How to use evidence to support disadvantaged students: Metacognition and Self-reflection – Webinar

The EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit identifies meta-cognition as one of the key strategies for closing the achievement gap. But what is meta-cognition? And how can it be introduced to the classroom in a meaningful and beneficial way?

In this webinar, Professor Steve Higgins offers some practical advice on encouraging pupils to reflect more deeply on their own thinking. More broadly, he also examines how teachers can make good use of research findings to improve their practice.

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      string(441) "... K. (2012) The impact of the pursuit of ASDAN’s Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE) on GCSE attainment. Project Report. UWE/ASDAN.Y9Thinking & reasoning skills  (critical thinking, debating)Halpern, D. F. (1998). Teaching critical thinking for transfer across domains: Dispositions, skills, structure training, and metacognitive monitoring. American Psychologist, 53, 4 ..."
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      string(5654) "Using research to inspire practice. (pp. 161-178). Paris, France: OECD.Y7, 8, 9Oracy (paired talk, P4C, formal debates, public speaking…)Mercer, N., & Littleton, K. (2007). Dialogue and the development of children’s thinking. London, UK: Routledge.Topping, K. J. & Trickey, S. (2007a). Collaborative philosophical enquiry for school children: Cognitive effects at 10-12 years. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77, 271–288.Topping, KJ & Trickey, S (2007b), ‘Collaborative philosophical inquiry for schoolchildren: Cognitive gains at 2-year follow-up’ British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77, 4, pp. 787-796.Y7, 8, 9Formative assessment (comment-based feedback)Black P, Wiliam D (1998) Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom. Assessment Phi Delta Kappan 80(2) 139-148. 2. Hattie, J. (2009) Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses related to achievement, Routledge, London. Higgins, S., Kokotsaki, D. & Coe, R.J. (2011). Toolkit of Strategies to Improve Learning: Summary for Schools Spending the Pupil Premium. Sutton Trust-Educational Endowment Foundation.Y7, 8, 9Metacognition (language of learning, plenaries, journals) Whitebread, D. & Pino Pasternak, D. (2010) Metacognition, Self-Regulation & Meta-Knowing. In Littleton, K., Wood, C. & Kleine Staarman, J. (eds) International Handbook of Psychology in Education. Bingley, UK: Emerald.Y8Personal effectiveness (organisational skills)Harrison, N., James, D. and Last, K. (2012) The impact of the pursuit of ASDAN’s Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE) on GCSE attainment. Project Report. UWE/ASDAN.Y9Thinking & reasoning skills  (critical thinking, debating)Halpern, D. F. (1998). Teaching critical thinking for transfer across domains: Dispositions, skills, structure training, and metacognitive monitoring. American Psychologist, 53, 4, 449-455.Whole-schoolGrowth mindset (shared language of learning)Claxton, G, Chambers, M, Powell, G & Lucas, B. (2011) The Learning Powered School: Pioneering 21st Century Education. TLO, Bristol.;  Perkins, D. (1995). Outsmarting IQ: The Emerging Science of Learnable Intelligence. New York: Free Press.Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House: New York.Engle, R. A., Lam, D. P., Meyer, X. S., & Nix, S.. “How does expansive framingpromote transfer? Several proposed explanations.,” Educational Psychologist, v.47, 2012, p. 215-231.Whole-schoolTransfer (managed approach)Engle, R. A., Lam, D. P., Meyer, X. S., & Nix, S.. “How does expansive framingpromote transfer? Several proposed explanations.,” Educational Psychologist, v.47, 2012, p. 215-231.Hipkins, R., & Cowie, B. (2014). Learning to learn, lifewide and lifelong learning: Reflections on the New Zealand experience. In R. Deakin-Crick, C. Stringher, & K. Ren (Eds.), Learning to learn: International perspectives from theory and practice (pp. 303–320). London, UK: Routledge.Whole-schoolAction Research as CPD (collaborative inquiry) Bell, M., Cordingley, P., Isham, C. & Davis, R. (2010) Report of Professional Practitioner Use of Research Review: Practitioner engagement in and/or with research. Coventry: CUREE, GTCE, LSIS & NTRP. Available at: http://www.curee-paccts.com/node/2303Crippen, K. J., Biesinger, K. D. & Ebert, E. K. (2010) Using Professional Development to Achieve Classroom Reform and Science Proficiency: An Urban Success Story from Southern Nevada, USA. Professional Development in Education, 36 (4) pp.637-661. Joyce, B. & Showers, B. (2002) Student achievement through staff development. In: Joyce, B. & Showers, B. Designing training and peer coaching: our needs for learning. VA, USA: ASCD. Timperley, H., Wilson, A., Barrar, H., & Fung, I. (2007). Teacher Professional Learning and Development: Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration [BES]. Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Education. Available at www.educationcounts.govt.nz/goto/BES.  The importance of transferThere is not space here to explore each of these components in detail. However, as can be seen in Table 2 the L2L curriculum at Sea View formed part of a whole-school approach to teaching and learning, which aimed to ensure that the skills and dispositions developed through the L2L curriculum were able to transfer meaningfully to other subject areas throughout the school. The issue of transfer has often been the Achilles heel of L2L initiatives, since it is well understood that skills tend to remain rooted in the contexts in which they were developed (e.g. see Willingham, 2007). While it is self-evident that transfer can and does happen, to varying degrees – school would be rather a waste of time if it did not – it certainly does not always happen automatically, and thus requires careful planning and monitoring. One key way in which transfer was facilitated at Sea View was through a shared language of learning, used by teachers throughout the school to focus on the how, as well as the what, of learning (see Figure 2). For a more detailed discussion of transfer at Sea View, see Mannion & Mercer (2016).Figure 2. The shared language of learning at Sea View, comprising the school’s six core values with examples of supporting ‘processes of learning’. What was the impact of L2L at Sea View?By the end of year 9, there was a significant increase in the proportion of students either hitting or exceeding their target grades in the"
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Leadership

Rediscover Learning to Learn

20 Jun 2017

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      string(5258) "transfer of skills and dispositions developedthrough the L2L curriculum to other subject areas, as well as to the students’lives beyond the school gates. Thus, while any one feature of the programmemight have had a small but non-significant effect on student learning, themultimodal nature of the L2L programme at Sea View means that several suchfactors may have aggregated and interacted to produce the significant overallgains in subject learning outlined above.Despite the academic / conceptual nature of the curriculum as outlined inTable 2, Learning Skills teachers at Sea View found that because of the centralfocus on oral communication, much of their classroom practice centred aroundon things like interpersonal development, conflict resolution and discussionsabout emotional intelligence. This is evident in the students’ learning journalentries, where they often spoke about ‘finding their voice’ and ‘standing up tobullies’ (e.g. see Figure 5).Figure 5: Excerpts from three year 7 Reflective Learning Journals.ThinkingSkills68Volume6.4&7.1nCreativeTeaching&Learning69Volume6.4&7.1nCreativeTeaching&LearningThinkingSkillsProgressive ends, through traditional meansIt is worth noting that while aspects of the L2L curriculum might be consideredand even dismissed by some as ‘progressive’, the ethos at Sea View was todevelop a range of learning-centred skills and dispositions through traditionalteaching methods, including modelling, explaining, providing opportunitiesfor deliberate practice and plenty of high quality feedback, within a culture ofextremely high expectations and individual accountability.The teaching and learning practices that comprised the L2L curriculum at SeaView were selected because they have been found previously to be particularlyeffective at raising the attainment of students from economically disadvantagedbackgrounds. For example, a number of the most effective strategies identifiedin the Sutton Trust-EEF Toolkit (Higgins et al, 2011), which was designed to helpschools decide how best to invest the Pupil Premium, feature centrally in theL2L approach we developed at Sea View (e.g. feedback, meta-cognition, peertutoring, using exploratory talk for learning). So while the ‘bottom-up’ closingof the Pupil Premium attainment gap at Sea View was entirely welcome, it wasnot unexpected – rather, it simply suggests that the L2L programme at Sea Viewachieved what it set out to achieve.The findings presented here provide a persuasive case for extending thisapproach to other schools. In the last year, three of the original Learning Skillsteachers from Sea View have set up a not-for-profit organisation dedicated tohelping develop these practices in schools more widely. This is not an off-the-shelf approach – each school is different, and so we approach each schooldifferently. If you would like to find out more about the Learning Skills approach,or to arrange a free consultation, visit learning-skills.org.James Mannion is an associate at the London Centre for Leadership inLearning, UCL Institute of Education, and Director of Praxis EducationCIC. For more information, visit: learning-skills.org.References1. Aynsley, S., Brown, C. and Sebba, J., 2012. RSA Opening Minds: an evaluative review. London: RSA.2. Downey, C., Byrne, J. & Souza, A. (2013). Leading and managing the competence-based curriculum: conscripts,volunteers and champions at work within the departmentalised environment of the secondary school’ TheCurriculum Journal, 23(4), pp. 369-388.3. Flavell, J.H. (1976) Metacognitive aspects of problem-solving. In Resnick LB (Ed.), The Nature of Intelligence,Hillsdale NJ, Erlbaum.4. Hattie, J., Biggs, J., & Purdie, N. (1996). Effects of Learning Skills Interventions on Student Learning: A Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research, Vol. 66, No. 2, pp. 99-136.5. Mannion J, & Mercer N (2016) Learning to learn: improving attainment, closing the gap at Key Stage 3. TheCurriculum Journal, 27, pp.246-271.6. Sutton Trust-EEF (2015). Toolkit of Strategies to Improve Learning: Summary for Schools Spending the PupilPremium. Accessed 7.7.15 at https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/toolkit/toolkit-a-z/.7. Wall, K., Hall, E., Baumfield, V., Higgins, S., Rafferty, V., Remedios, R., Thomas, U., Tiplady, L., Towler, C. andWoolner, P. (2010) Learning to Learn in Schools Phase 4 and Learning to Learn in Further Education Projects:Annual Report, London: Campaign for Learning8. Watkins, C. (2001) Learning about Learning enhances Performance. London, Institute of Education NationalSchool Improvement Network (Research Matters series No 13).9. Watkins, C. (2010) Learning, Performance and Improvement. London: INSI-IoE.10. Whitebread, D. (2013) Self-regulation in young children: its characteristics and the role of communication andlanguage in its early development. Self-regulation and dialogue in primary classrooms. BJEP Monograph Series,11, 10 , 25–44.11. Willingham, D. (2007). Critical thinking: Why is it so hard to teach? American Educator, 31(2), 8–19.http://www.learning-skills.orghttp://www.learning-skills.orghttps://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/toolkit/toolkit-a-z"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Rethinking Learning to Learn

14 Mar 2017

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      string(338) "... 2015).We’ll find out more about how they’re gettingon later, but first: What is P4C, and why is itso effective for our most disadvantaged andtroubled children?Why it worksP4C is an approach to teaching and learningthat drives better thinking, communicationand collaboration. It is built on three principles:n ..."
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      string(5699) "ThinkingSkills8Volume6.2nCreativeTeaching&LearningClosing theachievement gapwith P4CPhilosophy for Children(P4C) is an enquiry-based pedagogy,where students takethe lead and the teachingstyle is facilitative. Its aimis to dr ive quest ioning,reasoning and independentlearning skills, and althoughits transformational effectson the entire student bodyare clearly evident, it doesseem to work especially wellfor the children who are mostdisadvantaged.Philosophy for Children reaps remarkable resultsfor all pupils, but it does seem to work particularlywell for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.Now, an exciting new project seeks to harness thatpower to raise achievement and build resilience,confidence and self-esteem in some of the mostdeprived regions of the country. Bob House sharesthe story so far.9Volume6.2nCreativeTeaching&LearningThinkingSkillsAs a recent trial by the Education EndowmentFund (EEF) and Durham University discovered,when involved in just one period of P4C aweek over 16 months, children eligible for freeschool meals (FSM) made four months’ moreprogress in reading than expected, as wellas an additional three months’ in maths andtwo months’ in writing.1 Feedback from theteachers involved suggests that P4C also hada beneficial impact on wider outcomes such asconfidence, patience and self-esteem.Our aim at SAPERE is to promote P4C acrossthe UK, especially in communities that need it,and will benefit from it, the most. With this inmind, we launched ‘Going for Gold’, a three-year project to train teachers in areas of highdeprivation to do P4C with their pupils.The pilot project began in East London, andinvolved 400 teachers in the London Boroughsof Tower Hamlets and Newham, whereschools have between two and four times theaverage number of pupils from disadvantagedbackgrounds. Now, more than 40 schools aretaking part across the country. Training formost began in the summer term last year,with regular philosophical enquiries in classesbeginning last September (2015).We’ll find out more about how they’re gettingon later, but first: What is P4C, and why is itso effective for our most disadvantaged andtroubled children?Why it worksP4C is an approach to teaching and learningthat drives better thinking, communicationand collaboration. It is built on three principles:n Pupils tackle profound philosophicalquestions.n Pupils take leadership of the lesson.n Pupils learn respect and resilience tochallenge.P4C was originally developed in New Yorkand first came to the UK in the 1990s via theBBC programme Socrates for Six Year Olds.It is applicable to children and young peoplefrom the ages of three to 18 years. SAPERE’sexperience over 20 years in the UK, backed upby worldwide academic research, has shownthat there are numerous benefits from P4C,including increased self-esteem, increasedmotivation to learn and substantial gains in oralcommunication skills, literacy and numeracy.The dominant style of teaching in the UK isdidactic where the teacher’s role is to impartknowledge. This favours students who alreadyknow the ‘right’ answer – usually those fromadvantaged backgrounds. By contrast, P4Cuses a facilitative pedagogical model wherethe teacher’s role is to encourage questioningand thinking. It deals with topics where thereis no single ‘right’ answer. All students havean equal voice and, provided they give soundreasons, all views can be expressed. Studentsfrom less advantaged backgrounds find theirvoice and build confidence, with benefits fortheir engagement with learning, attainment andschool contribution.‘For children living in difficult and oftenchaotic family settings’, says Paul Jackson, aheadteacher in East London. ‘P4C may be theonly time they will be given the space to talkabout important issues.’The EEF report cited earlier found thatP4C had the biggest positive impact onachievement among disadvantaged pupils(those eligible for FSM). Other reports over theyears have indicated P4C:n increases cognitive ability (especially forstudents on the lower end of the abilityrange)2n enhances mental health and wellbeing(increasing confidence, self-esteem,reflection, respect for others and feelingsof inclusion)3n improves social skills (including listeningand speaking skills, being able to disagreerespectfully and strengthened relationships)4n develops critical thinking skills (demonstratedthrough pupils’ increased questioning anddiscussion, and expressing a range ofperspectives)5n helps build resilience to extremism (enablingpupils to learn how to listen to other people’sopinions and respond respectfully and non-aggressively when these differ to their own.P4C also gives pupils a safe environment todiscuss challenging topics).6Going for gold: Makinga difference in difficultcircumstancesOur Going for Gold programme offers a plannedand structured approach to P4C training andsupport, usually over a three year period, inorder to help schools develop and sustain P4Cin the longer term.The aim of the Going for Gold programmeis to enhance the educational attainment andpersonal and social development of primaryand secondary school students. It is open toall schools, with preferential terms availableThinkingSkills10Volume6.2nCreativeTeaching&Learningwill build positive relationships.’Gallions Primary School in Beckton becameour first Gold Award in 2013. They servea highly deprived catchment area, with 38per cent of their pupils eligible for the pupilpremium and 61 per cent with English as anadditional language (EAL). Admittedly, theydid have a bit of a head start"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Closing the achievement gap with P4C

11 Feb 2016

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      string(5647) "pupils with SEND are no longer seen by teachers as the responsibility of the SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) or Teaching Assistants. The greater focus on the learning and development of children and young people with SEND and other groups at risk of underachieving, along with training and guidance leads to more effective teacher approaches in pedagogical practice. In particular, practices become more inclusive, enabling teachers to more effectively meet the diverse needs of all pupils. In essence, what was previously considered to be an extra practice becomes rooted in every day practice.Developing practice: Parental engagementWhat is clear from the research literature is the important place of parents and carers in their child’s education. The message is simple—parental support of children’s learning has a positive impact on their outcomes.Harris and Goodall (2007:38–68) highlight the nature of parental engagement (as opposed to parental involvement), which ‘is not about engaging with the school, but with the learning of the child’ and where ‘engagement implies that parents are an essential part of the learning process, an extended part of the pedagogic process’.10 Evidence suggests that this type of parental support is very effective in raising children’s academic and wider outcomes.11 In practical terms, research literature provides evidence of quite simple parent–child support which has contributed to increased achievement for children. This includes: parents showing an interest in their children’s learning,12 which has a multiplier effect; parents having high expectations and encouraging their children13 and parents reading to and talking with their children.14 The evidence also highlights the relevance of early parental interaction,15 the long-term impact on future qualifications and the better involvement of parents with higher qualifications (Hango, 2007).16 Topor et al. (2010) in the USA give consideration to the mechanism through which parental involvement and engagement works in children—firstly by increasing the children’s confidence in their own competencies and secondly by improving the child–teacher relationship.17  Reflection Consider (list) all the ways you involve/engage parents within the school. Harris and Goodall (2007:38–68) suggest that parental engagement ‘is not about engaging with the school, but with the learning of the child’, where ‘engagement implies that parents are an essential part of the learning process, an extended part of the pedagogic process’. How many of the ways you have listed above would you define as parental engagement in their children’s learning? Consider within your classroom practice, what could you do to engage parents more in this way? Influenced by government policy and supported by research literature, schools are increasingly focusing on how best to involve parents or more importantly how best to engage them in their children’s learning. The ‘structured conversation’ model employed in the Achievement for All programme between teachers and parents is becoming a more widely accepted means of closing the achievement gap between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers.18 Parents or carers, irrespective of their personal circumstances, want the best for their child. The open dialogue approach of the ‘structured conversation ‘model—between key teachers and parents and, if appropriate, their children—provides a platform from which parents can effectively engage in the learning process. Founded on open channels of communication with parents, structured conversations enable schools to focus on how best to contact parents and in some cases remove communication barriers; how to align the structured conversations to target setting and how to engage children better in their learning. Evidence shows that when parents are engaged in the learning process, children’s academic and wider outcomes are raised. The challenge for schools is finding a framework to do this best.Developing practice: Wider opportunitiesThe new inspection framework proposed by Ofsted (2019) provides a more purposeful structure not only for developing parent and carer engagement and teaching and learning, but also for the provision of wider opportunities. It opens the way for all schools across England to develop their wider provision/offer of enrichment activities and to consider how the development of life skills (including critical thinking, problem solving and team skills) can be developed through the formal curriculum as well as through extra-curricular provision; currently this is underdeveloped in the maintained sector. It no longer has to be a missed opportunity. Through the new ‘quality of education’ judgement, schools can focus on building the core strengths of children and young people. This defines the confidence and ability to learn and develop and the skills to participate in society: aspiration (I can)—the grit and resilience needed to persevere in the face of challenge; access (I do)—the development of independence in learning and taking responsibility; attainment (I have)—attaining the grade, and achievement (I am)—the internalisation of learning and success.19Provision of extra-curricular activities supports the participation and enjoyment of pupils in all elements of school life; it is closely connected to pupil well-being. Evidence shows that poor pupil well-being is often reflected in their attendance, behaviour and relationships with others at"
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Special Needs

Reflecting on Your Practice

8 May 2019