Metacognition & Self‑Regulated Learning: Empowering Independent Learners
Overview
Help your pupils learn how to learn. This course translates cutting‑edge research into practical strategies that build students’ ability to plan, monitor and evaluate their own work. Drawing on the Education Endowment Foundation’s seven recommendations for metacognition, you’ll discover how explicit teaching of thinking strategies can add up to seven months of additional progress.
What to Expect
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One‑Day Workshop – Explore the science of metacognition through interactive activities. Practise think‑aloud modelling, planning frameworks and self‑evaluation tools that show pupils how to take charge of their learning.
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20‑Hours Online Learning – Develop lesson plans that integrate metacognitive strategies across subjects. Learn how to nurture metacognitive talk, set appropriate challenges and assess pupils’ growth as self‑regulated learners.
Key Questions
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Do your pupils know how to plan, monitor and reflect on their learning?
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How often do you model your thinking to show pupils how experts solve problems?
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Could teaching metacognition raise attainment across subjects and year groups?
How This Course Will Change Practice
You’ll leave with the confidence to explicitly teach metacognitive strategies and embed them in everyday lessons. Pupils become more independent and resilient, learning to plan, monitor and evaluate their work. Evidence shows that metacognition can deliver significant learning gains, so this shift in practice directly translates into higher attainment and greater pupil engagement.
Preparation Reading Before the Course
To get the most from this module, we recommend reading our think-piece blog:
👉 Thinking About Thinking: Why Metacognition Matters for Every Classroom
The blog reviews the Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) evidence, which shows that explicitly teaching metacognitive strategies can add up to seven months of additional progress in a year. It also explains why some pupils succeed while others struggle — not because they lack ability, but because they haven’t yet learned how to plan, monitor, and reflect on their learning.
As preparation for the workshop, reflect on:
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Where in your subject do pupils already show good self-awareness?
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Do you provide routines that encourage learners to pause and check their work, or do they mainly wait for you to confirm if it’s right?
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Which pupils in your class are least confident in monitoring their own progress — and why might that be?
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How often do you model your own thinking so pupils see the process, not just the answer?
These questions will help you connect the evidence base to your current practice — so when you arrive at the course, you’ll already have a sense of what you do well and what you’d like to strengthen.
