Metacognition is an awareness of one’s own learning. It entails understanding the goals of the learning process, figuring out the best strategies for learning, and assessing whether the learning goals are being met. A metacognitive student sees him or herself as an agent in the learning process and realises that learning is an active, strategic activity. We know from research (see Professor John Hattie) that the effect size for teaching metacognitive strategies is one of the most effective teaching interventions. At Langford we facilitate this through our unique 'Learning Muscles' which develop autonomous learners.
Each learning muscle represents a key skill which supports the development of metacognition, it is represented by an animal that lives in our assembly hall and all of the muscles can be seen in every classroom around the school. We encourage our pupils to regularly reflect on the different learning muscles and how these have enabled them to become effective learners.