For Pupils

Are Primary School Pupils Prepared for Metacognitive Skills?

Metacognitive skills are key to developing critical thinking and learning autonomy. They are the skills that allow pupils to think about their thinking, evaluate how they are learning, and make adjustments to their methods. But how ready are primary school pupils to develop these skills?

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Metacognitive skills help pupils understand and control their learning process. They include the ability to:

  • identify what they know and what they need to learn;
  • choose the appropriate strategy for a particular activity;
  • monitor their progress and make adjustments when something isn’t working.

These skills are not innate, they need teaching and reinforcement, especially at a young age.

Even though the pupils of the older, mainly primary classes, have the first possibilities to develop metacognitive skills, traditional educational systems do not systematically focus on them. In classrooms, the emphasis is usually on covering material and solving exercises, while pupils are rarely guided on how to learn. This leaves them with limited ability to understand their own learning process and improve it.        

Not few teachers make a significant effort to integrate metacognitive skills into the pedagogical practice. Let’s take the Greek educational system for example. In the Analytical Curriculum of all Primary classes, we often come across the term “metacognition”, which demonstrates the necessity of cultivating relevant skills. For example, in the axis “Written Speech – Reading” for the last two grades of primary school, at the level of activities, indicatively are proposed “questions that develop the pupils’ metacognition (e.g. stages and ways of understanding a text) and metalanguage (relevant vocabulary and terminology)” (DEPPS-APS, 2003). Furthermore, the reference to two very important metacognitive terms – metalanguage and metalanguage activities – which are found in the book’s glossary, is of interest in the 4th grade teacher’s book.

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Similar examples can be found in the teaching of mathematics. The 2nd grade teacher’s book states that pupils do not solve problems based on key words or using formulas and rules. They learn how to approach them based on their logic and their ability to think. They learn to evaluate information, combine it in order to choose a strategy to solve the problem (not necessarily a mathematical operation), verify the solution they found using another strategy. They learn to correct problems, complete problems, judge whether they have one or more solutions.
Metacognitive skills, therefore, help pupils become more autonomous and confident in their learning. A pupil who knows how to evaluate and adjust his strategy is better prepared to meet future educational challenges as he progresses through the grades, where independent learning plays an important role.      

Teachers and parents can help develop these skills with simple methods:

  • Encouraging Self-Assessment: Asking pupils “What do I understand and what do I need to revisit?” or “What difficulties did I face?”.
  • Using Feedback: Helping pupils consider what they did right and what they can improve.
  • Cultivating Critical Thinking: Creating activities where pupils think about how to solve a problem, rather than just following instructions.

All the above, and much more, are to be highlighted in the CogniQuest project both through its theoretical content (Guides) and through the practical applications it proposes (toolkits, templates, adventure books, reflection exercises).

In conclusion, we would agree that the integration of metacognition in primary school can help pupils become more effective and autonomous. Although their preparation in this area may be limited today, with appropriate support and guidance they can develop these skills, laying the foundations for a successful learning journey.

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