Metacognition can be defined as an awareness and understanding of a person’s thought processes. In education, metacognition is the ability to think about one’s own learning, Playing a critical role in effective teaching and learning.

By helping students become more aware of their learning processes and strategies, metacognitive pedagogy can enhance academic performance and promote self-directed learning. Teaching practices that promote metacognition shares many similarities with those of Academic Mentorship.  

Academic Mentorship is a form of private tutoring that can be a powerful tool for promoting metacognitive development among A Level, Undergraduate and Master’s students, as they make the transition into ever more challenging academic realms.

Using a combination of pastoral, holistic and academic approaches, academic mentors support and guide a student’s understanding of critical and intentional thinking approaches to their studies. Read our guide on Academic mentorship. 

 

What research suggests 

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is an independent charity, supporting educational institutions in helping reduce the trend between family income and attainment.

The EEFs’ work specifically aims at distilling the myriad of studies and research into concrete strategies and tactics for excellent teaching practice. 

It has produced extensive guidance for teachers on how to promote metacognition in the classroom. The guidance recommends a range of teaching strategies, including modelling, explicit instruction, questioning, and peer-to-peer learning.

These strategies are designed to help students become more aware of their own learning processes, and to develop the skills and strategies they need to learn effectively. 

Recent studies have provided strong evidence to support the effectiveness of metacognitive pedagogy.

A meta-analysis conducted by the EEF found that teaching metacognitive strategies had a positive impact on students’ academic performance across a range of subjects and age groups, claiming that metacognitive strategies “can be worth the equivalent of an additional +7 months’ progress when used well.”  

Other studies have shown that metacognitive strategies can be particularly effective for students who are from disadvantaged backgrounds, or struggling academically, be it in their mandatory GCSEs, or their undergraduate modules at top universities. 

 

Peer tutoring  

In recent years, several studies have highlighted the benefits of metacognitive pedagogy for student achievement. Recent studies have explored the potential benefits of using metacognitive pedagogy within the context of academic mentoring in university.  

For example, Backer and colleagues (2011) investigated the impact of reciprocal peer tutoring on higher education students’ metacognitive knowledge and regulation.

The study found that students who participated in peer tutoring showed improved metacognitive regulation skills, including self-evaluation and planning. 

In institutions in which peer tuition can be difficult to carry out, the role of an academic mentor, as both as an experienced alumnus and professional tutor, can be a peer, developing and modelling their own study skills, research and articulate their learning processes alongside the student in tailored tutorials.

To learn more on Academic mentors, read our Academic mentorship Q&A with Gabbitas’ Director of School Placements and Higher education.  

 

English Language Development  

Another study by Al-Jarrah and colleagues (2018) investigated the attitudes of ‘English as a Foreign Language’ (EFL) students when using metacognitive strategies in their writing. Download their study here. 

This study found that students who received explicit instruction in metacognitive strategies demonstrated greater motivation and engagement in their writing, as well as improved writing skills. This is particularly pertinent for students coming to the UK to study.  

English is the global lingua-franca for business, international relations, research and the arts. Having a native, bilingual or fluent mentor upon whom a student can lean on to check the nuances of English for Academic Purposes, is hugely beneficial and provides that ‘edge’ in essays and dissertations. 

 

Enhancing Performance, Engagement and Motivation  

Dunn and Mulvenon (2009) examined much of the research on the impact of metacognitive instruction on students’ ability.

For solving maths problems, they report that students who received explicit instruction in metacognitive strategies performed significantly better on problem-solving tasks than students who did not receive this instruction.  

Perhaps students who articulated the thoughts in approaching difficult problems triggered verbal memory to recollect previous similar problems? The research concluded that “metacognitive instruction is a powerful tool for enhancing student learning in mathematics.” 

In addition to improving academic performance, metacognitive pedagogy has also been shown to enhance students’ motivation and engagement.

A study by Yan and colleagues (2018) found that metacognitive instruction increased students’ intrinsic motivation to learn and their confidence in their ability to learn.

The researchers noted that “metacognitive strategies can help students feel more in control of their learning, which can lead to increased motivation and engagement.” 

 

Practical Applications of Metacognition  

Real studies have provided compelling evidence to support the effectiveness of metacognitive pedagogy for enhancing student achievement, motivation, and engagement.

Mentorship can be a powerful vessel for exploring metacognition in learners, providing the scaffolding for a student to implement this ‘thinking about thinking’ into a student’s learning process.  

By analysing a student’s unique learning methods, and drawing upon a wealth of experience in tuition and academic study, Gabbitas Academic Mentors will provide tailored guidance and support to help students develop the skills and strategies they need to become self-directed learners and achieve their academic goals. Enquire to speak to our mentors and tutors here.  

 

To find out more on how specific metacognitive strategies tailored to an individual student can help their learning in exponential ways, email our experts info@gabbitas.com, or call +44 (0) 203 026 7443.  

 

 

This article was written by Gabbitas’ Head of Tuition, Johnny Reynolds, and is part of Gabbitas, a section providing in-depth, first-hand coverage of the UK education landscape and global market trends.    

Gabbitas’ Senior consultant and the Director of School Placements and Higher Education, Paul Kelly, breaks down what academic mentorship is, how this might help young people through their studies, and its differentiation from traditional tuition avenues. 

Paul has worked at some of the UK’s most prestigious boarding schools such as Millfield and Wycombe Abbey. For 30 years, his experience has covered teaching academic subjects up to A-Levels, coaching sport, house parenting, and leading departments focused on preparing students to make the most successful university applications, including Oxbridge.   

 

What are your experiences in independent education, including your role as an academic mentor? 

I spent over 30 years teaching history in several large independent schools up to A Level and Pre-U. Inevitably, over the years I was called upon to give plenty of guidance to students considering choosing certain subjects; writing references and giving practice university interviews, including many successful ones for Oxford and Cambridge.  

My career progressed to taking charge of university applications and then heading the entire higher education and careers departments in these schools.

This gave me huge experience in mentoring thousands of students in making key educational decisions, providing enrichment opportunities and suggestions for the most competitive and demanding applications, while assisting them make successful higher education, apprenticeship and employment applications.  

Another aspect of my career involved house parenting and in a boarding school students will often seek guidance and advice on what they should do to try to help them secure that desired placement, degree course or other opportunity.

Much of my work also involved visiting universities, admissions departments and recruitment centres to be able to offer the best possible guidance for students seeking assistant with their futures. 

 

How have you personally seen academic mentoring help young people?  

It has been incredibly satisfying to help a student over many years achieve his ambition of an Oxbridge place. This was the result primarily it should be said of the student’s own hard work.

However, reading/blog suggestions, courses, exposure to a wide range of differing opinions, practice interviews and considerations of many drafts of applications as well as required statements helped that particular student achieve his goal.  

Another occasion involved helping a girl trying to achieve a medical place. Appropriate extra tutoring was suggested for the necessary aptitude tests and some practise multiple mini-interviews were given.

In these it became clear that, in fact, the student’s ultimate abilities and talents lay in psychology rather than clinical medicine. Ultimately this was the path she chose, and it is the one she is now following very successfully. 

 

What are the roles and responsibilities of Academic Mentors?  

I think ultimately to act a little like a project manager, someone who considers an individual’s hopes and ambitions as well as someone who will help the student decide on the most appropriate courses of action for them as their education progresses. 

It is a journey, and the final goal can be very different from the original ambition. This is where appropriately suggested experiences, courses, placements, master classes and reflection on progress with a critical outsider- the mentor, can really help a young person make the best possible informed decisions for them on their successful futures. 

 

How do you choose the right academic mentor?   

In certain cases, the right academic background for the target area might well be the best academic mentor for you. However, the mentor must also be a person that you feel comfortable with and someone with whom you can honestly discuss your progress and ambitions.

They should have that experience to help you consider other options that you perhaps hadn’t thought about. Someone who will encourage you and someone interested in your ambitions who will help you find satisfaction in achieving your genuine potential. 

 

When should a student choose a tutor, and when should they choose an academic mentor?  

A tutor will often be selected when a student has a specific need, it might be an aspect of an exam subject or a particular entrance test that needs specialist help or an area of a syllabus where the student needs more practise to fully understand the concepts.  

A mentor will not give that specialist help, but act as an overseer suggesting when specialist tuition might be to a student’s advantage and suggest other, often non-teaching experiences that will help the student grow and develop in making their own successful decisions on their own futures.  

 

How often should a student be in contact with an academic mentor?  

That can depend on many things including the length of the relationship between the mentor and the student as well as the particular stage of a student’s journey.  

Initially, meetings between the mentor and student might be once or twice a term to review progress, consider options and make the best possible educational decisions.

Later, in the relationship the contact might be much more frequent especially once applications are being made, statements drafted, interviews prepared for, and key decisions being made. Much of this depends on the personal circumstances of the student and the specific goal. 

 

Can academic mentors look after the mental well-being of students? 

Mentors are not trained counsellors. However, there is inevitably a lot of encouragement and considerations of alternatives when a particular path no longer seems viable.

Simply giving someone the opportunity to talk about their fears and ambitions, as well as to consider alternatives, is going to alleviate much of the stress and concern that can be such a cause of worry and stress.  

 

Lastly, do Academic Mentors report back to parents?  Or is communication strictly between them and a student?  

This depends on the arrangement that is formed between the student and the mentor. Parents are often an important key part of this. However, the ultimate relationship is between the mentor and the student.

The mentor will want the student to achieve the best possible and most appropriate outcome for that student as an individual. The aim is to enable the student to flourish successfully and achieve their full potential.

Sometimes these goals can differ from parental expectations and part of the mentor’s role is to help the student negotiate these issues.

 

…  

 

Gabbitas’ Academic mentorship program provides bespoke and tailored support to students at all levels of education. Whether students want to improve their study skills, critical thinking, reasoned and effective arguments, and essay structure, mentors can look at the overall ambition, potential and the areas of improvement of a student. 

Gabbitas’ mentors are highly trained specialists in their field of study, as well as highly experienced tutors and teachers, with an in-depth understanding of how learning takes place.  

If you’d like to learn more about our selection of academic mentors or want to find out how academic mentorship can help with your specific needs, email info@gabbitas.com, or call +44 (0) 203 026 7443.

An academic mentor goes far beyond the mere realm of teaching and into an increasingly important part of a student’s educational journey: their well-being and intellectual understanding. Johnny Reynolds, the Tutoring Coordinator at Gabbitas, expands further on what an academic mentor is.

 

What is an Academic Mentor?

Where classroom teachers and tutors focus on subject-specific teachings; academic mentors adapt their conduct to specifically address individual needs and concerns.

As a result, academic mentors can form supportive relationships focused on academic growth, fostering many positive educational, professional and psychological outcomes.

For many students, time spent often favours learning subject-specific knowledge over developing strong study skills, leaving a crucial element of learning overlooked. Academic mentors deal with this critical part of learning, aiming to push for active, cognitive learning processes through an unbiased, broad perspective.

With a proper understanding of learning methods, such as note taking, essay writing, forming arguments and contextualising knowledge, students can truly thrive and make the most out of their university experience. This, combined with pastoral support, sharing their experience and developing independence in academia, students leave university well-rounded and resilient.

 

What do academic mentors do?

Academic mentors focus on practical and theoretical teachings, balancing the dichotomy from knowledge and learning skills through to social aptitude and commutation skills.

This mentorship means that students are given insight into their learning processes far beyond the syllabus or textbook. Introducing students to new study skills and learning techniques early on in their educational journey can better equip them both in the classroom and in life.

An academic mentor can introduce students to; Note-taking skills and, subsequently, study skills for essay writing, organisational skills and revision strategies are also taken into account to improve learning efficiency and time management.

Mentors can also break down the lexical difference between a good and significantly great construction of an argument. Further from writing, mentors are able to advise on presentation skills and public speaking ability, a crucial part of any young person’s educational foundation for future employment.

To further educational success, academic mentors are a great asset in transitioning from one school level to another. From prep school to secondary school or from A-levels to university, they can open up opportunities and discourse that would not otherwise be available to students.

These include being able to recommend extra-curricular activities, advising on how to stand out at university applications and suggesting work experiences and internships that can make all the difference.

 

 

Do you need an academic mentor?

In the post-pandemic education landscape, it is ever more critical to recognise the disruption in students’ educational journeys. Having been deprived of social interactions and interpersonal skills both within their education and extensively in all aspects of their malleable lives, mentoring plays a vital role in rebuilding the stagnancy caused by COVID-19.

Rebuilding young people’s confidence, self-resilience, and self-responsibility, both socially and in education, is a crucial starting point in re-entering the physical classroom and schoolwork.

 

 

Combining tuition with academic mentorship can be the best possible action for extensive intellectual development. Gabbitas mentors and tutors are highly equipped to tackle both subject-specific areas of improvement in combination with a broad academic and psychological development of critical life skills to facilitate a supportive space for any student.

To enquire, please get in touch today by visiting the tutoring page or call +44 203 026 7443.