StepinUp 08 Conference

8th August 2008

Tony Ryan

Thinking About Thinking

•Encouraging self-reflective processes

•Advancing the intellectual rigour

•Creating solutions

In this session

20 specific strategies that can be sequenced to perform a wide range of thinking tasks

Earlier version; and recent version

Two stages of application:

1. Teach some / all of the Keys in the context of the learning

2. Use the Keys in sequences that best support / resolve a learning task

Thinkers Keys

1. The Question Key2. The Brainstorming

Key

3. The Perspectives Key 4. The Graphics Key

5. The Matrix Key 6. The Decision Key

7. The Info Key 8. The Commonality Key

9. The Improvements Key

10. The Rubrics Key

11. The Action Key 12. The Reverse Key

13. The Brick Wall Key 14. The BAR Key

15. The Prediction Key 16. The Ridiculous Key

17. The Three Whys Key 18. The Inventions Key

19. The Personal Key 20. The Ripples Key

The Rubrics Key for YOU

• Use the Rubrics Key to assess the quality of your own thinking in this workshop

• Can you clarify some descriptors for

•Poor; and

•Sensational

Your thinking over the next

hour?Poor effort Sensational

CreativityNo creative

juices flowing

Contributing lots of

innovative ideas

Quality of reflection

No analysis whatsoever

Always in a meta-state

Encouraging Self-Reflective Processes

Self-talk•The most critical thinking

lesson you will ever teach

•Use words such as

• I’m a legend

•School is cool

•Reinforce this self-talk every day with good modelling

Self-reflective practices

•Introduce a Learning Journal

•Use a 2Q

•What did I do well?

•What could I have done differently?

•Encourage some quiet reflection time at the end of a lesson (!!?)

Practical strategies for managing self

•Get them onto the ‘success spiral’

•Don’t just praise students. Give constructive feedback.

• Set learning goals

•Help students to understand how they learn

•Use on-task training

On-task training

Step 1. What IS the task?

Step 2. Am I on task?

Step 3. Ignore distractions

Step 4. Stick with it, and complete the task

PROMOTING INTELLECTUAL

RIGOUR

Intel question framework for Food

Essential QuestionHow can I stay healthy?

Unit QuestionsHow do my eating habits affect my health and growth? How do I plan a healthy, nutritious diet? What factors influence my food choices?

Content QuestionsWhat is the food pyramid?What is the right number of calories for me?

Curriculum-framing questions for Fairy Tales

Essential QuestionDoes happily ever after really exist?

Unit QuestionsOf all the fairy tales ever written, why has the story of Cinderella been the one to capture the hearts of so many generations and cultures? How would the Cinderella fairy tale change if a different character told the story? What would happen in a modern day Cinderella story?

Content Questions What are the elements of a fairy tale?What is point of view?In what ways are all of the Cinderella stories from around the world similar?

• Choose a specific study eg 2008 Olympics, or an issue within your specialization

• Brainstorm a key question about that study that would even ‘stretch’ an adult

• It must be a thinking challenge

• It must be relevant to the topic

• It must be (one of) the most important possible question(s) about this topic

• Rewrite the question so that it can be used with your class or group

• Use this process consistently during all planning and teaching

The intellectual rubberband

Intellectually rigourous assessment tasks??

• Technology: Constructing an Internet café in an aged care home, and monitoring its longterm worth

• Science: Developing a recycling program for the local area

• Math: Analysing school sports team performances, and offering recommendations for improvement

• Integrative: Developing a Brain Policy for your school

• English: Developing podcasts about a novel study, and challenging adults’ thinking with your presentations

CREATING SOLUTIONS

Guidelines for the

Brainstorming Key

1. Generate lots of ideas

2. Suspend all judgement

3. Create some ridiculous ideas

4. Tag onto other people’s ideas

A sequence for solution-finding

•1. The Info Key

•2. The Question Key

•3. The Brainstorming Key

•4. The Decision Key

•5. The Action Key

Boosting the thinking in your

Term 3 units

1. Include as much reflective practice as you can

2. Intellectually stretch the Unit Question

3. Develop an assessment task that is intellectually rigourous

Wrapping Up

•Your rubric

•What 3 ideas / concepts are you most likely to take further?

•Thank you