object different to the first two? Keep doing this and write down the child\u2019s ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Other helpful ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Education Endowment Foundation have published a guidance report with recommendations for promoting metacognition in schools, <a href=\"https:\/\/educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk\/education-evidence\/guidance-reports\/metacognition\" rel=\"noopener\">educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk\/education-evidence\/guidance-reports\/metacognition<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is metacognition? Metacognition means \u2018thinking about our thinking\u2019 (literally, \u2018beyond knowing\u2019). It is something most of us do every day without noticing. Teaching young [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2471,"featured_media":0,"parent":18176,"menu_order":9,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"longdocument-template.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-18269","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"updated":"","dccdocs_documents":null,"section-guidance":"","sections":null},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-09 18:21:19","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2471"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18269"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23499,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18269\/revisions\/23499"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}