Engaging change with Metacognition

The assistant head teacher at Romsey School, David Fawcett, discusses the use of the EES guide to implement metacognition strategies in the 2023-24 academic year. They found that while teachers effectively used models and model answers to showcase exceptional work, some students struggled to bridge the gap between the model and creating their own work. To address this, they engaged with the EES metacognition guidance, focusing on the principles of engage, unite, and reflect. They created a focus group called the Research Lead Team (RLT) to share knowledge and problem-solve, resulting in individual plans for implementing metacognition. Staff engagement and commitment to using metacognition have been high, thanks to the guidance from EES. Engaging change with metacognition. David Fawcett, the assistant head teacher at the Romsey School, reflects on using the EES, a school's guide to implementation guidance, to develop metacognition, thinking and reflective strategies with students across the school during the 2023-24 academic year. Within classrooms and lessons across the school, it was very apparent that teachers are effective in using models and model answers with students in an effort to showcase what exceptional work looks like. This is particularly important for disadvantaged students who may not recognise exceptional work. One area that we noticed, however, was there was, at times, a chasm between the exceptional model being shared and the steps needed by students in creating work of a similar standard. For some students, bridging the gap between the model and how to create this themselves was key. As part of our exploration phase, we engaged with the EES metacognition and self-regulated learning guidance and seven-step model to understand which effective practices to share and tailor them to fit our school context. Whilst reading the research and guidance, one area that we felt was vital was knowing that to reach the sustained phase of the implementation process, colleagues will need to change existing habits. We were mindful that with this may come resistance to change, belief that they are already doing this or the knowledge that old habits may creep back into the practice over time. The EES, a school's guidance to implementation, offers advice to this by using the principles of engage, unite and reflect. It was key to understand these principles as part of our planning during the prepare phase. The first that we focused on was engage. During the delivery phase, it was essential to involve colleagues in the implementation of a new strategy. Doing so allows staff to feel valued and have a voice with decisions that will affect them. It is also important to be collaborative in the process, to share knowledge, problem solve and allow ideas to be discussed. Finally, it also requires active guidance with individuals directing the implementation, engaging and motivating staff and keeping the process on track. To do this, we created a modelling and metacognition focus group in our CPD programme run by a group of teachers called our Research Lead Team or RLT. This group met on Tuesday afternoons. Using the EES metacognition guidance, the RLT shared the problem needing to be addressed and conveyed the research in manageable chunks over a year-long programme. Colleagues who attended this group worked together discussing the seven-step model for metacognition and coached each other at repeated intervals. As a group, they collaboratively worked through the seven-step model and bounced ideas and shared expertise. Through active guidance of the RLT, the group of teachers created individual plans of how to deploy metacognition into their lessons. The RLT ensured that all staff stayed motivated and worked towards achieving that target and the ultimate goal of using metacognition with students to understand the processes and steps to creating exceptional work. The engagement in this process has been high, with staff committed to implementing the guidance and research into their lessons. The guidance from the EES on how to engage staff has ensured that every individual felt fully involved and part of the process, changing habits and feeling valued for their contribution.