Break Out - Teaching with Thinking Dispositions
Karen Boyes
FAIL - first attempt in learning
Our students are so scared of getting things wrong that they shy away from giving new things a try.
The Learning Pit -
What do students do when the answer is not always apparent?
What do we teach students to do when they are stuck?
What makes successful people successful?
What are they doing and what dispositions do they encompass?
It doesn’t matter whose research we are using but rather that we are using these disposition to create a mindshift in education and student thinking.
Many schools put up key words and values and cultures but are they actually taking the time to unpack these ideals with students so that they know how to put them into practice.
Metacognition - thinking about our thinking
½ - ⅔ of people are actually aware of their thinking
This is about the art of stopping and slowing the process of learning down so that there is enough time to reflect and analyse our thinking and learning process.
TAPS - thinking aloud problem solving
In junior classes this could be as simple as starting as affirmations. Saying them aloud and then internalising the thoughts.
We want students to think about think about their process.
Add these numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Strategies:
- Top to the bottom
- Bottom to the top
- Grouped in 10s
- Grouped in 11s
- Mathematical formula n=(n(n+1))/2
It is not about the answer but as humans we always want to know if I am right or not. We want students to change their thinking to focus on their process and compare the strategies they used.
This is a process which needs to be modelled so that student know how to collaborate and engage with other people's points of views.
Taking Responsible Risks
Helping students to get outside their comfort zone while avoiding the panic zone. This is about teaching them that it is ok to be in a learning zone where you do not have the answers and you might feel the struggle.
Fostering the sense of adventure with students so that they know that learning is exciting and full of new possibilities. Students often do not think they have this power and often so not have the strategies to deal with the struggle when they are faced with it. Eg. spelling and unknown word. What can you do or use to assist you with this? - often this will move you from your comfort zone to the panic zone. If students recognise that there are strategies to assist them then they are more likely to move into the learning zone.
RR - Responsible Risk. Encourage students to put this in the margin and give the unknown a try. 9/10 times this happened children actually go the process or working correct and possibly the answer but the idea was more about fostering risk taking rather than content based learning.
Responding with Wonderment and Awe
You cannot teach this is has to be caught.
Model this authentically to students as if they see that you are having WOW moments throughout your day - they will instinctively crave this too.
Take the time to stop and see the magic.
Questioning and Problem Posing
Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don’t have any problems, you don’t get any seeds.
We needs to help students get to the main problem and the crux of the problem.
Children should be asking most of the questions in a classroom not the teacher.
While teachers are busying planning and marking and designing and creating content the students are having a life. We need to get smart as teachers and reverse the roles more.
Teachers demonstrating does not always give them the best learning because they generally just see that you can do it and they can’t. It is more effective to coach then through the learning process.
Get children to think like a subject specialist - what type of questions might a subject specialist ask?
Remain Open to Continual Learning
Getting students to think of themselves as life-long learners
Students are coming out of schooling with a higher level of knowledge that those in the workforce. It is ok to keep on learning and learn from others - this is how we progress and develop our own expertise.
Vulnerability is key - recognising when we do not know everything and knowing that this is exciting and where the learning is about to take off. Learning does not stop at 10, 12, 18… students need to understand that the end of each section of schooling doesn’t mark the end of a chapter but it marks the beginning of the next chapter.
“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable but they aren’t a weakness” - Brene Brown
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