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Ross Morrison McGill founded @TeacherToolkit in 2007, and today, he is one of the ‘most followed educators’on social media in the world. In 2015, he was nominated as one of the ‘500 Most Influential People in Britain’ by The Sunday Times as a result of…
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What can college teachers teach schools about metacognition and impact?
FE teaching isn’t just practical—it’s pedagogical. A new guide shows how powerful thinking can transform outcomes for post-16 students.
I need to do a headcount, but I think I must have supported teachers and lecturers in at least 50+ further education colleges across England. I believe I now have sufficient insights about what happens in classrooms, and some of the headaches students, teachers and college leaders face in these settings.
This paper, published earlier this year by the Department for Education – Powerful Pedagogy: Effective Practice – conducted interviews in 16 FE providers were selected, covering a range of contexts including sixth forms, colleges, and adult learning.
Themes were analysed against a backdrop of learning science and practice-led evidence. The aim? To challenge traditional “custom and practice” teaching, and identify pedagogical practices that significantly impact student progress, achievement, and personal growth.
Though not a clinical trial (n = unknown), its findings align with broader EEF and Ofsted evidence. The colleges profiled share common ground: deep subject expertise, structured routines, and responsive, student-centred teaching.
Whether exploring evolution in biology or preparing for vocational travel, FE teachers embed thinking into everything. It’s not just about passing the course—it’s about preparing for life.
The FE sector teaches more disadvantaged students than any other, yet receives the least policy attention.
With post-COVID learning loss and widening disadvantage gaps, understanding what works for these learners is urgent. This guide argues for stronger, sector-specific evidence to avoid the trap of generic “best practice”. Crucially, it shows that powerful teaching thrives in places where pedagogy is part of leadership culture—not an add-on.
The paper also calls on government, Ofsted and CPD providers to place evidence-based pedagogy front and centre in FE policy—before the gap widens further.
College teachers use strategies familiar to schools—Rosenshine, dual coding, “I do, we do, you do”—but adapt them to diverse cohorts and course types. They scaffold learning, provide formative feedback (including audio), and engage in collaborative CPD built around experimentation.
Leaders at these colleges model pedagogy themselves, using lesson observations, ‘Town Hall’ CPD, and shared teaching strategies. Students learn not just content, but how to think, problem-solve and regulate themselves in real-time. Whether through peer-programming models, art ‘huddles’ or science mentoring, this teaching works because it’s inclusive, ambitious and relentlessly focused on learning.
However, pedagogy is not everywhere in these settings.
CPD questions for FE teachers:
- How are metacognitive strategies used in current lessons?
- Could feedback methods (e.g., audio, modelling) improve student reflection?
- Are teaching routines clearly established to reduce distractions?
- How often do teachers revisit prior knowledge to build schema?
- Do leaders actively participate in or lead pedagogical development?
- Is CPD designed around evidence-based experiments and reflection?
- What role do student voices play in shaping pedagogy?
- Are SEND students fully supported through structured habits and tools?
- How can vocational and academic teaching share more strategies?
- Could school teachers adapt FE strategies for Key Stage 4 learners?
The research concludes:
“We want the voices of FE students to be heard, so that we have a richer understanding of what works in educating those who will inherit the world of the future.”
Download the full report to explore the case studies and strategies in detail.
