Thinking Skills - Teaching Expertise

Bill Moore describes a project that brought together Philosophy for Children and SEAL to improve learning

A compelling project of personal significance for students can provide fertile ground for learning. Kayte Judge describes a project that took place across two different settings

Asking questions is fundamental to helping students acquire knowledge. Ulrike Thomas looks at four key issues to consider when thinking about questioning

David Leat looks at how schools can make the PLTS framework their own

In this series looking at 'effective participators', in this issue we look at a technique known as the World Café – another form of cooperative investigation that can be used to encourage students to engage actively with the issues that affect them

This week we will look at an approach known as Appreciative Inquiry – another form of cooperative investigation that can be used to encourage students to engage actively with the issues that affect them

This e-bulletin continues our focus on developing 'effective participators'. This issue we look at Narrative Enquiry – a form of cooperative investigation that can be used with students, staff, parents, governors to encourage active exploration of the issues that affect them

We are currently looking at the crucial role of metacognitive plenaries in helping our students to develop a more reflective mindset. Last time we looked at some activities designed to introduce the concept of metacognition – or 'thinking about thinking' – to young learners. In this bulletin we will look further at the idea of helping students to 'learn for transfer'

This e-bulletin and the next will be looking at the crucial role of metacognitive plenaries in helping our students 'learn for transfer'

This bulletin provides an overview of what is meant by effective ‘debriefing’ – an essential skill for any practitioner who wishes to generate conversations about learning in their classroom

This issue we continue to look at practical activities that can be used to help young people explore the idea of 'emotional resourcefulness', focusing on helping students to become increasingly sensitive to other people’s feelings and perceptions

Linda Thornton and Pat Brunton discuss the benefits of playing with light and dark with early years children, offering thinking skills activity ideas

The activities shared this week are designed to help students become more aware of the blocks and limiting beliefs that get in the way of that potential, and how these are often reflected and reinforced by the language we use

We continue to look at practical activities that can be used to help young people explore the idea of 'emotional resourcefulness', that is, the capacity for self-knowledge and understanding – and the ability to make the best use of that understanding

Anne de A'Echevarria looks at more practical activities that can be used to help young people explore the idea of 'emotional resourcefulness' in the context of young learners' self-management, using Emotion Concept Line; Recipes; Emotional Swap

Anne de A'Echevarria looks at practical activities that can be used to help young people explore the idea of 'emotional resourcefulness' in the context of young learners' self-management, using a circle diagram

Help young learners to start thinking and talking about the concept of 'self-management', and thereby begin to uncover for themselves the skills and dispositions involved

Integrating sports psychology into the PE curriculum can increase motivation and improve performance, with benefits for students and the wider community. Lisa Symonds discusses and outlines ready-to-use motivation exercises

Learning and Thinking Skills looks at a range of different ways of assessing students' creative development, and engaging students in that process, including Geoff Petty's model of creativity

Jenni Clarke, early years consultant and author, looks at the importance of practitioners' planning to support young children's self-initiated learning

Learning and Thinking Skills explains a strategy to teach the thinking skill of analysis to pupils across all subject areas, including downloadable examples of the strategy in use

To encourage creative thinking further, these strategies are designed to help students expand and develop their initial ideas by encouraging them to see new possibilities through playful experiment and discussion

Anne de A'Echevarria looks at two more some practical 'creative thinking tools' for classroom use

Anne de A'Echevarria looks at three practical 'creative thinking tools' for classroom use

Learning and Thinking Skills looks at activities that can be used to initiate dialogue about creativity between staff and students

Creative thinking is Anne de A’Echevarria's new focus within her exploration of the QCA Personal Learning and Thinking Skills framework — in this issue particularly focusing on staff working together to encourage creative thinkers across the curriculum

Does combining SEAL, Philosophy for Children (P4C) and thinking skills seem like a recipe for effective independent student learning? If so, read Kate Mawer's description of William Parker School's curriculum development for Year 7s

Developing your pupils' empathy can be an effective way to improve their behaviour. Dave Stott discusses, offering practical tips

Hanneke Jones looks at the Philosophy for Children method of introducing thinking skills. This method of learning, developed by SAPERE, develops cognitive skills and philosophical methods

The Philosophy for Children programme has great potential benefits for intergenerational dialogue. Michelle Whiteworth, coordinator of Age Concerns' intergenerational project in North Tyneside, discusses those benefits for pupils — and also the challenges

This Learning and Thinking Skills completes the focus on a structured apporach to social skill development, based on the QCA’s Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills strand, ‘Team Workers'

Pupils' social skill development is the focus of Anne de A’Echevarria's third e-bulletin on pupil team work, core to the QCA’s Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills framework

PE lesson plans are offered here by Crispin Andrews, who believes that striking and fielding activities can develop children's thinking skills. The lesson plans for sport (cricket) are aimed at primary students in years 3 to 6

Introducing learning logs can help pupils to reflect on their learning by identifying their attainment and progress says Steve Gibson, director of music and public performance at Carmel RC College, Darlington

How does your school approach 'learning to learn'? A bit of 'accelerated learning', a few 'thinking skills', some 'emotional intelligence' and a commitment to 'assessment for learning' for good measure? The QCA has acknowledged that schools need a coherent, consistent approach to learning - Graham Powell examines how to do it

This free teaching activity for primary school children will encourage their thinking skills, specifically encouraging active thinking and imagination

Anne de A’Echevarria explores Kagan’s Cooperative Learning pedagogy as part of her in-depth focus on the ‘Team Workers' strand of the QCA’s Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills framework

Are your pupils thinking? Lynn Cousins looks at practical ways headteachers can encourage thinking skills in the classroom

Using thinking skills across the curriculum can be an effective way to boost learning. Anne-Louise Gibbon describes her experiences of developing thinking skills activities as part of a school working party

Jenni Clarke offers some practical suggestions on how to encourage young children to think

In this e-bulletin, Anne de A'Echevarria looks at how to help pupils explore what enquiry looks like in different subject areas across the curriculum

Decision making is the focus of this week's Learning and Thinking Skills, as we continue our exploration of developing 'independent enquirers’

How can you help students evaluate information effectively? Anne de A'Echevarria provides some answers as part of our in-depth focus on developing ‘independent enquirers’ – the first of the six areas of the QCA’s Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills framework

Now looking at the value of enquiry tools when organising and making sense of information, Anne de A'Echevarria continues to explore the process of developing ‘independent enquirers’ in Learning and Thinking Skills

This e-bulletin focuses on thinking tools for promoting emotional engagement and ownership - again focusing on the first of the six areas of the QCA’s Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills framework, developing ‘independent enquirers’

This Learning and Thinking Skills provides suggestions of how to introduce the idea of enquiry to young learners using practical ideas and classroom resources, as the first in our series taking an in-depth focus on developing ‘independent enquirers’ - the first of the six skill areas of the PLTS framework

Storytelling activity for key stages 3 and 4: based on the events of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. This activity will help develop pupils' listening, memory and recording skills

Teaching English at key stage 3 to 4: using the final chapter of The Lord of the Flies as a basis, pupils are encouraged to think, interpret and evaluate the ending of this novel

A teaching activity that will encourage pupils' enquiry, thinking and participation skills. Suitable for key stages 3 to 5.

This resource is ideal for the subject leader or teacher and provides a comprehensive guide to dilemma-based learning, and how it can develop thinking skills in the classroom