Change the Game in Classrooms Across Your School by Giving Teachers the Freedom to Unlock their Expertise and Turn the Focus onto Thinking About Thinking

I love metacognition.

I find the topic endlessly fascinating, and have done so since I first started out in teaching.

Three particular incidents stick in my mind.

First, when I was teaching GCSE Sociology.

One of my learners had dyslexia. Every week, she’d come and see me in between lessons.

Not to ask for help.

But to ask what I thought of the strategies she was using to revise, order her notes, and to practice at home.

(She finished Year 11 with top grades across the board.)

Second, a learner I taught for A Level who was determined to become a barrister.

For which she needed excellent grades, so she could get onto the university course she wanted.

I spent some time going through past papers with her, in preparation for the end of Year 13.

She decided to go a step further.

She downloaded all the available past papers, turned the essay questions into a revision booklet, and then preceded to write model answers for every question, multiple times.

Needless to say, she aced her exams.

Third, I was working with a primary school, helping them to develop teaching and learning.

As part of this, I was conducting low-stakes observations, giving staff feedback around their questioning and use of scaffolding.

In one lesson, I watched a young learner build a tower.

It kept falling down when it reached a certain height. So they adapted, changing how they were constructing the base.

Over the course of about five minutes, they went through multiple iterations, gradually refining the process.

Not every attempt made things better.

Some didn’t work.

But the learner’s focussed engagement in trial and error was fascinating to watch.

It was metacognition in action.

Just like the two examples before.

In each case, the learner saw themselves as active.

In control of their learning.

Reflecting on the strategies they were using and then refining and improving these, to achieve the goal they sought.

When thought of in those terms, it’s no wonder metacognition comes out on top of the pile as a teaching and learning intervention.

Research from the EEF suggests that effective metacognition leads to an average of +8 months of learning gains.

And that’s why my Making Sense of Metacognition training focuses on turning effective metacognition into a reality in your school.

Give Staff Confidence to Make Metacognition a Priority in their Day-To-Day Teaching

Many teachers are put off by metacognition.

Often because the term lacks clarity or can feel unwieldy.

Sometimes because they believe there isn’t time for it, among the competing demands of the curriculum.

I always begin the Making Sense of Metacognition training by doing two things.

First, giving teachers a chance to reflect on their existing knowledge of metacognition, before presenting my take on it.

One that clarifies, simplifies and demystifies the topic, making it easy to think about in the context of the classroom.

Second, I help teachers recognise where they might already be using metacognition, or be promoting metacognitive thinking, in their teaching.

Very few teachers don’t do any of this.

It’s hard to teach well and not do anything that promotes metacognition.

Almost everyone does some of it, even if it’s only to a limited extent.

Part of the introduction to the training is helping colleagues see that metacognition is already a part of their practice.

This might be limited, implicit or basic.

But the starting point is there.

And knowing that makes it easier to imagine this transformational approach to teaching and learning taking on a more prominent, and explicit, role in day-to-day classroom teaching.

Engage Your Staff with Meaningful, Practical CPD Rooted in Evidence of What Works

There aren’t many guarantees in life.

But what we do know is that the research around metacognition is pretty much as strong as it gets when it comes to teaching and learning.

It tells us that if we get metacognition right, if we can get learners being consistently metacognitive, then we’ll almost certainly see better progress than might otherwise be the case.

This is an area of teaching and learning it is well worth spending time on.

And after the introduction, this is what we look at.

The backstory to metacognition.

The rationale for why it matters.

The evidence that tells us why we should make it a priority.

All of this is important.

It sets the scene and helps staff make sense of metacognition within their wider experience of teaching and learning.

But it can only take us so far.

The really important stuff, the meat of the sandwich, if you like, are the practical strategies and techniques teachers can use to bring metacognition to life in their classrooms.

And with our introduction complete, that’s what we spend most of our time looking at together.

I’ll share a wide range of proven practical strategies with your staff, including:

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Discover How to Stop Learners Asking to be Spoon-Fed and Start Wanting to Take Ownership of Their Learning

A full-day with Mike takes your staff on a journey, helping them to unpick the existing role metacognition plays in their classroom, and inspiring them to think differently about how they teach in the future.

Here’s an example of a full-day schedule:

Session One is where I give my introduction, helping colleagues contextualise metacognition in light of their own experiences.

We then move onto the research underpinning the approach, before starting to look at practical strategies that work.

When we come back after our break, Session Two picks up the practical focus and doubles down.

By lunchtime, your staff will have a clear, secure understanding of what metacognition is, why it matters, where it already exists within their teaching, and how to make it a priority in every lesson they teach.

Across the first two sessions, we cover:

Implementation is Key

After lunch, we get colleagues into groups, working on implementation.

For me, this is crucial.

Staff need the opportunity to translate the ideas and techniques from the morning into their own practice.

While this is happening, I circulate, spending time with each team in turn.

It’s incredible just what colleagues can produce in this timeframe. The quality and depth of work I’ve seen teams create is remarkable.

I always encourage one or more senior leaders to come round with me as I circulate, so they can get a sense of what staff are developing.

Finally, we have the reflective plenary.

I bring everyone back together and teams have the opportunity to share their work with each other in a supportive, collegial atmosphere.

This creates great momentum to carry into the next full week of teaching, and beyond.

It ends the day on a high, and gives staff the confidence and energy to drive forwards with the new ideas, strategies and materials they’ve created.

What is included in a full day of Making Sense of Metacognition INSET, Training or CPD?

All bookings include:

For half-day and twilight INSET or CPD, we focus on the expert-led sessions from Mike, and remove the implementation and plenary sessions from the agenda.

Everything else listed above is included in half-day and twilight bookings.

One input from Mike and, if you follow his guidance on how to maintain momentum around developing metacognition, you’ll have scope for 12+ months’ sustained impact in your school.

Plus, an exclusive bonus to celebrate the launch of my newly developed CPD platform, Mike Gershon’s Effective Teaching and Learning.

World-Leading Expertise on Practical Teaching and Learning That Works

Five reasons you can rely on Mike to deliver expert training and practical guidance for your staff.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you do half-day and twilight training?

Yes. I offer both and recognise the flexibility schools sometimes need around their calendars. Half-day and twilight CPD focuses on expert input from me. We remove the teamworking and plenary sessions to accommodate this.

Do you offer follow-up packages?

Yes. Many schools I work with ask me to come back and work with them again, to support them in their developmental journey. Follow-up options include further training, supportive observations with constructive feedback, paired observations and SLT coaching.

We’re a small primary school, can we still work with you?

I always hold back a few dates each year for small primaries, recognising the challenges the smallest schools face in accessing high-quality training. We can also work around tight budgets by looking at online options and in-person training involving multiple schools. The smallest primary I’ve worked with had four teachers – and we had a great day together!

We’d like to look at online training. Is that something you offer?

Yes. It is not my preference as I believe that in-person is always better, and includes elements that can’t be replicated online. However, I do provide online training for schools where in-person may be difficult due to geography, time zones and other factors. My one rule for online is that staff must sit together so that I can facilitate discussion and interaction just as I do when delivering in person.

How far are you willing to travel?

I travel across the UK and overseas from my base in York. Far flung visits have included Shetland, Cornwall, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Pembrokeshire. Even further flung visits have included Romania, Norway, Italy, Bahrain, Kuwait and The Falkland Islands. Trips that require extensive travelling attract a higher cost to cover additional time and mileage.

Can we book you in conjunction with another school?

Yes. Many smaller schools opt for this approach. Sometimes this sees two or three primaries joining up for a full-day session, sometimes a cluster of schools combine budgets and I work with them over an extended period. Occasionally schools ask if they can book me and then sell tickets to the event to nearby schools to cover costs. That is also fine with me.

Is the training relevant for all age groups?

Yes. I have worked with hundreds of primaries, hundreds of secondaries, and dozens of FE colleges over the years. I present in a curriculum agnostic way, using examples that are relevant for the audience in front of me and the age group they teach. A big part of all my training is giving colleagues the opportunity to think about how they can take the ideas and strategies I present and use them with the learners they know best.

Start Changing Teaching and Learning in Your School Today With Mike’s FREE Collection of Articles Connected to Metacognition

Get a head start on developing metacognition in your school by exploring my collection of blogs and articles connected to metacognition and sharing them with your staff.

These articles touch on metacognition in different ways, looking at it in conjunction with differentiation, growth mindsets, questioning, and oracy.

You’ll find fifteen articles in total, covering topics like:

So enjoy – I hope you and your team find it useful!

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P.S. Don’t forget, when I deliver my Making Sense of Metacognition training, the emphasis is always on making life simpler and easier for your teachers, so they can adapt, develop and enhance their practice in ways that work.