The Rockerbox Reading Challenge and Metacognitive Learning

Metacognition, the ability to think about one's own thinking, is crucial for pupils to become independent and lifelong learners.  Fostering metacognitive skills keeps learners motivated and lays a foundation for success in higher education and beyond. 

One effective way to cultivate these skills is through challenges and competitions, where students can set goals, track progress, and reflect on their learning journey. 

Here at Rockerbox, our Rockerbox Reading Challenge is designed to help your pupils work on these key skills.

Setting Goals:

Challenges and competitions provide a structured platform for students to set goals, whether it's hitting a milestone, improving a skill, or accomplishing a specific task. With the Rockerbox Reading Challenge, pupils should be encouraged to set their own goals for the duration of the challenge period. At the beginning of each challenge period, ask each pupil to set themselves a goal and note it down somewhere they can come back to.

Here are some examples of goals that pupils might want to set:

Do they want to read a certain number of articles? 

Do they want to reach a certain certificate milestone? 

Do they want to beat their score from the last challenge period?

Goals provide motivation by giving pupils something to strive for. When individuals set challenging yet achievable goals and see progress toward those goals, they are more likely to stay engaged and motivated in their learning.

Tracking Progress:

Once goals are established, tracking progress becomes paramount. Competitions offer measurable milestones that allow pupils to monitor their advancement. With our reading challenge update in January 2024, pupils can now keep track of the number of articles they have read in the competition period directly on their dashboard. This process of self-assessment fosters metacognitive awareness as pupils reflect on what strategies are working well and where adjustments may be needed to achieve their goals.

Reflecting on Learning:

Reflection is a key aspect of metacognition, and challenges and competitions provide ample opportunities for students to reflect on their learning experiences. After participating in a competition, students can engage in structured reflection sessions where they analyse their strategies, identify strengths and weaknesses, and consider how they can improve in the future.

Building Resilience:

Challenges and competitions also help cultivate resilience, another crucial aspect of metacognition. Not every competition will result in victory, and setbacks are inevitable along the learning journey. However, facing challenges and setbacks provides opportunities for pupils to develop resilience by persevering in the face of adversity. By reflecting on their experiences, students can identify strategies for overcoming obstacles and bouncing back stronger than before. This resilience not only contributes to academic success but also prepares students for the challenges they will encounter throughout their lives.

Challenges and competitions offer a dynamic platform for students to set goals, track progress, reflect on their learning experiences, and build resilience. By actively engaging in these activities, students develop a deeper understanding of their own thinking processes and become better equipped to navigate the complexities of the learning journey. As educators, embracing challenges and competitions as tools for nurturing metacognition can pave the way for students to reach their full potential academically, socially, and emotionally.

Learn more about the Rockerbox Reading Challenge here.

Get in touch: info@myrockerbox.com • 0800 644 8890