Learning to Think
When we began to introduce our Learning Box approach to learning, the development of the 'Learning to Think' compartment was particularly important. As a school, we knew that we wanted to help our students to think more for themselves, but in order for this to become a reality, we needed to give our students the 'tools' to be able to think for themselves.
Thinking Hats - We make extensive use of De Bono's six thinking hats as a structure that can be used by students to structure their thinking processes and deepen thinking. Each of the six coloured hats corresponds to a different way of thinking. For example, when wearing the yellow thinking hat, students need to focus on identifying the 'benefits' of whatever they are considering. By using the hats, students (and staff) are encouraged to consider any issue in full!
Thinking Hats - We make extensive use of De Bono's six thinking hats as a structure that can be used by students to structure their thinking processes and deepen thinking. Each of the six coloured hats corresponds to a different way of thinking. For example, when wearing the yellow thinking hat, students need to focus on identifying the 'benefits' of whatever they are considering. By using the hats, students (and staff) are encouraged to consider any issue in full!
Question Matrix - Effective questioning within lessons is crucial if our students are to develop the skills needed to think deeply and with independence. By using the Question Matrix, we're able to make staff and students more conscious of the questioning processes that exist in classrooms, considering:
> The language used to form questions and the likely nature of answers.
> The way in which we ensure all students are involved in the questioning process.
Ultimately, we want our classrooms to be places where staff and students are all able to ask challenging questions that enable them to fully explore their thinking.
As our development as a Thinking School has continued, we have further developed the way in which we think about questioning to link different kinds of question to the three storeys of the Three Storey Intellect.
> The language used to form questions and the likely nature of answers.
> The way in which we ensure all students are involved in the questioning process.
Ultimately, we want our classrooms to be places where staff and students are all able to ask challenging questions that enable them to fully explore their thinking.
As our development as a Thinking School has continued, we have further developed the way in which we think about questioning to link different kinds of question to the three storeys of the Three Storey Intellect.
Thinking Maps - The eight Thinking Maps were developed by David Hyerle and the eight maps are used in our school to support students to effectively organise eight different thinking processes. Each of the distinctive maps is associated with a different thought process as indicated below:
> Defining in Context - Circle Map
> Describing with Adjectives - Bubble Map
> Comparing and Contrasting - Double Bubble Map
>Sequencing and Ordering - Flow Map
> Causes and Effects - Multi-Flow Map
> Classifying and Ordering - Tree Map
> Analysing Whole Objects and Parts - Brace Map
> Seeing Analogies - Bridge Map
Using these eight Thinking Maps across the curriculum results in students quickly becoming expert in their application - more time is spent by students getting on with thinking for themselves!
For anyone interested in finding out more about the Thinking Maps, please head to the Thinking Matters website at this address: www.thinkingmatters.com
> Defining in Context - Circle Map
> Describing with Adjectives - Bubble Map
> Comparing and Contrasting - Double Bubble Map
>Sequencing and Ordering - Flow Map
> Causes and Effects - Multi-Flow Map
> Classifying and Ordering - Tree Map
> Analysing Whole Objects and Parts - Brace Map
> Seeing Analogies - Bridge Map
Using these eight Thinking Maps across the curriculum results in students quickly becoming expert in their application - more time is spent by students getting on with thinking for themselves!
For anyone interested in finding out more about the Thinking Maps, please head to the Thinking Matters website at this address: www.thinkingmatters.com