Leading Teacher project – Thinking Skills – Evaluation
The aim of our project was to raise student achievement by helping them to think in a
focused way. We aimed to integrate a range of thinking skill activities into the Year
Nine curriculum. Thinking skills are implicit within Religious Studies and so our aim was
to formalise this approach rather than introducing something completely new. In
addition it was anticipated that we would build on this approach within Key Stage Four.
This was particularly important because students who are more able to use higher order
thinking skills will achieve higher grades at GCSE. Currently we are teaching the Short
Course qualification in a reduced time slot and so the best use we can make of this time
is essential. It was also important for us to support the accelerated learning pilot at
South Hunsley School and make these extant for students across the curriculum.
Three members of staff were involved in the project. They had differing levels of
expertise and experience and so it was important for us to build a relationship based on
mutual respect where strengths could be maximised. There were 280 students in year
9, divided into 11 ability sets; each class was taught for one sixty minute lesson each
week. The groups were not divided equally between the three staff so in an effort to
maintain consistency I decided that each teacher should focus particularly on two
teaching groups. The year nine course introduces the students to basic Philosophy;
during the first half term they focus on the Philosophy of Buddhism, this is widened to
focus on Ultimate questions and ethical issues from both a secular and Christian stand
point. We agreed to divide the topics on the course into three, each member of staff
taking responsibility for their own area and disseminating their ideas and findings. All
topics were taught to all students.
Before the project began we explained to the
students what we were hoping to achieve, moreover that we welcomed their comments
and feedback. This was particularly important because we met on a regular basis to
share ideas and evaluate our findings and our students were able to feed into this
process. It was also important to us that we were able to create thinking skills
opportunities without drastically increasing our work load, moreover that we were able
to look at some of our current resources and ask whether we could use them in
different ways. It also seemed like a very good opportunity to try out new ideas we had
been thinking about in terms of how to make philosophical issues accessible to students.
We aimed to make many of our resources applicable to the modern day and focus on film
and music for instance. I decided to focus on Bloom’s taxonomy of thinking skills as
there was a correlation with the levels of attainment in RS, thus in order to achieve the
higher levels it would be expected that students could demonstrate higher order
thinking skills.
Coaching proved to be both essential and overall a very positive experience. It was a
new experience for us all and facilitated experienced and less experienced staff
colleagues to work together on an equal footing. We were based in a Departmental
team yet it is easy to see its application in the wider school and beyond and particularly
as a tool for continuing professional development. It is very important to embedding a
new approach and maintaining it without losing momentum. We concluded that coaching
was valuable because:
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It facilitates shared insights into the classroom but I will add a note that it is
only effective when teachers are prepared to be open and reflective.
Writing lesson plans together encourages team work and brought us from the
closed environments of our classrooms where it is so easy to become trapped.
It fosters and encourages enthusiasm in a non threatening environment.
The discussion before the lesson allowed the teacher to take ownership within a
mutual working partnership
It is easy to underestimate the complexity of a task taking place in the
classroom and we found that two head were always better than one. It
encouraged us to share resources and discuss openly their application.
The feedback from the observation provided a spring board for what followed.
If the discussion remained non judgemental what was created was an
engagement between equals
It stimulated self reflection. It helped us to concentrate our minds and channel
our energies into an agreed objective.
Learning and teaching
The project had a huge impact on the way we taught our students; it is easy to settle
into a routine and rarely question why we do something in a certain way. There is no
doubt that this project gave us the opportunity and incentive to try something new,
take risks and in the main we were very pleased with the outcome. It was usual for
students to be given writing frames to help them to achieve within a particular thinking
skill, smart targets to help them to feel more at ease within a level or to give them an
opportunity to try to achieve within a higher level. We felt that it focused our minds
within a skill bracket and allowed us to think widely about how we could help our
students to achieve. We were helped by resources such as the Task Oriented Question
Construction Wheel Based on Bloom's Taxonomy. These resources were useful to our
students and we soon realised the benefit of creating a thinking skill’s wall in our
classrooms that they could use when they were tackling a particular problem. There is
no doubt that our questioning skills became more focused. We realised that by posing a
question on the board and giving students thinking time provided more constructive
responses. The students enjoyed using mind maps, De Bono’s six hats as part of their
everyday learning opportunities. The decision to focus our resources within the wider
media was a good one, it made lessons memorable and facilitated activities from where
the students were at. I asked my colleagues what they thought about the teaching and
learning opportunities and this is what they said:
“ it has made me think more carefully about what I want to achieve”
“Risk taking became worthwhile as the children found solutions for themselves”
“our pupils became more independent learners”
The outcome on learning is more difficult to quantify specifically. Each student was
given the following baseline task on the Five precepts.
What can I learn about the 5 Precepts?
The 5 Precepts
The 5 Precepts are 5 guidelines that help a Buddhist live a good life. A
Buddhist should care for all living beings, they should never take
anything that does not belong to them and instead share what they have.
A Buddhist should avoid sexual misconduct and not misuse drugs and
alcohol. A Buddhist should be truthful at all times.
K
1.
Read the article above and write out 3 Precepts.
C
2.
Use your answers to question 1. Can you tell me, in your own words
what each precepmeans? It would be useful if you can give an example.
A
3.
Pick your favourite precept. Draw a picture to show when a Buddhist
might put this Precept into action.
AN
4.
Give some reasons why Buddhists follow the 5 Precepts.
5.
Predict what would happen if everyone in your form followed the 5
Precepts for a day while at school.
6.
Based on what you know about the 5 Precepts can you:
(a)
Prioritise the 5 Precepts in the order of how important each would be to
you. (Number 1 = most important - number 5 least important.)
S
E
(b)
Suggest the good and bad points of your 3 most important Precepts.
The outcome is shown below. It is worth pointing out that within each skill there were
many levels of achievement and although 242 students were placed within the analysis
skill, some were better than others. There is no surprise that the majority were placed
within this category as the content of this skill is what we most focus on.
Thinking Skill
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
Baseline Numbers
0
5
32
242
1
0
End of project
0
0
3
161
56
60
Students were generally very favourable towards the project. Three at random that I
asked said:
“I have enjoyed these lessons, I understand now what I need to do to analyse
something“
“I now realise that when you kept on asking me question after question you “was” helping
me not to be content with the minimum”
“ My head hurt sometimes but I enjoyed thinking about things and using the films”
W are clear that the project has encouraged our students to become better thinkers,
to understand in a more focused way how they learn and how they can help themselves
to learn. There is no doubt that this focus has helped to raise the achievement of our
year Nine students, it has also served to encourage teachers to take risks in their
teaching, facilitate independent learning in a more structured way and think more widely
about how to help their students to learn.
Attached is a typical lesson plan and suggested teaching activities. We are thankful to
the Damaris Trust for suggesting appropriate films and music. This lesson is based on
one of their ideas.
Arguments for and against the existence of G-d
 Aim: To identify some of the reasons for theism and
Main Focus: Analysis,
atheism
Synthesis, evaluation
 To predict the outcome if either theory was true
 To prioritise and evaluate the arguments
Resources: Signs Video (Clip 1 - Start time: 0.37.25 - End time: 0.43.49 ; clip 2 if used Start time:
1.23.34 - End time: 1.35.21, worksheets that may be used to support different skills
Suggested teaching activities:
Starter: Select a well known person and ask how do we know this person really does exist?
The purpose is to determine how we can try to prove something is real.
Using the film Signs, play the first section. Explain that Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) is a
former church minister who has left his job after the death of his wife in a freak road accident.
There has been a recent outbreak of crop circles all around the world, including in Graham’s own
cornfield. Use worksheet No 1: What views are expressed by Graham and his brother? What
kind of evidence has been given by both men? Would the class suggest that a personal
experience such as this one is the only way to prove G-d’s existence? Brainstorm a list of different
ways that the students suggest for proving or disproving God’s existence.
Use the arguments sheet: Which arguments fall into the categories they have suggested?
Categorise which ones are convincing?
The second clip moves students on to question whether everything in life is planned. This
may be useful for higher ability students. Use it with caution.
Now play the second clip from Signs. Explain that the aliens turned out to be real and hostile. Graham,
Merrill and Graham’s two children Morgan and Bo have taken shelter in the cellar of their house. They
have already fought off an attempt by aliens to get into the cellar, and Morgan has survived an asthma
attack Ask: What happened in the clips in order for Morgan to be saved?
• Morgan had to have asthma, for his throat to be closed when the poison was sprayed
• Ray Reddy falling asleep at the wheel at the precise moment when Carlene (Graham’s wife) was
walking past
• Graham had to remember the things that Carlene said before dying
• Merrill had to be a record holding baseball player, with a bat hanging on the wall
• Bo had to have an irrational phobia about drinking water, causing her to leave numerous unfinished
glasses around the room
Ask them to put themselves in Graham’s position. Do they think that they would be likely to come to
the same conclusion about everything that had happened as him: namely that it couldn’t be a
coincidence, and that God had saved Morgan’s life? Students should then complete an exercise in
line with their thinking skills focus.
What questions might you ask a theist and atheist about why they do and
Application
do not believe in G-d? What answers do you think they might give?
How might you classify the arguments?
Can you suggest the evidence a theist and atheist might use to support
these ideas? (Use sheet 2)
Analysis
Can you predict what might happen if it was finally proved that G-d did or
did not exist?
Synthesis
“There is lots of evidence that suggests that G-d does not exist” Do you
agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer showing you have
thought about both sides of the argument.
Evaluation