Thinking Skills Creating a thinking school Rosalind Stark

Session Aims To improve our awareness of the need to teach cognitive and metacognitive skills to children… To provide some more tools and strategies to help address this need… To develop our confidence in the use of these tools and strategies… To commit to trying 1 or more of the tools and strategies …!

Why teach thinking skills?

Characteristics of a thinking school A school wide, common thinking language The importance of thinking skills imbedded in SGP and part of a shared vision Opportunities for development of thinking skills deliberately planned Thinking skills explicitly taught in non-curricular setting Thinking strategies infused into whole curriculum

Characteristics of a thinking school Progression in thinking skills apparent in planning Thinking outcomes made explicit in planning Accountability in terms of progress in thinking skills is included in performance management Teaching of thinking skills is supported by professional development structures

Blooms Taxonomy of thinking skills A hierarchy of thinking and questioning

Blooms Taxonomy of thinking skills Most questioning in schools, and therefore most thinking, occurs at a simple level… Level 1 – Knowledge – the children are asked for factual answers, to recall and recognise information. Level 2 – Comprehension – the children are asked to rephrase and interpret information in order to demonstrate understanding.

Blooms Taxonomy of thinking skills In order to raise cognitive and metacognitive ability across the school, we need to start asking questions at a more complex level… Level 3 – Application – the children are asked to apply their knowledge to a new situation or experience. Level 4 – Analysis – the children are asked to break information down into its constituent parts and understand relationships between facts and events.

Blooms Taxonomy of thinking skills In order to raise cognitive and metacognitive ability across the school, we need to start asking questions at a more complex level… Level 5 – Synthesis – the children are asked to combine different information in order to create something new. Level 6 – Evaluation – the children are asked to make judgements and assessments and to come to their own conclusions.

Blooms Taxonomy of thinking skills Simple level question starters… Level 1 – Knowledge Who was it that…? How many…? Name the…? What happened after…? Level 2 – Comprehension Who do you think…? What was the main idea of…? Write a brief outline of…? What do you think could have happened next…?

Blooms Taxonomy of thinking skills Complex level question starters… Level 3 – Application Is this an example of…? Could this have happened in…? What would change if…? Can you use this to develop a set of instructions to…? Level 4 – Analysis What events could not have happened…? How is this similar to…? How does it work…? What was the problem with…?

Blooms Taxonomy of thinking skills Complex level question starters… Level 5 – Synthesis Can you design a … to…? Can you compose a song to…? What would happen if…? Can you create new and unusual uses for…? Level 6 – Evaluation What is the best…? What do you prefer…? How effective are…? What changes would you recommend and why…?