Creating Environments Focused on Learning

Teachers continue to amaze me at just how creative they are. These photos are examples of how teachers are intentionally creating a culture of learning within their own classrooms by activating thinking. In sharing these photos I wholeheartedly acknowledge the individual teachers at Red Beach School who have interpreted, made sense of and actively implemented the essence of the Powerful Learning Process within the daily life of their classroom. I salute you!

Activating Thinking using the Powerful Learning Process on PhotoPeach

Embedding Thinking in an Inquiry Process

We should be well past creating thinking skill programmes or thinking tool boxes.  Thinking skills are an integral part of learning and need to be embedded in the learning process.  Although in the last blog entry the 'powerful learning model' looks simplistic it is far from it.  Sitting behind the model is a selection of thinking skills based on 'solo's taxonomy' of thinking.  The model was designed to serve the needs of our learners ' to know how to use a learning process when they have a question they want to answer, something to investigate or a problem to solve'.  Secondly it was designed as a model of effective pedagogy to give teachers clarity about how learning can be designed for students at varying levels of sophistication.  At the 'get it' stage one is involved in observing or describing, important yet quite low level thinking tasks.  through to 'use it' being of a greater level of sophistication with students having to justify or create.  The model can be used in a multiple week long inquiry or simply a 40 minute numeracy lesson with a group of students.  Understanding where you are teaching and being able to justify why is characteristic of a teacher who as Hattie would put it 'activates learning'.

Developing students ability to think in a wide range of ways and various complexities is a key 21st century disposition.  As Costa has stated 'there are no easy answers to future problems'  We need our learners to think and to think well with purpose.

One who makes one reflect - Pam Hook

How refreshing, have just arrived home from an after school/evening session with Pam Hook.  She is a wonder woman!  Within 5 minutes I was provoked, challenged and caused to reflect deeply about ones current thinking and assumptions.  We explored how our powerful learning process - get it, sort it, use it could be enhanced further by unpacking each thinking verb embedded in the process using the solo taxonomy visuals to build understanding and complexity.

Lots of where to next steps thanks to the powerful facilitation and provoking Pam is so good at.