Article by Gerard Alford, Director of itc publications and thinkdrive and collaborator on readilearn.
As announced last week, I am delighted to introduce Gerard Alford and the first of his series of guest posts for readilearn.
Gerard is a very experienced and respected education consultant, author and education resource developer. He is passionate in promoting high-order thinking and cooperative learning through engaging and effective evidence-based teaching methods. His teaching resources inspire and support busy teachers in creating engaging pedagogy and time-saving strategies to encourage successful student outcomes.
The worth of using thinking tools is well documented; they provide a clear pathway for students to complete a given task, provide students the means to organise their research and thoughts in a systematic way, and provide teachers with a clear insight into their student’s thinking.
That said, can thinking tools also be used to facilitate deeper discussion in the Early Years? I believe so, and here’s an example in action.
Your students have just read two texts: Humpty Dumpty and Little Miss Muffet, and you now have asked them to compare these texts.
Exactly what they compare (similarities and differences) will depend on the Year level; however, at a minimum, students will be comparing the events and the characters in the texts while also sharing their feelings and thoughts (as per ACELT1783).
Continue reading: Thinking Tools – facilitating deeper discussion in the Early Years – readilearn
Norah Colvin 
I like this.
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I knew you would, Jennie. Discussion is so important for learning.
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Yes, indeed!
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💖
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Wonderful implementation. Wouldn’t it have been great to have these tools when we were kids 🙂 x
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Oh yes! Learning would have been so much more meaningful.
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I keep collections of online thinking tools–websites. They are great for lots of purposes.
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That’s great, Jacqui. Thinking tools are great for helping students see there are different ways to think about and solve problems.
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Kids too often think if they put their hand in the air, someone will solve their problems, forgetting they can be their own solution.
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That’s right, and not just kids either. 🤔
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impressive … thinking and discussion were never a part of my education, so glad they are being included! Dealing with emotions would also be useful …
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I do have some resources for dealing with emotions too. There are plenty out there. 🙂 Josh Langley has some wonderful materials for children and adults alike.
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great to hear that as those aspects were completely absent from my education!
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I know the feeling – from mine also.
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