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“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

Heraclitus

“I learned most, not from those who taught me, but from those who talked to me.”

St Augustine

Five key principles underlying the operating systems of the mind:

• The brain loves to explore and make sense of the world• The brain likes to make connections• The brain thrives on patterns• The brain loves to imitate

• The brain does not perform well under stress

As identified by Dr. Bill Lucas, ‘Learning Strategist’

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Place the cards face down on the desk

In turn take two cards

Look at them

Explain to your group the link that you see between the two images. You might have tobe very imaginative!

Replace the cards on the table face down

What is known What is not known

Zone of proximal development

ZPD

Learning

Skills too difficult for a child to master on his or her own, but that can be done with guidance and encouragementfrom a knowledgeable person.

“Thinking skills are not mysterious entities existing somewhere in the mind.

They are not like mental muscles that have a physical presence in the brain.

The term thinking skills refers to the human capacity to think in conscious ways to achieve certain purposes.

Such processes include remembering, questioning, forming concepts, planning, reasoning, imagining, solving problems, making decisions and judgements, translating thoughts into words and so on.

Thinking skills are ways in which humans exercise the sapienspart of being homo sapiens.”

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Seven thinking processesSeven thinking processes

concept formation, principle formation, problem solving, decision making, research, composing and oral discourse

a thinking process is a ‘complex sequence of thinking skills’

Bob Kizlik Thinking Skills Vocabulary and Definitions , 2010, at http://www.adprima.com/thinkskl.htm

Applying evaluative criteriaJudging the value of information and ideas

Developing evaluative criteriaEvaluation

Imagining or hypothesizing Designing innovative solutions

Generating ideasCreative thinking

Planning research or studyEngaging in enquiry or process of finding out

Asking questionsEnquiry

Making inferences or deductionsArguing or explaining a point of view

Giving reasonsReasoning

Organizing informationRepresenting or communicating information

Finding relevant informationInformation processing

Thinking skills from the National StrategyThinking skills from the National Strategy

Thinking skills can be taught and must be taughtThinking skills can be taught and must be taught

Focusing

Information gathering

Remembering

Organising

Analysing

Generating

Integrating

Evaluating

‘Teaching Students to Think’ Dr John Langrehr

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What Guy Claxton calls Deep Learning describes the What Guy Claxton calls Deep Learning describes the

layers of learning layers of learning ‘‘below the linebelow the line’’..

knowledge

ideas

skills

----------------------------

habits of mind

interests

values

beliefs

identity

The content curriculum

The learning curriculum

The Five The Five RsRs of lifelong learning of lifelong learning

as devised by the Campaign for Learningas devised by the Campaign for Learning

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Learning Power dispositions from Learning Power dispositions from

‘‘Building Learning Power in Action.Building Learning Power in Action.’’

imitationimitationempathy empathy

and and

listeninglistening

collaborationcollaborationinterdependenceinterdependenceReciprocityReciprocity

metameta--

learninglearningdistillingdistillingrevisingrevisingplanningplanningReflectivenessReflectiveness

capitalisingcapitalisingreasoningreasoningimaginingimaginingmaking linksmaking linksquestioningquestioningResourcefulnessResourcefulness

perseveranceperseverancenoticingnoticingmanaging managing

distractionsdistractionsabsorptionabsorptionResilienceResilience

The benefits of infusion were identified by McGuinness in the following ways:

• thinking skills can be matched directly with topics in the curriculum;• content instruction is invigorated thus leading to deeper understanding;• classroom time is used optimally;• teaching for thoughtfulness is directly supported across the curriculum;• and transfer of learning can be more easily promoted and reinforced at other stages.

An infusion methodology requires that thinking skills are embedded within and across the curriculum..

Therefore effective teaching strategies for this approach depend on enabling teachers to infuse their curricular knowledge within a thinking skills’perspective. (split screen thinking)

Infusion methodologyInfusion methodology

“Teachers, pupils and technologies interact with each other in certain ways.”

“Classrooms which are characterised by talk and discussion and by questions and questioning need to be managed and orchestratedyet remain clearly focused on the learning objectives.”

Carol McGuinness, Activating Children’s Thinking Skills (ACTS)

The thinking The thinking

classroom classroom --

a constructivist a constructivist

environmentenvironment

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What kinds of What kinds of

thinking?thinking?Searching for meaningSequencing, ordering, ranking.Sorting, grouping, classifying,

analysing. Identifying parts and whole,Noting similarities and differences.Finding patterns and relationships.Comparing and contrasting.

Creative thinkingGenerating ideas and possibilities.Building and combining ideas.Formulating own points of view.Taking multiple perspectives andseeing other points of view.

Problem solvingIdentifying and clarifying situations.Generating alternative solutions.Selecting and implementing a solution.Evaluating and checking how well a solution works.

Decision makingWhy is this decision necessary?Generating options.Predicting the likely consequences.Weighing up the pro and cons.Deciding on a course of action.

Reviewing the consequences.

Critical thinkingMaking predictions and formulating Hypotheses.Drawing conclusions, giving reasons.Distinguishing fact from opinion.Determining bias and reliability of evidence.Being concerned about accuracy.

Relating cause and effect.Designing a fair test.

MetacognitionPlanningMonitoringRedirectingEvaluating

After McGuinness ACTS II

Discuss in your group for five minutes…

1. What strategies have you seen used to promote thinking skills in the class or what methods could you see yourself using in the future?

2. What advantages did you see or could you envisage arising from organising the learning in this way?

3. What problems have you seen or do you foresee in using techniques that demand a high degree of interaction?

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How did you do that?

How else could you have done that?

Who did that in a different way

What was hard about doing that?

What could you do when you are stuck on that?

How could you help someone else do that?

What would have made that easier for you?

How could I have taught that better?

How could you make that harder for yourself?

What would happen if….?

I’m puzzled, my question is..

Suppose..

Imagine..

Predict..

I couldn’t decide because…

The importance of questions and The importance of questions and

the language of thoughtthe language of thought

Different kinds of questionsDifferent kinds of questions

Questions that seek clarification include: Can you explain that? What do you mean by...? Can you give me anexample of...? How does that help us? Does anyone have a question to ask?

Questions that look for reasons and evidence include: Why do you think that? How do we know that? What are your reasons? What evidence do you have?

Questions that explore alternatives include: Can you put that another way? Is there another point of view? What if someone were to suggest that...? What might someone who disagrees say? What difference is there between those points of view

Questions that consider implications and consequences include:

What might happen if...? What might be the consequence of that? Does that agree with what we said earlier? How can we tell if it’s true?

Questions that pull things together include:

Where have we got to? Can anyone summarise so far? How does thatconnect to...? Are we any closer to solving the problem?

Different kinds of questionsDifferent kinds of questions

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Generating the right cultureGenerating the right culture

Language

Potentiating activities

Split screen thinking

Wild topics

Transparency and involvement

Transfer thinking

Progression

Modelling the dispositions

BloomBloom’’s Taxonomy of thinkings Taxonomy of thinking

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Sort the cards in an agreed way

One member of the group should make notes about the decisions that were made and how the group arrived at its final conclusion

Make a note of any problems that arose

Edward de BonoEdward de Bono’’s CoRT1 techniquess CoRT1 techniques

CAF (ask pupils to consider all factors)

C&S (ask pupils to think of the consequences and sequel)

AGO (ask pupils to consider their aims, goals and objectives which need not be strictly classified into these categories)

FIP (ask pupils to think of the first important priorities)

APC (ask pupils to run through the alternatives, possibilities and choices)

OPV (ask pupils to look at the task from other points of view)

Edward De BonoEdward De Bono

Six Thinking HatsSix Thinking Hats

An aid to decision making and An aid to decision making and

problem solving.problem solving.

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The Red HatThe Red Hat

�� What do you feel about What do you feel about

the suggestion?the suggestion?

�� What are your gut What are your gut

reactions?reactions?

�� What intuitions do you What intuitions do you

have?have?

�� DonDon’’t think too long or t think too long or

too hard.too hard.

The White HatThe White Hat

�� The information seeking The information seeking

hat.hat.

�� What are the facts?What are the facts?

�� What information is What information is

available? What is available? What is

relevant?relevant?

�� When wearing the When wearing the

white hat we are white hat we are

neutral in our thinking.neutral in our thinking.

The Yellow HatThe Yellow Hat

�� The sunshine hat.The sunshine hat.

�� It is positive and It is positive and

constructive.constructive.

�� It is about It is about

effectiveness and effectiveness and

getting a job done.getting a job done.

�� What are the benefits, What are the benefits,

the advantages?the advantages?

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The Black HatThe Black Hat

�� The caution hat.The caution hat.

�� In the black hat the In the black hat the

thinker points out thinker points out

errors or piterrors or pit--falls.falls.

�� What are the risks or What are the risks or

dangers involved?dangers involved?

�� Identifies difficulties and Identifies difficulties and

problems.problems.

�� This is the creative This is the creative

mode of thinking.mode of thinking.

�� Green represents Green represents

growth and movement.growth and movement.

�� In green hat we look to In green hat we look to

new ideas and solutions.new ideas and solutions.

�� Lateral thinking wears a Lateral thinking wears a

green hat.green hat.

The Green HatThe Green Hat

�� The control hat, The control hat,

organising thinking organising thinking

itself.itself.

�� Sets the focus, calls for Sets the focus, calls for

the use of other hats.the use of other hats.

�� Monitors and reflects Monitors and reflects

on the thinking on the thinking

processes used.processes used.

�� Blue is for planning. Blue is for planning.

The Blue HatThe Blue Hat

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Six Thinking Hats Six Thinking Hats -- summary summary

IntuitiveInformative

Constructive

Cautious

CreativeReflective

Refer to page 18 of the booklet

• Distribute the roles• Distribute the hats• Take on the disposition• Solve the problem

1. Fine2. Security3. Acorn4. Book5. Numerical6. Fantastic7. Owl8. Soon9. Obedient10.Information

11. York12. Chirp13. Open14. Boom15. Often16. Hygiene17. Journal18. Future19. Featured20. Awful

Answers to ‘Crazy Words’

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An introduction to LogoVisual thinkingAn introduction to LogoVisual thinking

The LVT Core Process uses hexagonal shapes that can be written on and displayed on a board for all the group to see.

On these shapes each member of the group can write their many or severalresponses to the guiding question.

Each member of the group has the opportunity to contribute either randomlyor in turn until all thoughts have been written and displayed.

At this point the discussion can begin as the group begins to organise the thoughts in order to construct a meaningful joint response to the guidingQuestion.

The core LVT process

LVT integrates verbal, visual and kinaesthetic intelligence into one process and in doing this supports a fourth aspect of intelligence –social: the ability to talk with others, to speak to listen to exchange ideas.

The core LVT process

What are we going to think about?

What makes a thinking classroom?

Key question…

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The core LVT process

Generate ideas in response to the guiding question.

What do we know? What are the thoughts that the question generates in our mind?

What are our responses?

Without reference to the other members of the group at this point place as many ideas as you can on the board.

* Always express your response in a sentence – this avoid ambiguity and allows others to get your meaning quickly.

The core LVT process

When all the ideas are on the board you will have lots of disorderly statements on the board. “Messy thinking”.

What sense can we make of this?What relationships do we see emerging?

� See how these thoughts can be ordered.� What associations can you find?� Form clusters of maybe up to six or seven ideas. � Give the cluster a label using a green MagNote

- or simply writing the label on the board.

The label should also include a verb.

The core LVT process

What meanings have we made?

What new meanings have we made?

Making a pattern of the ideas and seeing them as a unity is considered as understanding.

Learners are able to say how this new pattern was generated.

Learners have ownership of the ideas and the process that generated them – they have an awareness of what they have achieved.

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The core LVT process

What should be the intended and/or recordable outcome?

How can the new understanding and learning be recognised?

Making something of the meaning

Learners do something with the patterns that have emerged to show that a cognitive shift has taken place in their understanding or perception

The core LVT process

Outcomes can be expressed by means of:

� Writing in both factual and imaginative genres.� Drawing, painting, visually in two dimensions.� Modelling in three dimensions� Speaking in a social dimension� Acting and/or dance in a physical dimension

and so on…

The core LVT process - summary

Focus:what do we want to know?

Gather:what do we already know?

Organise:what sense can we make of this?

Understand:what (new) meanings have we made?

Apply:what can we make of these new meanings?

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Carol McGuinness, ACTS research (activating children’s thinking skills)

and DfEE research report RR115 – ‘From thinking skills to thinking classrooms’

Edward de Bono, CoRT1 materials, ‘Six Thinking Hats’ Penguin

Adey and Shayer, Cognitive Acceleration through Science Teaching described in ‘Really Raising Standards’, Routledge

Tony Buzan‘Get Ahead’ , ‘Make the most of your mind’ , ‘Mind Maps for Kids’ and many others.

Guy Claxton, in ‘Building Learning Power’