Learning About Learning: Metacognitive Approaches in the Classroom

Summary During the past decade there has been an increasing interest in helping children to develop control of their own learning and behaviour. This has stimulated many researchers to look once again at areas such as motivation and self discipline. The current concern about effective schools has also brought into greater focus the issue of effective learning environments and a re‐examination of the role of the teacher in managing and facilitating the learning process. This article considers how educational psychologists can offer practical advice to parents and teachers, which enables them to change the negative perspectives of pupils who have learning and/or emotional and behaviour difficulties and encourage a more positive, self‐directed approach to schoolwork. Finally an attempt is made to relate this metacognitive approach to other existing models of learning in educational psychology theory.