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Maree Whiteley
onto Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning June 11, 2014 4:06 AM
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What are the biggest problems in the world?
When I pose that question to students they mention war, poverty, climate change, and more. About a year ago, a group of Connecticut middle school students produced such a list. Then I asked them to raise their hands if they could imagine us solving these problems. Of the 45 students, only a handful could.
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The Australian Curriculum
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Are you designing a thinking classroom? Start your planning HERE...all Learning Areas - Thank you @ACARAeduau.
David Nicholls's curator insight,
May 20, 2020 11:46 PM
Clear outline of one of the general capabilities by the Australian Curriculum
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Teaching is about listening, not just about talking
Maree Whiteley's insight:
A wonderful reminder for all educators - Teaching is about listening, not just about talking. In this blog post we hear about a common light bulb moment...are we letting our students 'in' to their learning, or are we just preaching facts 'at them' without taking a breath to engage and interact with their thinking?
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Maree Whiteley's insight:
How can teachers and/or librarians impact inquiry-based lessons? Start with an engaging opener and empower students to be observant, ask thoughtful questions, and take ownership of their learning. This interactive session will provide ideas and examples of how teachers and/or librarians can collaborate, use design thinking to create interactive and engaging openers, and develop meaningful inquiry questions that will lead to high-quality research.
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I was recently rummaging through some old papers and came across a program I had helped a school create many (MANY) years ago. It was an impressive document in its day. A carefully organised sequence of units under ‘topic’ headings. Each topic was linked to detailed curriculum outcomes and positione
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Are you planning for 2019?
Very timely reminder about 'curriculum mapping for inquiry'. Kath Murdoch reminds us that '...Working (and planning this way) in and out of compelling inquiry questions - requires big picture, synergistic thinking and is not for the faint-hearted (or inexperienced). It requires strong curriculum knowledge and the capacity to spot an opportunity for connection between events and interests that emerge over the year and the questions themselves.'
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Exploring a range of Thinking Pathways allows teachers and students to move beyond surface learning that focuses on the memorisation of knowledge and facts, to more deep and reflective learning that is focused on developing understanding through more
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Very creative offerings from a passionate teacher from NSW..."To develop understanding of a topic or subject area, one has to experience and engage in Authentic Intellectual Activity. That means solving problems, making decisions, and developing new understanding using methods and tools (Ritchhart, Church & Morrison, 2011). Exploring a range of Thinking Pathways allows teachers and students to move beyond surface learning that focuses on the memorisation of knowledge and facts, to more deep and reflective learning that is focused on developing understanding through more active and constructive processes."
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Student inquiry is at the heart of student choice. When students are able to ask their own questions, they can chase their curiosity and tap into their own interests. They can build on their prior
Maree Whiteley's insight:
What are we doing in our schools to create a 'Culture of Inquiry' - are we focused on compliance and not curiosity? Love this list of strategies from John Spencer @spencerideas
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Why is it important to be responsible? This is an Essential Question our school is exploring across the grades through our current whole school inquiry. The vehicle driving the learning into this question is an exploration into the health of our environment. We have been overwhelmed with the level of engagement this inquiry has provoked. How…
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Love this idea for a whole-school inquiry, starting with a 'driving question' to spark curiosity and student engagement. WHY? Because it's an AUTHENTIC task...and that's the difference!
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Responding effectively to environmental, social and economic challenges requires young people to be creative, innovative, enterprising and adaptable, with the motivation, confidence and skills to use critical and creative thinking purposefully.
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Some excellent resources here for all teachers. My personal favourite 'Aim' #2 skills and learning dispositions that support logical, strategic, flexible and adventurous thinking
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Teaching students how to make inferences and see positive sides of even terrible ideas can help them develop critical thinking skills.
Maree Whiteley's insight:
As educators, we know it is crucial students graduate into university or the workforce with the ability to identify and solve complex problems, think critically about information, work effectively in teams and communicate clearly about their thinking...but how does our current systems allow for this to happen?
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Let's have a look at some of the actions that make up a creative classroom, a place where teaching and learning comes from the imagination.
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Can you teach Creativity? Imagination is what stays when teachers are gone from their students’ lives. It’s what students have taken from a creative classroom and into real life. While basic knowledge and facts are important building blocks, imagination is the synthesis of that knowledge. Its the vehicle that gets them from point A to point B on their own.
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By identifying thinking routines for students, teachers can help deepen metacognitive skills that are applicable to all areas of life.
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Another very useful reminder from the Project Zero team about the importance of 'learning how to learn' and building a 'culture of thinking' within every school community.
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One of the great privileges of my job is bearing witness to the process of ‘reconstruction’ that teachers experience as they transit to more
Maree Whiteley's insight:
So many wonderful reflective messages for all educators. Kath Murdoch has a way of 'keeping it real' and speaking directly to classroom teachers in her own reflections here. Great questions at the end of this post...perhaps something to take to your next staff meeting...just wondering!
Pam Thompson's curator insight,
March 11, 2016 6:59 PM
So many wonderful reflective messages for all educators. Kath Murdoch has a way of 'keeping it real' and speaking directly to classroom teachers in her own reflections here. Great questions at the end of this post...perhaps something to take to your next staff meeting...just wondering!
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The teaching of thinking is a critical endeavour for teachers and one that
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Establishing a culture of thinking in your classroom is one thing, but encouraging an entire school to get on board with this can be difficult. This article unpacks some very worthwhile reasons to use all your powers of persuasion to bring about enhanced learning for all students.
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What does critical thinking mean, and how do you do it?
Maree Whiteley's insight:
A fabulous (maybe scary!) opportunity here for educators, to learn how to 'train your mind to think...' via this Monash University tutorial.
Critical thinking is a complex skill that requires practice. Don’t expect to read everything and suddenly become a critical thinker - it will take time. The ‘stages’ of critical thinking are interdependent and cyclical. For example, if we are REASONING, we may also need to REFLECT on our own biases and ANALYSE how these have impacted on our EVALUATION.
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There are plenty of things that can get in the way of critical thinking. Here are 7 common critical thinking barriers and how you can get around them.
Maree Whiteley's insight:
This will make you think..."Substantial critical thinking capacity serves us well in all aspects of our lives...problem solving, decision making, personal responsibility, and managing relationships of every kind effectively...By using real-world examples, teachers can explore concepts that help learners think more critically. However, teachers must recognize the barriers and challenges accompanied by teaching critical thinking skills."
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The Australian Curriculum
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Essential reading for all Primary Educators and School Leaders in Australia. In this edition, hear from Manly West Public School Instructional Leader Sara Lind, who is leading an initiative to build a deeper understanding of the general capabilities through research and evidence-based practice at her school. With changes to the landscape of education, teachers at Manly West Public School are learning to consider the general capabilities as part of their program and how students acquire the content of the learning the subjects. Staff have engaged in regular professional learning sessions, based on the research of education pioneers including Professor Bill Lucas, Carol Dweck, Charles Fadel, Charles Leadbeater and James Phelps.
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6 Strategies For Creating An Inquiry-Driven Classroom by Irena Nayfeld, TeachThought PD Inquiry Workshop Facilitator Teachers of young children juggle a lot
Maree Whiteley's insight:
This is BRILLIANT! Curiosity is a powerful catalyst for learning. Young children want to understand the world around them, and naturally reveal their interests by asking questions – sometimes even too many questions! The goal of education should be to nurture and grow minds that are ready to solve problems and think critically, and asking questions is a necessary skill in that process. For this reason, we want to prioritize question asking and place it at the forefront of our mission for our classrooms and our students.
Elysha Gibson's curator insight,
May 4, 2020 7:49 AM
Prompt to guide inquiry in history. My mini-unit will focus on having students complete an inquiry and I will utilise these strategies. 
Matthew Handley's curator insight,
May 5, 2020 7:19 PM
This article laid out several good ideas to transform learning in the classroom. For my subject area of ITD the ones that stood out for me was; 1. Have a Plan for Questions. In an inquiry-driven classroom, questions drive the learning and students drive the questions. However the questions do need to be on task, otherwise no classwork would get done. 2. Highlight the evolution of student questions. Lead question time so students keep using their curiosity to ask questions they are wondering about and build more in depth knowledge. 3 . Stop being th expert and maybe say; The way I did this process 10 years ago on the worksite was this, maybe there is a new better way we can do this project/skill.
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Schools are teaching sketchnoting as an innovative way to help students synthesize information that's important. Doodlers are making connections from what they
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Doodling has long been seen as a sign that students aren’t paying attention. But it may be time to give doodling an image makeover. ... have YOU tried 'sketchnoting'?
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![The Critical Thinking Skills Cheatsheet [Infographic] | Critical and Creative Thinking for active learning | Scoop.it](https://img.scoop.it/jVMRha0Nc11X2oKaFqqOyTl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVvK0kTmF0xjctABnaLJIm9)
We'd like to share this critical thinking skills cheatsheet for you to use with your students. Get them asking questions on any topic!
Maree Whiteley's insight:
THIS is the best thing ....too many reasons why I love this 'cheatsheet'. Critical thinking skills truly matter in learning. Why? Because they are life skills we use every day of our lives.
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As the school year commences here in the southern hemisphere, I am reminded of one of the great paradoxes of inquiry as an approach to teaching and learning. On the one hand, helping students inquire requires such forethought and curriculum knowledge - teachers need to be highly intentional and conscious as they support students through the process. On the other hand, inquiry learners need to be given opportunity and space to find the questions that matter to them and to feel that delicious sense of possibility from teachers who expect the unexpected and are willing to follow paths that might not have appeared on the 'maps' they have drawn. So, as inquiry teachers, we need to expect the unexpected, create a map and then be prepared to veer from it....
Maree Whiteley's insight:
A timely reminder from Kath Murdoch...How will you bring an inquiry stance to the beginning of your school year? #justwondering
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Can You Cultivate Critical Thinking With Infographics? by Latasha Doyle One of the most difficult aspects of teaching is ensuring that your students are actually evaluating the information, rather than just regurgitating it back to you. Critical thinking skills are incorporated into nearly every lesson [...]
Maree Whiteley's insight:
A very practical, fun way to assess student understanding, creativity and level of thinking on a topic or question.
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How jumping between projects provokes creativity
Maree Whiteley's insight:
This explains a lot (about me!)...Alternating your time between two or more creative projects will definitely help your subconscious thinking on each of them! Your brain is a magical box where once you put things into it and shake it around a bit you’ll be surprised at what comes out. Even if you’re not actively thinking about what you’ve put into it.'
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My colleagues, Chad and Glenn, and I were not feeling very good about our teaching and learning at the start of the week. We felt that our students were confused and that our teaching had recently become a series of disconnected activities. We felt that our students would probably not be able to tell anyone…
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Absolutely love this classroom! Students who question, 'Where is the Learning?', 'Why are we doing this?'...taking control of their learning and 'thinking about their thinking'.
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101 Ways For Teachers To Be More Creative
Maree Whiteley's insight:
'Failure is part of the creative process"...my favourite is No.24 'Embrace Weirdness' :-)
Frances Foote's curator insight,
June 15, 2016 2:25 PM
This is a great reference list for educators when looking for ways to ignite the critical thinking fire. The list includes: think outside the box, be spontaneous, carry a notebook, don't give students the answers, and mix things up, just to name a few. By introducing some of these ways to scholars you will have completed #1 on the list which is "Be Open to New Ideas."
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To rediscover the importance of instilling sense of wonder in children, being outside, connecting to nature and using our imagination. I know these things will bring about qualities that I want to see in my child, the ability to respect animals and the environment and not needing constant entertainment, to be calm. Through the Mud Pies Nature Play group I feel confident that children can be engaged and calmly stimulated through nature
Maree Whiteley's insight:
Curiosity, wonder and a fascination in nature...let the children play in the bush I say!
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Great ideas for Critical Thinking such as:
A humane education activity in which students analyze an everyday item, such as an article of clothing, an electronic device, a food, etc., and ask the following questions:
What are its effects, both positive and negative, on you as an individual consumer, on other people, on animals, and on the environment?What systems support, promote, and perpetuate it?What alternatives do more good and less harm, and if no alternative exists, what systems would need to change to make alternatives ubiquitous?