Thinking Skills

for

Thinking ClassroomsThinking Classrooms

Graham Watts

What is thinking?

• Complete this sentence:

Thinking is like a………………………..

because………………………………… .

A meat cleaver is

like thinking because

it opens things up for

inspection.

A spoon is like

thinking because it

feeds the mind.

A blender is like thinking

because it synthesizes

ingredients into a solution.ingredients into a solution.

A spatula is like

thinking because it

helps you to turn

things over.

A mustang is like thinking because it

is free to roam wherever and knows

no boundaries.

A liger is like thinking

because it has more

than one side.

HABITS OF MIND

COGNITIVE TASKSTHAT DEMAND

SKILLFUL THINKING

EFFECTIVE THINKING REQUIREMENTS:

THINKING SKILLS

CONTENT

THINKING

SKILLS

www.habitsofmind.co.uk

Thinking Skills

Or

Thinking Tools?Thinking Tools?

What is a thinking tool ?

A thinking tool is like a …………………..

because …………………………………...

A computer is like a

thinking skill because it

makes thinking easier.

A door is like a thinking

skill because it opens the

way to new possibilities.

A computer is like a

bubble map because it’s

always being updated.

A sponge is like a thinking

skill because it selectively

absorbs things.

A shark is like a thinking tool

because it is misunderstood. A fish gill is like a

A scuba diving is like a thinking

because it gets deeper and

explores everywhere.

Seaweed is like a

thinking because it’s A fish gill is like a

thinking tool as it

filters out the

useless stuff.Coral is like thinking

as it’s been around

for thousands of

years.

thinking because it’s

always growing.

Which thinking tools to use?

• Costa’s Habits of Mind

• Hyerle’s Thinking Maps

• Bloom’s Taxonomy

• Higher Order Questioning

• Buzan’s Mind Maps• Buzan’s Mind Maps

• DeBono’s 6 Hats & DATT

• Ryan’s Thinker’s Keys

• Perkins’ Thinking Sandwich

• SCAMPER & CAMPER

• Ignorance Logging

• Reflective journals

Desert Island Survivors

• Think, Pair, Share Brainstorm

• 1 min Think

• 3 mins Pair

• 5 mins Share• 5 mins Share

Can you think of any examples from

Books, TV, Films?

Survival kit

Before the boat sinks you have

a few minutes to run around

and collect things that will be and collect things that will be

useful (you hope!) and will

help you survive.

What do you find???

Creative thinking

Elements of creative

thinking

Classroom instruction

Fluency How many ideas can you

come up with?

Originality Can you come up with an

idea that no one else has?

Flexibility Can you change an idea

after listening to advice?

Elaboration Can you add to someone

else’s idea?

Choose one object and suggest alternative uses for it on the desert island.

• How many ideas did you come up with?• How many ideas did you come up with?

(Fluency)

• Which ideas did you piggy-back to turn into something better?

(Elaboration)

Arriving on the desert island

6 Thinking Hats

Edward De Bono

Implementation Strategy

Steps Strategy Student learning outcome.

1 Six Thinking Hats

(one at a time)

Students can:

Explain the thinking for each hat

Practice orally the appropriate thinking for each hat

Give example of the hats i.e. yellow hat ideas etcGive example of the hats i.e. yellow hat ideas etc

2 Hat sequence

(evaluation)

Students can:

Explain the evaluation sequence

Employ yellow hat and black hat thinking

3 Hat Sequence

(caution)

Students can:

Explain the caution sequence

Effectively employ black hat and white hat thinking

4 Hat Sequence

(Design)

Students can:

Explain the design sequence

Effectively employ blue, green hat and red hat thinking.

Evaluation Sequence

To discover the positive aspects and negative aspects of an idea. You use the yellow hat before the black hat.

You could follow up with the green hatYou could follow up with the green hat(new ideas) and red hat (feelings) thinking.

Examples: Consider positive and negative

� Not doing homework one night.

� Swapping toys with friends.

Caution Sequence

Looking critically at situations. You are first considering facts with the white hat.

Then use the black hat to discover difficulties.

This can be followed up with some blue hat or red hat thinking.hat thinking.

Examples: consider the consequences

� Throwing most of your lunch in the bin everyday.

� Not letting someone know where you are going.

Design Sequence

Encourage students to create new ideas, products or improvements to existing designs. Use the blue, green and red hats.

Example: use design sequence to create

� A better toothbrush

� Alternatives to homework.

Other Sequences

Red + White

• Comparing fact and opinion

Black + Yellow + Green

• Comparing and synthesising (coming up • Comparing and synthesising (coming up with new ideas from the known)

White + Blue

• What do we know (facts) and where are we going (planning)

Creative thinking…

…to develop creative writing

Hyerle’s Thinking Maps

context/frame of reference

describing qualities

analogies

compare and contrast

classification

cause and effect

sequencing

whole/part

Implementation

• Direct instruction

• Infusion across the curriculum

..................................................................

• Opportunities for transfer

• Thinking disposition