Metacognition
and Cultures of Thinking

Metacognitive strategies play a crucial role in reducing cognitive load in the classroom by helping students manage their thinking processes more effectively. When students are taught to plan, monitor, and evaluate their learning, they can better organize information and focus on what’s most important, thereby reducing the mental effort required to process and understand new concepts. 

 

Thinking routines and strategies support the explicit instruction of critical and creative thinking whilst reducing cognitive load. The intentional selection of the right tool at the right time is crucial in being able to make sense of new concepts and skills and scaffolds learner ability to develop the ability to reflect and reason. 

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Cognitive Load Theory directly influences how well students process, understand, and retain information. Dylan Wiliam has described cognitive load theory as ‘the single most important thing for teachers to know’. Cognitive Load Theory leverages our understanding of how the human brain works to create teaching strategies that enhance learning. It supports explicit instruction, where teachers actively guide students by demonstrating what to do and how to do it, rather than leaving them to discover or construct knowledge independently. The focus of Cognitive Load Theory is on optimizing the demands placed on students’ working memory, enabling them to learn more effectively.

We support teachers by equipping them with the knowledge of how children learn best, and the confidence to choose the right tools to help learners synthesise and clarify their learning.

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AITSL Standards addressed in this Professional Learning / partnership:

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Standard 1: Know students and how they learn

1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students

1.2 Understand how students learn

 

Standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it

2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area

2.2 Content selection and organisation

2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting

 

Standard 3: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning

3.1 Establish challenging learning goals

3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs

3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs

3.4 Select and use resources

 

Standard 4: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments

4.1 Support student participation

4.2 Manage classroom activities

 

Standard 5: Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning

5.1 Assess student learning

5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning

 

Standard 6: Engage in professional learning

6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice

6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning