"Rather than seeing learning as the passive taking in of information, we must honour the fact that learning occurs as a result of our thinking and active sense making" (Ritchhart, Church & Morrison, 2011).
- What kind of tasks are students being asked to do? And What evidence is there of deep thinking and understanding? Granville East PS, 2011
- What types of thinking are our students required to do as they learn in our school? Is the purpose of the learning significant and understood by students? Is there intellectual rigour in the tasks set? Are our students required to think? Are there opportunities for talking & listening that is both inclusive & effective in deepening thinking? What scaffolds are in place to support success for all students? Burwood Public School, 2016
- How well are we enabling our students to develop skill in communicating for authentic purposes and thinking creatively in the Learning Area of Science? Burwood PS, 2013
- How are we using questioning to develop critical and creative thinking? Sefton Infants, 2013
- Are we developing curious and creative learners who can think deeply (click on link to new page)? How are these learners supported by teacher questioning? How are they challenged and supported by the qualities of the task? Burwood PS, 2018
- How well are students monitoring their learning and reflecting on their thinking and processes so that they are working towards becoming independent and critical thinkers? Granville PS, 2013
- How well are we assisting students to be successful, confident individuals who can question, evaluate and reflect critically on themselves as learners? Granville East PS, 2013
Why are creative and critical thinking so important?
Why #1 "On critical Thinking and Collaborative Inquiry" by Peter Ellerton. Published by Education: Future Frontiers this occasional paper takes and in depth look at what we mean by critical thinking, why it's important, and the role that collaborative inquiry plays in developing it. Click here to download
Why #2 "Learning to be Creative" video by Sir Ken Robinson
WHY #5 An introduction to Critical Thinking and some examples from Sefton Infants. Click here to download
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How can we embed these skills in our teaching and student learning?
How#1 Teach students to ask their own questions Click here to download a document on how to teach students to generate their own questions sample_questioning_for_a_range_of_thinking_12212013.pdf
How #2: Watch the short video that gives an overview of the Visible Thinking Routines. Then go to the website to choose a routine to extend your students' creative and critical thinking.
Here's a short extract from "Looking for Effective Questioning" a chapter from a Susan Brookhart book. Click here to download
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