Form-tutors have the privilege of meeting with the same group of students every day: since regular practice is essential in instilling the thinking-habits inherent to metacognition and self-regulated learning, form-tutors are uniquely placed to help foster metacognition and self-regulated learning behaviours.
For those new to the idea of metacognition, metacognition is the cognitive aspect of the self-regulated learning cycle, it refers to knowledge and awareness of thought processes and, in practice, involves the planning, monitoring, evaluating and regulating of thought-processes.
Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) is a more general pedagogical concept: broadly speaking, it refers to learning that is guided by metacognition (thinking about one's thinking), strategic action (planning, monitoring, and evaluating personal progress against a standard), and motivation to learn. In particular, self-regulated learners are aware of their academic strengths and weaknesses, and they have an array of strategies they appropriately apply to tackle the day-to-day challenges of academic tasks.
Self-regulated learners successfully control factors beyond thinking-processes (i.e. beyond metacognition) that enhance their learning-processes: this includes non-cognitive factors such as emotion, mood, or physiological readiness for learning.
This article explores a number of strategies and instructional materials that form-tutors may wish to use in cultivating metacognition and self-regulated learning behaviours.
This article contains links to both free and premium metacognition teaching resources: if you already have a Membership Plan you can download everything from the Members Area (here).
Five Metacognitive Strategies for Form-Tutors
1. Using a Daily Reflection Journal
You may choose to provide students with a tutor-group journal or diary in which students express reflections about their learning, how to be best prepared for learning, and how to improve their learning strategies.
Perhaps, for example, you could pose a different metacognitive question or set a short mind-mapping/list-making task in the morning sessions you have with your tutees. You can either use an exercise book or workbook fort this approach of a pre-made printable workbook.
We created a printable workbook for form-tutors that facilitates daily metacognitive reflections: ‘The Learning Power Journal’ (downloadable here). It includes short (10 minute) daily reflection activities designed to trigger metacognition, foster self-regulated learning behaviours and boost learning power. The clear structure, variety of activities and engaging design make it ideal for short daily reflections that students can engage with at the start of each school day.
Using The Learning Power Journal is also an ideal solution for educational leadership team members and Heads of Year, who need a visible, regular and well-structured solution to developing metacognition across a large cohort of learners. Site-members can download this resource for free in the Members Area.
Preview of The Learning Power Journal:
