AGQTP FINAL REPORT 2013
Due: Monday 11th November 2013
PROJECT ACTIVITY AREA:
School Name
Shellharbour Anglican College
Project activity area
Pedagogy
Project title
Implementing the Thinking Skills Toolkit
Project team leader
Helen Luke/Andrew McPhail
Contact number and email
Phone: 02 4297 6029
hluke@shellharbourac.nsw.edu.au
amcphail@shellharbourac.nsw.edu.au
There is no restriction on the amount of space used to complete your AGQTP report. Please use as
much space as required to give a detailed overview of your project.
Section 1- For publication on www.aisnsw.edu.au/FundedPrograms/AGQTP
Project Summary
a) Focus
Whatwas the project focus?
How can we implement thinking skills and strategies to enhance teaching and learning at
Shellharbour Anglican College?
The central purpose of our project is to imbed into the school culture a common
mindset and practise of teaching thinking skills and the language connected to these
skills. We want these strategies and the language of thinking to become a central
habit for all teachers and students within our school setting. Central to our teaching,
learning, conversations and daily interactions. This will be achieved by setting up a
resource (Thinking Skills Toolkit) for teachers and by having lighthouse teachers that
trial and use the resources within their classrooms.
b) Successes and Impacts
In what ways did your project meet the appropriate outcomes below
All Project Activity Areas

strengthen the currency and depth of teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and skills?
1
Pedagogy

strengthen the currency and depth of teachers’ learning area knowledge and understanding?
Grow and communicate shared understanding of what the teaching of thinking skills and
strategies are.
How did we achieve this? Team members took part in collaborative discussions on the teaching
of thinking skills and strategies within the team, faculties and with the whole staff. We began a
voluntary after school afternoon tea run twice a term where a member of the team shared how
they were using the thinking toolkit and strategies within their classrooms.
Gathering, analysing and evaluating resources to teach thinking skills.
How did we achieve this?
During this year we continued to search for resources and share these with each other. Our
Senior School Librarian continued to search out thinking skills resources to add to the toolkit. She
developed a Google site for teachers to be able to easily access these resources when planning
and programming learning activities. Three staff from the team attend the AIS conference. On
return they shared their learning with their own faculties but also with the team.
Trialling our framework/toolkit of thinking skills developed in 2012 by key team members
within the classroom.
How we achieved this?
Our Senior School Librarian used the information we researched last year to put together the
Thinking Skills Toolkit onto a Google site. She used the framework of thinking language to
structure the site. The team members used the toolkit for programming and planning lessons and
units. The toolkit was then also made available to all staff members and a session at our 2013
staff conference was used to show them how it worked.
Showcasing best teaching practices, mentoring and sharing of ideas.
How we achieved this?
The team have continued to share ideas and teaching practices with each other throughout the
year. Within faculties and stages staff have shared their learning and ideas with fellow teachers.
We used a staff conference day to share some of the thinking skills we had been using in our
classrooms. The conference included presentations from Junior School and Senior School. In
Term 3 we also implemented the voluntary thinking skills afternoon tea sharing sessions.
c) Sustainability
Howwill the school overcome the effects of changes, such as personnel and funding, to see the
project initiatives sustained?
At present we are evaluating how this project can continue in 2014. We see the teaching of
thinking skills as an essential part of the curriculum and want to continue to allow staff to develop
their understanding and confidence in this area.
Plan for 2014:
-Professional Development continued in the area of Thinking Skills including the Harvard Thinking
Skills course and Masada College’s Third Culture of Thinking Conference.
-Whole school staff meetings to continue to develop understanding of the teaching of thinking.
-The AGQTP team will continue to meet and share ideas- possible 2 half days a year.
-Continue our afternoon thinking skills meetings. Two a term in Term 1, 2 and 3.
-Continue to develop and add to our Thinking Skills Google Site.
-Create posters for the classrooms demonstrating the language of thinking.
2
d) Resources
Please list and describe the resources/productsdeveloped eg learning resource, unit/s of work,
audio files, worksheets, teaching designs.
How can they be accessed?Please provide contact details for resources that are not made
available for the AIS website.
Resources:
-Images of the Thinking Skills Toolkit
-Examples of units from Kindergarten implementing Thinking skills in our integrated units/English
unit.
-Kindergarten Thinking skills puppet posters.
-HSIE thinking skills lesson Power point.
-Stage 2 HSIE program and evaluation.
-Year 11 Christian Studies lesson plan and scope and sequence.
3
4