Abstract
Drawing on a research project that set out to identify variables that children, considered as gifted and talented use to extend and develop their literacy (Williams and Rask, 2000), this article concentrates on one finding, namely, that these children possessed some metacognitive awareness of how they were learning. Importantly, this had impacted on their progress in literacy in a positive way. Other findings replicated much of what is already known about the significance of preschool home influences through play on the emergence of literacy. Data was collected during interviews with gifted and talented Year One children (six children in the sample: 4 boys and 2 girls) their parents and teachers. These five and six year olds had some understanding of how they were learning and knew why it is important to be literate. It is concluded, therefore, that there should be a metacognitive element to all literacy lessons, even in Key Stage One, and that this might have a bearing on raising literacy standards for all children — not just those who are gifted and talented — in the future.
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