Metacognition, thinking skills and whole-school improvement

Module 4 Metacognition, thinking skills and whole-school improvement

Module aim • Understand the concept of developing a whole-school approach to using metacognition and thinking skills as effective pedagogy to deliver whole-school improvement.

Module objectives • Discuss the importance of effective pedagogy. • Consolidate knowledge regarding metacognition and thinking skills. • Explore ideas for practice that have the potential to contribute to the development and implementation of a whole-school approach to metacognition and thinking skills.

Recap • Metacognition is . . . • Thinking skills are . . . Corporate slide master With guidelines for corporate presentations

Metacognition is . . . Thinking about your own thinking. • Reflection – appreciating what we know/prior knowledge. • Self-regulation, managing learning and the application of previous knowledge/experience to a new learning situation.

Thinking skills are . . . • Making connections, within and across texts, within and across themes and across a range of personal experiences. • Gaining deeper understanding and making reasoned judgements to achieve improved learning.

Thinking skills in the context of PISA Corporate slide master With guidelines for corporate presentations

Informed pedagogy • How does our understanding of metacognition and thinking skills inform pedagogy?

Task1: Effective pedagogy Corporate slide master With guidelines for corporate presentations

Effective pedagogy • In your groups, think of as many words as you can to define the term ‘effective pedagogy’.

Abilities Knowledge Pastoral Standards Teaching skills Skills Academic Commitment Personal/personal and social development of learners Challenging Creating the learning environment Methods of teaching Learning dispositions Craft knowledge

Informed pedagogy • What are the links between metacognition, thinking skills and effective pedagogy? • What is a whole-school approach?

Whole-school approach … an organisational approach with the aim of integrating metacognition and thinking skills within the ethos, culture, routine life and core business of the school. National Children’s Bureau, 2006

Whole-school approach involves: • leadership, management and managing change • policy development • learning and teaching, curriculum planning and resourcing • school culture and environment • giving children and young people a voice • provision of support services for children and young people • staff continuing professional development (CPD) needs, health and well-being • partnerships with parents/carers and local communities • assessing, recording and reporting the achievement of children and young people.

Task2: The whole-school approach Corporate slide master With guidelines for corporate presentations

The whole-school approach Watch the video clip where a teacher discusses their experience of developing a whole-school approach to metacognition and thinking skills. • Identify three key aspects that are important to you in taking the whole-school approach forward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llu5w6S1nAM&feature=youtu.be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AngYsMofYzw&feature=youtu.be

Reflecting upon current practice • What are you already doing? • What needs to be done differently? • What are the challenges?

Professional learning communities (PLCs) A PLC is a group of practitioners working together using a structured process of enquiry to focus on a specific area of their teaching to improve learner outcomes and so raise school standards. Welsh Government, 2011 (page 7)

PLCs • Building the school’s capacity to contribute to continuous improvement. • Supporting the Welsh Government in: • improving standards of literacy • improving standards of numeracy • reducing the impact of poverty on educational attainment. Welsh Government, 2011

Whole-school approach to improvement • Whole-school learning environment. • Metacognition and thinking are explicit. • Common language/learning strategies for metacognition and thinking. • Coherent and well-planned approach. • Applied across primary and secondary school. Kestral Education, 2013

Task3: SWOT audit Corporate slide master With guidelines for corporate presentations

SWOT analysis: audit of current provision • Think about where you are now… • What do you do in relation to metacognition • How are you developing thinking skills?

Task4: Moving forward Corporate slide master With guidelines for corporate presentations

The road ahead . . . Action planning • What actions need to be in place? • Who needs to responsible for these actions? • How can these actions be resourced?

References • Kestral Education (2013),Creating a Thinking School. [Online] www.thinkingschool.co.uk/ • National Children’s Bureau (2006), A whole-school approach to Personal, Social and Health Education and Citizenship. London: NCB. • Welsh Government (2011), Professional Learning Communities. [Online] http://wales.gov.uk/docs/dcells/publications/120112plcen.pdf

Further reading • DCELLS (2008), Framework for Children’s Learning for 3 to 7-year-olds in Wales. Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government. • OECD (2009), PISA Take the Test: Sample Questions from the OECD’s PISA Assessments. [Online] www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/pisa2000/41943106.pdf • OECD (2010), PISA 2009 at a Glance. [Online] www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/pisa2006/41943106.pdf • OECD (2012), A Guide To Using PISA as a Learning Context. [Online] http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/13915/1/120229pisabookleten.pdf

Metacognition, thinking skills and whole-school improvement