Metacognitive and self-regulation skills will increase pupil progress across the school. Research indicates that improving pupils’ metacognitive and self-regulation skills (that is, ‘learning to learn’) helps accelerate their progress, as well as leading to greater motivation and independence.

How do you embed the development of these skills in your teaching? How do you teach an understanding of how to learn and what to do when learning is not straightforward?

Aims and outcomes

• Understand what is meant by metacognitive and self-regulation skills and why they are so valuable for developing learners.
• Build in strategies for improving pupils’ ability to set goals, monitor performance and evaluate outcomes.
• Develop strategies for improving pupils’ motivation and ability to learn independently.
• Try out different approaches and find what works for your pupils.

Authors: David Leat, Dr Anna Reid