Metacognition Poster Reflective Writing

Metacognition is being aware of our thought processes through the framework of planning, monitoring and evaluating. The EEF’s Guidance on Metacognition and Self-regulation 2018 highlights the importance of teaching metacognition. Pupils can make an additional seven months progress, when metacognitive strategies are taught explicitly.

Teachers utilise metacognitive strategies to varying degrees but they are not always as explicit as they could be. In the aftermath of the global pandemic, it has become even more important to focus on the pedagogy of metacognition, to help pupils who have fallen behind.

Metacognitive thinking, for reflective writing, has been broken down into eight steps and has been designed to help develop metacognitive thinking explicitly, during the reflective writing process. It highlights what pupils should be thinking about when writing. Pupils should follow the first three steps in order and after that it is not necessary for pupils to follow the steps in order; they can go back and forth.

The information on this innovative metacognitive poster is research-based and evidence-informed. It forms part of a series of posters. It can be displayed, in the classroom, as a prompt for developing metacognitive thinking.