Workshop Introduction Critical, Creative Thinking in inquiryCreative Thinking Questions to consider when planning Explore web sites and activities

Using creative and critical thinking strategies, and effective questioning in the inquiry process.

WHY? To develop deeper thinking about a topic deeper understanding and related higher order cognitive skills and dispositions. left and right brain

What is critical thinking The use of high order thinking; understanding, applying, analysing, synthesising, evaluating of gathered information generated by observation, experience, reflection and reasoning. Cognitive skills Interpretation Analysis Evaluation Inference Explanation Self - regulation

What is creative thinking? The ability to imagine or invent something new; ability to generate new ideas by combining, changing, reapplying e.g. SCAMPER, BAR, Thinkers’ Keys etc. Cognitive skills Exploring ideas Generating possibilities Looking for many right answers rather than just one

PERCEPTIVE STAGE identify and focus the issues play around listen take in ideas list things decide on limits clarify problem give up, but expect to succeed INCUBATION STAGE subconscious mind working no real time used doing other things relaxed INSIGHT OR ILLUMINATION You expect it to happen, but you don’t know when ELABORATION STAGE develop it apply skill and knowledge EXPRESSION STAGE finalise it make it convincing authenticate it patent it copyright it publish it EVALUATION OR VERIFICATION does it work? is it beautiful or elegant? does it help people? does it make a profit? is it better than before?

Critical v Creative AnalyticGenerative ConvergentDivergent VerticalLateral ProbabilityPossibility JudgmentSuspended judgment FocusedDiffuse ObjectiveSubjective AnswerAn answer Left brainRight brain VerbalVisual LinearAssociative ReasoningRichness, novelty Yes but…Yes and…

Planning an inquiry. Questions to consider. What is the unit? What are the big ideas? Which ELAs are addressed in this unit? Where does it sit ? Is it an integrated unit? Does it belong in just one ELA? What are the central ideas ? What are the key concepts/enduring understandings I want to students to have at the end of the unit? Have I selected too many ELAs? Am I trying to cover too much?

What are the outcomes for this unit? How will I assess? What is the content? What do I want my students to know, understand, do and value by the end of the unit? What ongoing assessment process will I use (assessment for learning)? What rich assessment tasks will I construct to evaluate student achievement (assessment of learning)? What essential content will I include in this unit? Have I made sure that the outcomes, essential content and learning experiences are all linked?

What activities will provide the best opportunities for maximising student learning? Reflection: What learning experiences will help my students best meet the outcomes of this unit? What specific materials and resources will I use? How will I differentiate activities for individual students? Do these experiences provide intellectual quality, quality learning environment and significance for my students? How will I evaluate the effectiveness of this unit?

Examples of inquiry unit templates. Wanganui ICT cluster

Wanaka Primary School Inquiry template Thinking Skills ILPO

Tuning in activities:  Target map. Uses. Whole class input. P/c this map, cut it up and give out as an independent activity. Rearrange words in as many different ways as possible. What headings would you use.? Target map Uses  use this programme to brainstorm ideas. Print out and display. Model with students. Use data projector.

Become a newsreader Oral language. Become a newsreader just like on TV. (teleprompter) Great programme to practise reading out loud. Has the facility to add own work to read back. Make this part of your oral language programme in the am. Up to date news items from NZ papers Access database

STOR Thinking Thinking Classroom Encourages engagement with the lesson activity; develops understanding S – stimulus T – task O – objective R – resources Share the stimulus and resources with students, but then ask them to work out what the task and objective might be. Grab Bag put photos into a bag and use this as a starter activity Share their prior knowledge about context for study. Pose questions for further inquiry. Set up a wall display and use the images from the grab bag to form a display in the centre. Keep adding to this set of images as you work through the unit. Use the display to note questions that students may have so far and return to these throughout the learning. Behold Morguefile

What we already know about… What we want to find out Images of ….. from grab bag. Behold Morguefile

Switch Thinking Thinking Classroom Use to develop subject knowledge, do creative thinking, explore points of view. Collect photos linked to subject or topic. (use photos supplied, create list of words from rhymezone. Complete the activity. Present. Generate words, synonyms and antonyms associated with these photos. Collect 2 pictures linked to your subject. Choose 2 single but opposing words – one for each picture Display words with pictures. ??? Do the words describe the images? Do the switched words describe their new pictures? What do they think now? Other switch thinking examples.

Simile Thinking Thinking Classroom Develop subject knowledge, analysis, creativity, reasoning. Choose some photos related to your lesson. Think creatively outside the square and complete the similes they choose to Describe and explain their choices ??? Which similes are funniest?, weirdest? Best? What makes for a good simile? Which similes do you remember best and why? High jumping is like …… because ….. Diving is like …. because …. Running shoes are like …. because …. Basketball is like …. because ….

In the Box Thinking Thinking Classroom Develops knowledge, visual thinking, problem solving, abstract thinking This challenges students to make new and abstract connections between ideas and a selection of shapes. This provides an opportunity to extend thinking about subject content in a creative way. Use photos of subject (olympics) brainstorm words, lists of feelings/moods. Try and fit these words into a shape. Fit each shape to one photo or idea from the list Justify their choices. ??? Which shapes were easiest to fit and why? Which shapes were hardest to fit and why? How could you use this activity in a different subject?

SGK Thinking Thinking Classrooms Consolidates understanding; developing reasoning and decision making. S – sell G – give away K - keep To learn about key features of a concept/idea in the context for study. Lots of discussion about idea using as many photos, books, webs etc. E.g Which sport would you keep and why? Which sport would you give away and why? Discuss choices and give reasons. Record criteria that were used to make decisions.

Pre & post questions

Question matrix. EventSituationChoicePersonReasonMeans Present What is?Where/ When is? Which is?Who is?Why is?How is? Past What did?Where/ When did? Which did?Who did?Why did?How did? Possibility What can?Where/ When can? Which can?Who can?Why can?How can? Probability What would? Where/ When would? Which would? Who would?Why would?How would? Prediction What will?Where/ When will? Which will?Who will?Why will?How will? Imagination What might?Where/ When might? Which might? Who might?Why might?How might? Use jigsaw website with specific questions for discussionjigsaw