Self-reflection and reflective practices

1.4. Metacognitive strategies in education

In the school environment, metacognitive strategies are often underestimated or their development is completely absent. The main reason for this is both a rigid focus on the content of the curriculum, which is prescribed by the basic pedagogical documents - the teacher does not work with the pupil, but with the curriculum/textbook - but also the perception that pupils - especially in primary school - are not able to use these strategies. Teachers often argue that their pupils do not need to think about what and how they are learning because they would not be able to understand it.

However, if learners are instructed properly, they can describe what strategies they will use in learning. This is demonstrated by the experience of teachers who have actively addressed this issue in their teaching. Gail Ellis's (1999, p.110) experience can be cited as an example:

“My own classroom practice has shown that children are capable of expressing an awareness about their own learning that they are rarely given credit for, and this awareness can be developed. The kind of awareness or knowledge that children do have about their learning is the comparative difficulty of different types of tasks, knowledge about themselves as learners and of the ways in which they generally operate strategically. What does not develop either as fast or as inevitably is the ability to use that knowledge spontaneously  in pursuance of a cognitive goal.“