Meta-learning: what is it and how can we use it to help our children flourish?

Whether you’re just starting out on your search for the right senior school for your child, or you’re busy preparing for next year’s 11+ cycle, helping your son or daughter to develop their creative-thinking and reflective-learning skills is key. We spoke to Arabella Northey, head of Meta Prep, to find out how schools and parents can use metacognition to help develop lifelong, independent and highly motivated learners – and demystify what exactly the ‘meta-learning’ buzzword is all about.

Tell us a bit about yourself and Meta Prep

I spent over 15 years working in both the state- and private-school sectors. As a founder of The Fulham Boys School, I developed a curriculum to equip and challenge boys of all abilities and foster a love of learning. At Wetherby Prep, I successfully prepared pupils for both entry exams and scholarships to a wide range of day and boarding schools. Afterwards, I moved to Fulham Senior where, as Deputy Head, I developed and oversaw the implementation of the curriculum, as well as the entry and interview process for both 11+ and 13+. I am firmly committed to equipping young people with the skills and confidence to be expert learners.

Last year, after completing my National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH), I decided to combine my interests in progressive education, metacognition and outstanding teaching and I founded Meta Prep. We offer an alternative to 1:1 tuition: at the core is two hours of teaching in English, maths and reasoning a week for pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6. All our pupils follow a curriculum that weaves the metacognitive and thinking processes together with the 11+ topics to reinforce a common language of thinking and learning. My aim is to equip children for future challenges by giving them a toolkit that prepares them to meet anything and everything that they will face.

What is metacognition?

Metacognition is about being a better thinker. Ask yourself: how do you know that you know something? In the education world, metacognition aims to get young people to see ‘beyond’ what they know; essentially, learning how to think reflectively, critically and creatively. A child might be able to trot out the correct answer to a problem, but metacognition is the ability to say how you got to that answer, and why it is correct or incorrect.

What does it mean to be a meta-learner and how can it help my child?

A meta-learner is someone who knows how to learn. They are armed with tools and strategies that enable them to make progress. They are confident in their abilities, eager to learn more and able to adjust their thinking in all situations.

Meta-learners delight in answering questions such as ‘What does the back of a rainbow look like?’. These don’t necessarily have a correct answer but provide space for reasoning and reflection. Additionally, they can apply logic when asked, ‘What angles does the hour hand of a clock rotate to between 1am and 8am?’ This allows the meta-learner a chance to apply their previously acquired knowledge and skills.

A meta-learner adapts well to new tasks and new environments. They employ deliberate practice to break down the big goal and seek help from an expert. Metacognition helps your child by future-proofing their skills as independent, reflective learners and preparing them with the communication and thought processes required for university and the world of work.

Is this something that children can learn at any age?

It is never too early to start, particularly if you believe in the concept of lifelong learning that is enjoyable. We often talk about young children just being a ‘walking question mark’ when all that comes out of their mouth is ‘why?’. Harnessing this and developing questioning skills so that children give regular thought to everything that takes place will set the stage for critical thinking.

How do I know whether my child’s school is teaching them the skill of metacognition?

After a few terms of remote learning, a lot of parents definitely have greater insight into how their child is set tasks or approaches problems through their online school work. However, remember that you have only seen a snapshot via a computer and the curriculum within a classroom will look very different. Children interacting, thinking interdependently, space given to reflection and deeper questioning is evidence of metacognition in the classroom.

As a parent, you should see evidence of their ability to understand, analyse, evaluate and restructure information. A further outcome of metacognition is the child taking ownership and control of their whole learning journey. You would also expect to see that within school they are regularly asked to reflect and evaluate their thinking and learning journey.

How can we parents help our children develop metacognitive skills?

One of the elements we reference at Meta Prep is motivation – our motivators often drive our behaviour. It is not a conscious decision, but comes from the underlying need for achievement, affiliation or influence. It is linked to our self-concept, personal beliefs, social expectations and personality traits.

The magic formula is: ability x motivation = performance. As a parent, you are then able to sit with your child and set learning goals that incorporate their prime motivators. Your child is able to make decisions about what they could tweak so that school work becomes more personally motivating.

Being an expert learner is about harnessing the neuroplasticity of the brain. Our brain changes regularly as new knowledge is accumulated. Get your child to list their super-strengths and then remind them that together you will help them overcome their weaknesses. It is very empowering.

Could you give us an example of how a topic might be taught in different ways to suit different learning styles? How many different learning styles are there?

Learning styles is a phrase that can have many different meanings and often gets whittled down to three approaches. It essentially means how someone feels that they can best access information – and often you'll hear people talking about being an auditory, visual or kinaesthetic learner.

However, even though we have these different biases, our brains actually need to see the same material presented in lots of different ways. And this is where American psychologist Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences come in. The more ways our brain connects with the information, the more effective the learning is and the more receptive a child is to trying new methods – a growth mindset.

Take maths, for example: laying down strong foundations in number bonds and times tables at primary-school level is key. This can be very effectively done in as many different ways as possible – reading, writing, singing, watching, jumping, counting – using Gardner’s multiple intelligences. In secondary school, this approach is repeated in language lessons – in order to understand, you have to master vocabulary and grammar.

And finally, you mentioned performance is a combination of ability and motivation. How do we motivate our children?

Motivations are at the heart of our identity and drive our behaviours, so we think it is really powerful to identify our top three motivators. We use a motivational map, which through asking simple yet pertinent questions identifies a child's motivation in three key areas: Relationships, Achievement and Growth. These are broken down further into three motivators, which provide teachers, parents and pupils with a ‘whole child’ insight, revealing a framework for goal-setting and self-reflection.

To help a child improve their performance, you need to understand their key motivations to create those ‘growing conditions’. The motivation map gives us a score of how well a child’s motivations are currently being met and practical suggestions to support a child going forward.

To fulfil their potential is a fine balancing act between achieving high levels of performance while ensuring the child is happy and stimulated. Understanding their intrinsic motivation ensures that any learning experience is tailored, resulting in happiness and success.

To find out more about Meta Prep, click .

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Meta-learning: what is it and how can we use it to help our children flourish?

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