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In a world where artificial intelligence can generate instant answers, the most important question facing education today is no longer what children know, but how they think.
At The British International School Abu Dhabi, this belief is central to our approach to learning. As part of Nord Anglia Education, we are proud to be actively involved in a landmark global research collaboration with Boston College, exploring how metacognition and thinking routines help children develop the human skills AI cannot replicate.
Metacognition is often described simply as thinking about thinking. In practice, it helps students become aware of how they learn, why certain strategies work, and how to improve when things feel challenging.
Through carefully embedded thinking routines, students learn to:
These skills go far beyond academic attainment. They help children grow into independent, confident and resilient learners, qualities that matter not just for exams, but for life.
Nord Anglia’s two-year global research project with Boston College involved over 12,000 students worldwide and investigated how metacognitive strategies support learners across diverse contexts. The global findings showed clear, measurable growth in the skills AI cannot replace.
At BIS Abu Dhabi, our own data mirrors and strengthens these outcomes.
Our most recent metacognition survey highlights powerful trends.
Students rated themselves highly across the Nord Anglia Learner Ambitions:
Teachers observed clear growth across the year:
For students using thinking routines daily, the impact was even stronger:
Parents who would like to explore the findings in more depth can access the full BIS Abu Dhabi reports below: the Student Metacognition Survey Report, which captures learners’ perspectives on their thinking and learning, and the Teacher Metacognition Survey Report, which highlights observed changes in learning behaviours across the school.
These findings show that metacognition is not an abstract concept. It is shaping daily classroom experiences and strengthening learning habits across our school.
The voices of our students are especially powerful, showing how well they understand the value of thinking routines:
“It boosts your learning and helps you deeply understand something.”
These reflections highlight how students are developing ownership of their learning, applying strategies independently and transferring them across subjects.
Teachers describe classrooms where thinking is more visible, purposeful and confident:
“Students are more aware of the strategies they are using and can explain their thinking.”
“Classroom dialogue is richer, with clearer justification of ideas.”
Metacognition is helping students understand not just what they learn, but how they learn best.
To learn more about the approaches behind this, explore our How We Teach philosophy.
AI will continue to shape the world our children grow up in. What will remain uniquely human is the ability to think critically, make sound judgements, persevere through uncertainty, collaborate with empathy, and adapt independently.
At BIS Abu Dhabi, our involvement in this research means parents can be confident that global evidence, classroom practice and measurable outcomes are closely aligned, giving children the skills they need to thrive now and in the future.
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