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Dear friends,
Please take a look at the title of this blog post "The Critical Importance of Metacognition in PE Theory Teaching (Part 1)" and consider this question:
In James’s (the author’s) opinion, which is the most important word in the title of this post?
One of those words is more important than the others for PE teachers. Which do you think it is? Which do you think I think it is? Is it “metacognition”? Is it “theory”? Is it “PE” (technically two words, of course)? And, whichever word it is, why is it the most important one?
I’ll ensure I answer these questions by the end of this post.
(Please note, part 2 of this blog will be published on Wednesday 22nd October 2025.)
Want to find out more about metacognition in the PE classroom? Watch our free lesson on The PE Teacher Academy here:
The beginnings…
What the heck is metacognition? I am writing this question here, as for years and years of my PE teaching career, I heard the term used and I never really understood what people meant. I nodded along and pretended I got it, but –honestly– I didn’t, and I definitely didn’t recognise how critically important metacognition was.
So, for all you people like me who are just not sure, let me start at the beginning. Metacognition is, in my opinion, two things:
1. Thinking about one’s thinking.
2. The reason why most PE students underperform on higher-order skills such as AO2 and AO3.
Let’s address the first point: Metacognition is PE students thinking about their own thinking. What does that actually mean? For example, if I were to say the line “PE students thinking about their own thinking” in the pub, I’m confident that those around me wouldn’t have a clear concept of what I was referring to. Therefore, I am going to assume that many readers of this post won’t either. We need clarity on this because, looking back at point 2, it remains my opinion that metacognition (and, specifically, a lack of metacognitive strategies) can accurately explain why so many PE students make a bit of a mess of applied (often AO2) and analytical/evaluative (often AO3) writing in their exams and/or coursework.
So, if I’m right, we have a problem: lots of us PE teachers aren’t confident with metacognition and, just as importantly, metacognitive strategies could make a massive difference in our PE students’ exam and/or coursework performance.
The basics of metacognition applied to PE
Metacognition is, as we know, thinking about thinking. This doesn’t get us far. What helps more is looking at the construct in more detail and then, hopefully, applying it to PE:
Metacognition is part knowledge and part regulation. But what do these terms mean? Take a look below at some specific examples of each. Please note, the lists are not exhaustive:
| Metacognition applied, specifically, to PE |
|
| Knowledge component |
Regulatory component |
| Developing an ongoing flashcards strategy throughout my sport psychology course. | Enjoying the feeling of being stuck when learning the energy systems. |
| Revising from shuffled flashcards on the sport psychology course so that my recall is more difficult. | Accepting wrong answers in a levers quiz as useful indicators of what I need to learn. |
| Using the E-I-O model for any applied question on my PE exams. | Exercising three times a week, leading up to and during my revision periods for GCSEs or A-levels. |
| Having an awareness of chunked and blended approaches to extended writing before I decide how to answer. | Sleeping well the night before my PE exam. |
| Using The EverLearner writing frameworks when I plan eight- and 15-mark answers in AQA A-level PE. | Staying calm as I turn the first page of the GCSE PE exam. |
| After each end-of-unit test, I use mark schemes to add detail to my own answers with a specific focus on missed concepts. | Avoiding comparison to others when my PE test results are returned. |
| Asking my teacher questions such as “How would this be applied to performer x/y/z?” or “Exactly how does this process begin?” or “Are there any negative aspects of this theory?” or “Is there any research that contradicts this claim?” as regularly as possible. | Talking to peers, parents and teachers when I feel stressed about PE coursework deadlines. |
| When opening my PE exam paper, I turn straight to the toughest questions and make some notes on extra paper. Then, as I answer the shorter questions, I note down any additional ideas I have about the tough questions on the extra paper. I then answer the tougher questions from my notes. | |
| When revising, I build in periods called “Stop and take stock” moments. I read through what I have written or worked on and ensure the ideas are clear to me. | |
If you were unsure about how important metacognition in PE is, I want you to reflect on what it would mean if PE students did not have these skills and approaches. It would look something like:
| Lack of metacognition applied, specifically, to PE | |
| Knowledge component | Regulatory component |
| I do not build flashcards throughout my sport psychology course. | I don’t enjoy being stuck when learning the energy systems, and I don’t understand why I don’t get it. |
| I have no flashcards to shuffle. I read my class notes in order. | I get annoyed about wrong answers in a levers quiz. I don’t like quizzing. |
| I don’t have any strategy for answering applied questions on my PE exams. | I am sedentary in the week leading up to and during my revision periods for GCSEs or A-levels. |
| I have no awareness of chunked and blended approaches to extended writing. When I answer them, I write whatever seems natural. | I am agitated the night before my PE exam. |
| I write down planning notes on blank paper when answering eight- and 15-mark answers in AQA A-level PE. | I am nervous when I turn the first page of the GCSE PE exam. |
| After each end-of-unit test, I put my script in my folder. | I compare myself to others when my PE test results are returned. |
| I don’t have specific questions that I tend to ask my PE teacher. | When I feel stressed about PE coursework deadlines, I keep it to myself. |
| When opening my PE exam paper, I do the questions in order. I see the toughest questions when I get to them. | |
| When revising, I get my head down and just plough on. | |
I am very strongly of the opinion that the students represented in the first, green table will, with all things being equal, far outperform the students described in the second, red table. In other words, metacognition is, without doubt, the key ingredient to success in PE theory studies. Put more strongly, I wish to argue that PE exams and, to some extent, PE coursework, are not simply tests of PE knowledge.
Rather,
PE exams and coursework are a direct measure of PE students’ metacognitive skills.
Reflect on this statement for a while. If I am right, this would mean that our collective focus on knowledge acquisition, whilst also very, very important, needs to be matched, at least, with our focus on developing metacognitive strategies with our PE students.
Furthermore, all metacognitive research within education clearly states that it is not enough to hope that students will develop metacognitive strategies. Rather, it is absolutely the case that metacognitive growth occurs in PE students when PE teachers strategically develop those skills. I’m sure there are exceptions. I mean, I have worked with many students who are the exception and will find their own way but, in general terms, PE teachers definitely need to teach metacognition to PE students.
So, let’s return to my initial question: Which is the most important word in my title? The title is:
The critical importance of metacognition in PE theory teaching Part 1
In my opinion, the most important word in that title is “teaching”. Whether we wish it to be the case or not, PE teachers (whether delivering A-level, GCSE, BTEC, CNAT or any other course) must –and I really do mean must– teach metacognition to their PE students.
So, I’ll leave it there for Part 1 and will return to publishing on this topic in Part 2. Ooh, and let me excite you: In Part 2, there will be a free download for PE teachers to share with their PE students as a first step to developing metacognitive awareness with them.
Thanks for reading.
James