Metacognition: The High-Impact Strategy That Accelerates Student Learning

This Critical Agendas workshop on metacognition, presented by Sally Learey, equips primary and secondary teachers and teacher aides (Years 4-12) with high-impact strategies for explicitly teaching students to notice, manage, and direct their own thinking. The research evidence supporting metacognition as a learning accelerator is compelling: studies consistently demonstrate that when students develop the skills to plan, monitor, and reflect on their learning processes, achievement improves across every subject and every year level. The workshop moves beyond theoretical understanding to focus on the practical 'how' of teaching metacognitive strategies in any classroom context. Sally Learey draws on her extensive experience as a teacher, author of seven books, positive psychology practitioner, and education consultant to explore what metacognition is and why it matters for every learner, how teaching students about brain plasticity builds a growth-oriented learning culture, specific metacognitive strategies teachers can implement immediately, techniques for coaching students to use these strategies independently, and essential metacognitive questions that students can use to guide their own learning. Learey's personal experience as a mother of a son with ASD and special needs enriches her understanding of inclusive learning environments, and her workshops are consistently praised by participants for their authenticity, engagement, and practical relevance.