Developing a classroom culture of thinking

Last week we went to an ICWC day where Michael Pohl presented a session on thinking in the classroom.

The day covered many aspects of thinking to learn and learning to think...
He highlighted the point that; 3 of the top interventions that teachers can make are-

• Thinking
• Quality Feedback
• A Risk Taking Environment

Abandonment
He raised the point that our lives/ curriculum/ school day is so full already that to be able to innovate and introduce anything new we need to leave something behind (abandonment...)

• At Opiki school, what are we going to change/abandon to be able to move forward with a thinking curriculum?

Problems

• Problem-solving
• Problem-seeking!
  

School Culture of Thinking
We need an integrated pattern of thoughts and behaviours that bind us together...
Specific factors that work together to create productive thinking...

• Language (displayed, speaking, everyday activities)
• Planning and assessment
• Programmes

Scope and Sequence
Rather than trying to teach everything all the time. Explicitly teach different thinking skills at different year levels. Then use the skills/ strategies any time after ward...

All teachers need to be able to teach/ use all strategies

Thinking Strategies/ Thinkers Keys Acronyms
Attribute listing and Analytical thinking

• A technique to extend thinking and make connections
  

SCUMPS
Size, colour, uses, materials, parts, shape...

SWEATER- for characters
Strengths, weakness, emotions, appearance, temperament, evolution, relationships

TOMATOES- for artists
Tools, origins, media, artist experience, techniques, opportunities, emotions, subject

SCAMPER
Substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to another use, eliminate, reverse or rearrange

CAMPER
Consequences, assumptions, meaning, prejudices, evidence, relevance

ICE
Investigation (surface/elicitation), Consequential (impact/ outcomes), Enriching (critical/creative/caring)

What if...
different size, different colour, diff use, diff material, diff parts, diff shape...

BLOOMS Taxonomy

• Remembering
• Understanding
• Applying
• Analysing
• Evaluating
• Creating

Question Chaining
From lower order to higher order...
what to when
where to who

Question Mapping (a process to get to questions?)