| We'll
assume you know the basic theory of Thinking Skills, that you know
you want to teach them - but how to begin? What exactly to DO? How
do I teach Thinking Skills? |
| 1.
You need to plan a
schedule or time-frame for teaching the skills or tools of thinking
first; running Thinking Skills sessions is an excellent idea. Start
small and sensible. Focus on one or two particular skills or tools
you want to address, such as creativity and analysing, and build
up your repertoire from there. Remember to enjoy what you're teaching! |
| 2.
The second step is
to begin using the tools, transferring them into your regular lessons.
Having a TOOLBOX column handy alongside your regular planning sheet
may help you to focus on this transfer. Encouraging your students
to use a specific Thinking Skills folder or book that they can refer
to, may help them to recognise that they have a thinking toolbox
ready at hand for transfer to other subjects or areas. |
3.
Limited budget or limited
time? I'd suggest you invest initially in some of Edward de Bono's
Six Hats series.Follow
this for older
students with Book 1 of the CoRT Thinking series by Edward
de Bono. These tailor-made lessons plus the further extension activities
in the book How To Teach Thinking Skills by Jean Edwards,
will get you well started. Meanwhile, you can be assimilating the
information in How To Teach Thinking Skills and either
making up your own resources from the ideas and examples provided,
or if you're already too busy (!), you can use the examples to
help you to decide what thinking tools you want to teach and what
resources to purchase. |
| 4.
A Tip: Don't go for a
'grab-bag of activities'. For a defensible thinking skills programme,
you MUST have a specific aim in mind, an outcome you can see or measure
(which is why quite a few of the resources in the above book have
evaluation records for you). The skills or tools must be transferable!
Slow and steady is a sensible rule. Share techniques and models with
your students so that you - and they - can systematically incorporate
thinking skills into your programme |
What
are the main Thinking Skills?
Thinking Skills can be divided into three main groups of skills (see diagram
below):
• creative thinking
• critical thinking,
and when the two are combined,
• creative problem-solving. |
1.
Creativity
Basically, coming up with new, novel or original ideas and ways of
doing things. (Edward de Bono’s green-hat thinking performs the
same function.) Looking at things from a different perspective.
Common process verbs: imagine, invent, change, design, create.... |
2.
Critical thinking
Analysing and evaluating or judging information or data to find the right
answer.
Common process verbs: analyse, break down, compare, categorise,
list, sequence, rank... |
3.
Problem-solving
Using both analytical and creative thinking to solve problems and situations.
New or creative thinking is always needed to solve a problem - you can’t
rely on the same old thinking which got you into the problem, to get you
out of it!
Common process verbs: improve, design, refine, find, invent
criteria to, combine... |
|
"Where
do I start' What exactly do I DO?"
The following books are all recommended for teachers who know that they
want to teach thinking skills, and probably have some idea of the underlying
theories and value of teaching thinking, but who need some specifics.
With photocopiable activities, clear explanations both of the underpinnings
and of the activities, and with sample student responses.
Following
are a couple of ThinkShop's best-sellers to get you started: |
At
last! ...a PRACTICAL guide
to teaching Thinking Skills....
and a best-seller: |
| |
Click here to
check out the contents page |
How
To Teach Thinking Skills:(revised)
Here
it is - the book many of you have asked for - a practical
guide to teaching Thinking Skills, the fundamental skills
that no student should be without! Just updated and better
than EVER!!
By Jean Edwards. • includes
a ToolBox of step-by-step techniques and sample lessons, with just enough
background theory to make it all meaningful.
• addresses everything from Edward de Bono's Six Hats through to philosophy
and logic in the classroom.
• useful lists of resources for different thinking skills
• contains a 2-page scope & sequence chart for thinking skills, from
Y1 through to Y13 (ages 5 to 18).
• Schools are buying a copy of this for each syndicate, and some buying
one for each teacher.... you really should check it out! Contact us for
your copy, on 10-day approval if you wish.
NZ $45.95
Aus$39.95 |
Edward de Bono's CoRT Thinking series:
|
|
| |
 |
CoRT
Thinking Skills: More
resources for the teacher who wants to get more serious about thinking
skills. Edward de Bono's classic teachers' guidebooks to teaching thinking
skills as tools.
A little more rigorous than Six Hats, each book contains clear lesson plans,
activities as well as sample student responses. The tools are intended
to be totally transferable to both the curriculum and for life skills.
Books 1 through to Book 6; start with book 1, then use in any order.
(And for those who want to know.. CoRT stands for Cognitive Organization
Research Trust...)
Book
1: Breadth (the starter book)
Book 2: Organisation (organising thinking)
Book 3: Interaction (critical thinking)
Book 4: Creativity
Book 5: Information & Feeling (Values)
Book 6: Action (using them all)
Each book NZ $40.99, Aus$35.99
SAVE $30 - buy the full set for NZ$214 or Aus$185.99 |
Teaching
Creative Thinking: |
|
| |
 |
Creativity
Starters
This is the book you need to introduce your
students to creative thinking as well as to teach them
to assess and improve their individual scores.• Fluency,
flexibility, originality and elaboration all addressed.
• Ready-to-go
creative thinking activities
• Can be used as ten-minute oral warm-ups, or as individual written activities.
• Students love these creativity starters!
• suitable for all ages, kindergarten to adult.
NZ
$28.95
Aus$25.95 |
| |
|
|
Follow
this with our hugely popular Creativity
Extenders (same price).
Available too as ebooks- buy now and simply download! (See ebooks
section at left) |
Teaching
Philosophy to students:
Research
proves that philosophical enquiry improves students' skills in reading,
comprehension, maths, logic, critical thinking, problem solving and self
awareness. |
| |
 |
Developing A Thinking Classroom - A
workbook for professional learning teams
by Clinton Golding
NZ$35.99
"We'd like
to order 140 copies please - one for each teacher in our school
cluster" (NZ school)
Helps change your approach to thinking
so that you can teach students to be more thoughtful. Includes
thought-provoking background information and a series of effective
exercises which will provide new insights and improve your teaching
of thinking. Get beyond black-line photocopies, and develop a real
thinking classroom. |
| |
 |
Teaching
Thinking Philosophy in the Classroom
by Robert Fisher
"This is the best introduction to using philosophy with children
I have seen."(Teacher)
A practical, down-to-earth book covering many aspects of philosophical
enquiry and thinking skills for children. Essential (and easy) reading
for anyone seeking to develop children's minds, to build their self-esteem
or to improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools.
NZ$60.99
Aus$52.99
YES
we carry many other philosophy titles too- be sure to check out
ThinkShop's philosophy resources -all highly recommended books,
with questions and activities included. |
