Foundations of Teaching and

Learning
Course 1: Introduction
Week 2: Thinking About Learning
Lecture 2.2: Thinking about Thinking
 Thinking about thinking

What are thinking skills?

Don’t we all think all the time?
Does it need special skills to think?
If so, can those skills be learned?
Can they be taught?
 Thinking Skills

Mental processes we use to do things

such as:
 Think about thinking
 Draw on a range of ‘intelligences’
 Think divergently: create new
ideas
 Develop problem solving
strategies
Weigh up different possible decisions
 Brainstorm questions
 Organise information
 MYST routine

ME How do I model thinking? How do I

make my own thinking visible?

How do I make my students’ thinking

YOU visible?

How is the environment of the

SPACE classroom organized to help facilitate
thinking?

TIME How can I give thinking more time in

my classroom? How does thinking
change over time?
See think wonder

What do you see?

What do you think
about that?
What does it make you
wonder about?
See think wonder

I see
I think
I wonder
A circle of viewpoints
I AM THINKING OF FROM THE POINT
OF VIEW OF……
…the viewpoint you’ve chosen
(for example the adult, the child)

I THINK…
from that viewpoint. Take on the
character of your viewpoint

A QUESTION I HAVE FROM THIS

VIEWPOINT IS…..
Ask a question from this viewpoint
30 Thinking questions
Why ? What ? When ? Where ? How ? Is it
better than…? What do you think ? Imagine
that… ? What if…? Do you need some thinking
time ? Why not ? Is it worse than…? What are
the facts ? How do you feel ? What are the
problems ? What are the good things ? When
do you want to think about this ? How do you
want to learn this ? Can you do it a different way ?
Do you see it ? Do you understand ? Can you
teach it to someone else ? Can you use your
idea somewhere else ? Can you split up the
problem ? Can you dance it, sing it, draw it, write
it, paint it, make it ? How can we think this out ?
Are you ready to learn? Are you ready to think?
How do you want to learn? How do you want to
think?
http://www.thinkingclassroom.co.uk/linkclick.aspx?
fileticket=240
Sparse
Achievement
Talent
I used to think

Now I think
Foundations of Teaching and
Learning
Course 1: Introduction
Week 2: Thinking About Learning
Lecture 2.2: Thinking about Thinking