Nord Anglia Education Publishes First Year Findings from Metacognition Research Project with Boston College

Leading international schools provider Nord Anglia Education has published the first report from its Metacognition Research Project in partnership with the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College.

Titled ‘Building Better Thinkers’, Nord Anglia’s research paper details the two-year project’s exploration of how metacognition—the process of understanding how to learn best to be able to adapt and thrive in different situations—can help students improve their learning outcomes, inside and outside of the classroom.

Through the study’s 27 pilot schools across 17 countries, Nord Anglia’s research is helping students develop their thinking processes using Thinking Routines created by Project Zero, a research centre at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Thinking Routines are simple strategies that allow students to think critically, understand deeply, and take ownership of their education, helping them to become more independent learners.

In its first year of research, the project surveyed 2,429 students in Years 3 to 9 from Nord Anglia’s pilot schools. The survey results published in Nord Anglia’s ‘Building Better Thinkers’ report indicate that embedding metacognitive practices into classroom teaching and learning are supporting students’ development:

84% of students said that metacognition helps them to understand how they think and learn best.
75% of students said their independence became “better” or “much better”.
73% said their “knowledge of how they can learn” improved.
71% of students said using Project Zero Thinking Routines helped to “deepen their thinking”.
71% said their social skills improved.
More than two thirds of students felt their creativity, curiosity, compassion, collaboration, commitment, and critical thinking improved.

Dr Kate Erricker, Nord Anglia’s Group Head of Education Research and Global Partnerships, said: “Metacognitive practices are transforming how our students approach their learning. By understanding and controlling their own learning processes, they can improve academically and across essential development areas. Our research underscores the importance of teaching students to understand their thinking, helping them to become more independent and effective learners.”

Dr Damian Bebell, Assistant Research Professor at Boston College, said: “Our global research partnership with Nord Anglia Education is one of the first large-scale studies of metacognition and skills development. It’s very encouraging to see the first year’s results, which will help us to further shape teaching practices and learning outcomes.”

Dr Flossie Chua, Principal Investigator at Project Zero, said: "Testing and refining metacognitive strategies in Nord Anglia’s classrooms using our Thinking Routines is at the centre of encouraging a culture of learning. We applaud this important research project and its potential to help students develop life-changing skills.”

Nord Anglia’s research paper ‘Building Better Thinkers’ can be viewed here and information about the study’s questions, methods, and objectives can be found here.