Thinking and Learning Together

Developing a thinking culture in classrooms involves processes and strategies which: Are responsive and respectful towards individual differences Empower the individual with the language of thinking Offer opportunities to engage in authentic problem solving and decision making Facilitate collaborative inquiry and offer high levels of challenge, appropriately supported.

Why do we want to develop thinking skills? Teaching thinking is about developing the capacity to learn. Teaching thinking is about intervening to help pupils when they struggle, its about equipping them to become more creative, flexible and committed learners.

Principles of teaching thinking for learning Intelligence is not fixed Challenge and interest can lead to motivation Participation is valued Collaboration is central: learning with others Mediation is essential Promote conceptual understanding Making learners think about their learning (metacognition)

Principles of teaching thinking for learning Provide learners with explicit strategies for thinking Bridging for transfer – encourage the learners to see how the skill can be used in different contexts

What are thinking skills? Sequencing and ordering information Sorting, classifying, grouping Analysing, identifying relationships Comparing and contrasting Making predictions and hypothesising Drawing conclusions Bias and reliability Generating ideas and brainstorming Cause and effect

What are thinking skills? Defining and clarifying problems Thinking up solutions Setting goals and sub-goals Testing solutions, evaluating outcomes Planning and monitoring Making decisions Setting priorities Identifying pros and cons Reflecting on ones own thinking

Good thinking skills activities: Open and challenging tasks that make pupils think hard Encourage pupils to use what they already know Offer opportunities for work in collaborative groups Encourage pupils to talk about hoe tasks have been done Produce learning outcomes at different levels