Teaching Thinking - Learning HOW to Think

Teaching Thinking Learning HOW to Think
Carol McGuinness
Queen’s University Belfast
Email [email protected]
www.sustainablethinkingclassrooms.ac.uk
Funded: ESRC TLRP, DENI, CCEA, ELBS
First reactions to the idea of
teaching thinking..............
‘You can’t teach thinking – students can
either do it or they can’t’
(stems from ideas that reasoning
ability/intelligence is fixed)
Another reaction...............
“You
don’t need to teach thinking –
children are natural thinkers”
(stems from ideas about children’s natural
curiosity and their capacity to learn)
So what is our goal?
To think more skilfully
Not just to think......
Thinking is hidden skill……
How can we organise our teaching and
our classrooms to become thinking
classrooms?
Imaging learning to dance when the dancers
around us are all invisible.
What Kinds of Thinking?
Sequencing, ordering, ranking
Sorting, grouping, classifying
Analysing, identifying parts &
wholes. Noting similarities &
differences. Finding patterns &
relationships. Comparing &
contrasting.
Making predictions &
formulating hypotheses.
Drawing conclusions, giving
reasons. Distinguishing fact
from opinion. Determining bias,
reliability of evidence. Relating
causes & effects, designing a
fair test.
Identifying why a decision is
necessary. Generating options.
Predicting the likely
consequences. Weighing up the
pros and cons. Deciding on a
course of action. Reviewing the
consequences.
Generating ideas &
possibilities. Building &
combining ideas.
Formulating own points of
view. Taking multiple
perspectives & seeing other
points of view.
Identifying & clarifying situations
Generating alternative solutions
Selecting & implementing a
solution strategy. Evaluating &
checking how well a solution
solves problem.
Copyright ACTS II Sustainable Thinking Classrooms
What Kinds of Thinking?
Making predictions &
formulating hypotheses.
Drawing conclusions, giving
reasons. Distinguishing fact
from opinion. Determining bias,
reliability of evidence. Relating
causes & effects, designing a
fair test.
Sequencing, ordering, ranking
Sorting, grouping, classifying
Analysing, identifying parts &
wholes. Noting similarities &
differences. Finding patterns &
relationships. Comparing &
contrasting.
Planning
Monitoring
Redirecting
Evaluating
Identifying why a decision is
necessary. Generating options.
Predicting the likely
consequences. Weighing up the
pros and cons. Deciding on a
course of action. Reviewing the
consequences.
Generating ideas &
possibilities. Building &
combining ideas.
Formulating own points of
view. Taking multiple
perspectives & seeing other
points of view.
Identifying & clarifying situations
Generating alternative solutions
Selecting & implementing a
solution strategy. Evaluating &
checking how well a solution
solves problem.
Copyright ACTS II Sustainable Thinking Classrooms
Infusion throughout the curriculum?
To infuse
“to introduce into one thing a
second thing which gives it extra
life, vigour and a new significance”
Example of Infusion Lesson English - Poetry
Thinking Outcome
Compare and Contrast
Identify similarities
Identify differences
Find patterns
Reach conclusions
Literature Outcome
Two winter poems
Language used
Style and mood
Personal preference
Curriculum Area
English
Infusion – a dual focus
Learning Intentions
Topic or concept
Specific Thinking Skill
Examples of Lessons
• Compare and Contrast
– Two winter poems
– Two pieces of writing (redrafting)
– Properties of materials
– Pieces of music
• Decision Making
– Irish famine story
– A bullying story
• Generating Possibilities
– Measuring the assembly hall
– Helping children feel included
Examples of Lessons (contd)
• Whole/Parts Relationships
– Parts of a plant
– Parts of a sentence
– Ourselves (parts of the body)
• Classification
– Odd one out (numbers)
– Picture Classification
• Problem Solving
– Attacking a round tower
• Reliability of evidence
– Measuring wind speed with a wind stick
Thinking across the Curriculum
Key aspects of Thinking, Problem solving
And Decision making
Sequencing and ordering
Classification (comparing and
contrasting)
Making predictions
Examining evidence (fact & opinion)
Causal reasoning
Opinions and conclusions
Generating possibilities and solving
problems
Examining options (pros & cons) and
making decisions
Science
Maths
Geog
History
Music
English
Learning Intentions
Topic/Thinking
Planning
Launching
Success
Criteria
Reviewing
at the level
of thinking
process
Thinking Actively
Challenging Task
Thinking Diagram
Pair/Group Work
Dialogue/Questioning
Making
Thinking
Visible
Explaining
Questioning
Disputing
Thinking about Thinking
Reflecting Evaluating
Applying Thinking
Making connections
Example
Parts-whole thinking
Skillful Parts Whole Thinking
1. What smaller parts make up the whole
part?
2. What would happen if each of these
parts were missing?
3. What is the function of each part?
4. How do the parts work together to
make this whole object what it is or do
what it does?
DETERMINING PARTS-WHOLE RELATIONSHIPS
THE WHOLE OBJECT
PARTS OF THE OBJECT
PART
CONSIDERED
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE OBJECT IF THE PART WERE MISSING?
WHAT IS THE FUNCTION OF THE PART?
Example
Comparing and Contrasting
What is m purpose?
OPEN COMPARE AND CONTRAST
HOW ALIKE?
HOW DIFFERENT?
What are the
similarities?
What are the differences?
WITH REGARD TO
What are the
patterns?
What do they
mean?
PATTERNS OF SIGNIFICANT SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES:
CONCLUSION OR INTERPRETATION:
Copyright ACTS II
Sustainable Thinking
What can I
conclude?
What is my
interpretation
A
B
Similarities
Differences
In relation to
………………………….
In relation to
………………………….
In relation to
………………………….
In relation to
…………………………………
What do you notice about the most important differences and similarities?
What conclusions can you draw?
After Swartz and Parks (1994).
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
(b)
(a)
Similarities
Differences
What do you notice?
How are they the
same?
How are they
different?
Comparing and contrasting
Venn Diagrams
ART
Compare and contrast
……………….. & ……………….
Possible
sentence starters
They both…
They also…
As well as…
In addition…
Likewise…
Similarly…
However…
On the other hand
In contrast…
Unlike…
Yet…
Conversely…
Possible endings
In conclusion…
Finally…
Therefore…
Having looked at..
Example
Decision-making
Skillful Decision-Making
1. What makes a decision necessary?
2. What are my options?
3. What are the likely consequences of each
option? What are the pros and cons?
4. How can I weigh them up?
5. What is the best course of action in the light
of the likely consequences?
Why is the
decision
necessary?
CHOOSING
OPTIONS
What are my
options?
Can I think of any
more?
What are the likely
consequences of
THIS option?
YOUR OPTION
RESULTS
PRO
CON
THINK ABOUT THE
PROS AND CONS
What are the pros
and cons?
Weigh up the pros and
cons?
CHOICE
Is it a good decision to
make? Is it a good
choice?
CHOICES
What can we do?
CHOOSE ONE OPTION
PROS
Is this a good choice?
___________________________
Give a reason for your answer?
____________________
CONS
Developing an argument
Example
Statement of
opinion
Supporting
reason
Example
Opposing
thoughts
My
Defence
Thinking
frames
Imaging learning to dance when the dancers around us are all invisible.
• Place the focus on the thinking process
• Give teachers a tool to teach directly for
thinking
• Give pupils a scaffold to guide their thinking
– one step at a time
• Slow down thinking
• Make it visible
• Provide an external record, for evaluation &
reflection
Talking and Thinking:
What’s the connection?
Making the process of decision-making explicit
T: To help us make the decision we are going to use the method of
the thinking diagram… .we have used this before (teacher picks up
diagram and shows it to the class). What’s the first thing we have
Recall of
to do…? (points to the diagram)
process
P1: Brainstorm…….
T: The first step is to brainstorm and to get the ideas ….and then
we have to get the ideas down……..then what do we do…..Martin?
P2 (Martin): We will vote and see what is best……
T: And how do we decide which one is best……?
P2 (Martin): By getting the vote…..
T: Before you do that…..Martin?
P2 (Martin): do the pros and cons….
Use of
thinking
language
T (returning attention to the whole class): Pros and cons are two
new words for us this year, can you give me another way of saying
pros….?
P3: ….the positive
P4: ….the pluses
Use of
thinking
language
T : …pluses…., the good points, the positive things that can happen……
the cons are what…?
P3: ….the minuses
P5: the bad things….
Summary
of thinking
process
T: …the bad things. So let’s go through that again. We are going
to write down as many things as we can that can happen…, we then
have to discuss them…., and then pick one, and then we are going
to do the good points and bad points about it and that will help us
make up our minds if that might be a good decision ……or not.
Collaborative Thinking Groups
Key Group Roles
Facilitator/Chair
Does everybody understand the task?
Has everybody got something to do?
Has everybody had a chance to
speak/contribute?
Are we still “on-task”?
Recorder
REPORTER
What information needs to be
recorded?
Have all points of view been
recorded accurately?
Can I summarise the key
points?
Are the key points agreed.
What am I going to report back? To whom?
What are the key points?
How can I articulate the views of the group.
How long do I have?
TIMEKEEPER
How long do we have?
Do we need to break it into
sections?
How much time is left?
ENCOURAGER/CHECKER
What else have we got to do?
Are there key questions still need
to answer?
Are we happy with our efforts?
Explicit examination of a thinking process
T: …..four cons and four pros…..did it work out like that or did you
Teacher
try to get four pros and four cons…?
challenges
P1: ….it just worked out..
thinking
T: Is it important that it just works out like that..?
P2: ..unless you get one pro……there is no point in doing it….
T: There’d be nothing positive….do you have to get four cons..?
Ps (chorus): No…..
T: Why not…?
Use of
P3 (who hadn’t spoken before): One….
thinking
T: What do you mean …one?
language
P3: You could have one con and lots of pros….
T: Yes…and the pros would win then….?
P3: No…..
P4 (another child chips in): …it could be so bad, like getting
evicted or you could die….
Sustained
T: It could be so bad that 10 pros wouldn’t be good enough….
dialogue
(teacher gets distracted by something else in the room) Are we
nearly finished…?
P5: …even a thousand pros would not be good enough.
Making connections about parts/whole thinking
T: Can you think of another time, or another topic we did or maybe
something outside, where the parts have to work together to make
Asks
for …John?
connection
the whole work properly, can you think of something
like that
P1: The circuit , you have to made the circuit for the battery
and we had the different parts of the electrical circuit – well
Asks T:
forYes,
a prediction
done John – and we had to have all the parts working, if we hadn’t all
the parts working, what would have happened…?
P1: It would just get lost, you would have no electricity…
T: You would have no electricity, remember we said that if you can’t
make a circuit it wouldn’t even get started…
P2: If it can’t find its way back home then it would break
T: Excellent ……..is there another example you can give me where
Another connection
the parts work together?
P3: A football team
T: Ok, tell me about that
P3: All the different positions need to work together and pass the
ball
Another prediction
T: Right and what will happen if they do that?
P3: They will win
T: Well, you might not win, but what would you have..?
P4: a good team
M
cog
Thinking about Thinking
• Helping pupils recognise the kind of
thinking they are engaged in
• Asking them to describe their strategy
before beginning a task and to review it
when completed
• Comparing different approaches to the
same task
• Getting them to evaluate their plans &
thinking skills and suggest improvements
What we were good at ?
What have we learned for next time?
What was I good at?
What have I learned for next time?
Self-Assessment
• I help select and sort the most important pieces of
information
• I can break the task down into smaller parts and plan
what to do next
•
•
•
•
I can spot the similarities and difference
I offer ideas about how to find the answer
I can check to see if my evidence is reliable
I can look back and see if we need to come up with a
different solution
• I listen and talk to others in my group to help do the
task
• I can take on different roles in a group
• I suggest a different way of doing the task
• I can see links between bits of information that no
one else can
• I can explain the actions and viewpoints of each
character
Value Thinking
Think about Thinking
Design thinking lessons
Review thinking
Plan time for thinking
Evaluate thinking
Arrange classroom for thinking
Connect thinking to new contexts
Welcome thinking
Pedagogy for
Thinking Classrooms
Think
Collaboratively
Encourage joint work
Encourage talking about
thinking
Sustain dialogue about
thinking
Scaffold thinking
Make Thinking Visible
Develop thinking vocabulary
Use thinking diagrams
Model thinking
Activate Thinking
Give challenging tasks
Give time to think
Ask questions for thinking
Encourage dispositions for
thinking
Use thinking wall displays
Northern Ireland Framework for Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities
Thinking, Problem-Solving &
Decision-Making
Being Creative
Managing Information
&
Working with Others
Self-Management
Links
http://www.nicurriculum.org.uk/key_stages_1_and_2/skills_and_capabilities/