00.cov. 0444-2004.vfinal

Infusing thinking skills into Key Stages 3 and 4

In the current context in England, infusion of teaching thinking into subject teaching
promises to be the most effective model of implementation. There are a number of
ways in which this can be approached:

• using the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) or
  Cognitive Acceleration in Mathematics Education (CAME) programmes
  integrates the major principles of teaching thinking into lessons; for example,
  challenge (or cognitive conflict), collaborative talk and metacognition
  (www.kcl.ac.uk/kings_college/depsta/education/teaching/CASE.html and
  http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/education/came.html)) (see also unit 2, section 2);


• adopting an approach such as Philosophy for Children, which is an excellent
  vehicle for promoting questioning, listening, collaboration and reasoning, and
  very valuable in English and the humanities subjects (www.sapere.net);


• using teaching ‘strategies’ as found in the Leading in Learninginitiative, such as
  Reading images, Summarising, Analogies, and Audience and Purpose. With
  this approach it is important to maintain a focus on the five National Curriculum
  thinking skills.

9 | Key Stage 3 National Strategy| Pedagogy and practice
Unit 16: Leading in learning

© Crown copyright 2004

DfES 0439-2004

Enquiry

Ask questions

Pose problems

Plan what to do

Predict outcomes

Improve ideas

Creative thinking

Generate and extend ideas

Hypothesise

Look for alternatives

Apply imagination

Evaluation

Develop criteria

Weigh information