How Metacognition Is Transforming Learning at Pacific

Metacognition is an awareness of our own thinking and learning. Research shows that explicitly teaching students how to think about their learning can improve academic outcomes by up to seven months in a single school year (1). These gains don’t come from more home learning or longer classes, but from helping students understand how our brains learn best. In the Middle College we are committed to developing students who are not only learning content but also learning how to learn. Now in its second year, Pacific Lutheran College’s partnership with the University of Queensland Learning Lab has focused on embedding metacognitive strategies in the Middle College through the use of the Pacific Metacognition Toolkit. 

The Metacognition Toolkit is a resource for students to develop key learning strategies like goal-setting, making connections to prior learning and reflecting on learning strategies that work best for them. The toolkit was cocreated with Middle College students in 2024, when five teachers led a research project through the UQ Partner Schools Program. The toolkit was researched and designed by the research team and then refined with input from students who tested its strategies. This year, the UQ Partner Schools Program team is collecting evidence about the most effective implementation of the toolkit so it can support students in meaningful, practical ways.

Year 8 students have been at the forefront of this year’s research, learning in Philosophical Inquiry lessons how to move from a beginner mindset to mastery by better understanding the learning process. As students move through the phases of learning – planning, monitoring and evaluating – they’re encouraged to notice their own habits and reflect on their mindset. This includes recognising the role of focus and motivation and how emotions like stress can affect learning. They are assisted to build resilience by understanding that ‘the learning pit’ is a natural and necessary part of mastering new skills and that learning occurs at the point of challenge.

In the evaluation phase, students are guided to reflect on their progress and seek feedback from teachers, parents and peers. They are encouraged to celebrate small gains as well as maintaining a focus on grades. We’re seeing encouraging signs of growth as students become more confident, independent learners. Students have been sharing reflections during Open Day, PCGs and assemblies, inspiring others to adopt these strategies too. The Metacognition Toolkit features in the classrooms of all Middle College students. The Metacognition Toolkit is also available on students’ Nav pages (via the Learning and Assessment tile) and on the Parent Portal. We encourage families to explore it and have conversations about how metacognitive strategies can support learning both in and out of the classroom.

Mrs Jo Belchamber, Head of Middle College Learning