Metacognition research conducted with help from London CLC has improved attainment in maths – but had negative impacts on reading.
The ReflectED project was run by Rosendale Primary School, with help from London CLC and the National Education Trust. The evaluation report, published earlier this month, found pupils made an average of four additional months progress in maths, but made two months less progress in reading.
The 2014-15 Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) trial found that year 5 pupils who took part in the ReflectED programme “developed a more positive attitude to maths” and that teachers “praised the systematic approach ReflectED brought to their attempts to develop metacognition”.
In the year-long trial, year 5 pupils across 30 primary schools completed 28 ReflectED lessons. Pupils were also encouraged to use reflection techniques throughout the rest of the curriculum.
The EEF report also suggested that expanding the trial may have improved results. Participating teachers said that “ReflectED would work best as a whole school programme”. Researchers suggested that “the programme might have a greater impact after the first year of delivery” as teachers became familiar with the ReflectED approach.
The finding in the trial have “moderate to high security”, scoring 4/5 on the EEF rating system. Researchers also found the programme to be extremely cost effective, at £18.72 per pupil, scoring 1/5 on the EEF cost rating system.
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