PRINCIPLE 4 – You could try this
Students are challenged and supported to develop deep levels of thinking and application.
VELS: the thinking domain has three dimensions.
(Source: http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/essential/interdisciplinary/thinking/index.html)
DIMENSION
EXPLANATION
Reasoning, processing
and inquiring
This dimension encompasses the
knowledge, skills and behaviours
required to enable students to inquire
into the world around them, and to
use critical thinking to analyse and
evaluate information they encounter.
Students learn to question and
assemble information and develop
opinions based on informed
judgments. They also develop the
capacity to transform information into
coherent knowledge structures.
Creativity
The capacity to think creatively is a
central component of being able to
problem-solve and be innovative. In
this dimension students learn to seek
innovative alternatives and apply their
imagination to the generation of
possibilities. They learn to take risks
with their thinking and make new
connections.
Reflection, evaluation
and Metacognition
Learning is enhanced when
individuals develop the capacity to
reflect on, and refine their existing
ideas and beliefs. In this dimension
students learn to reflect on what they
know and develop awareness that
there is more to know. They learn to
question the perspectives of
themselves and others. They
evaluate the validity of their own and
others’ ideas. They also develop their
metacognitive skills in planning,
monitoring and evaluating their own
thinking processes and strategies.
RELEVANCE TO MY LESSON
An explicit focus on thinking and the teaching of thinking skills aims to develop students’ thinking to a qualitatively higher level.
Students need to be supported to move beyond the lower-order cognitive skills of recall and comprehension to the development
of higher-order processes required for creative problem solving, decision making and conceptualising. In addition, they need to
develop the capacity for metacognition - the capacity to reflect on and manage their own thinking. This can only happen if the
school and classroom culture values and promotes thinking and if students are provided with sufficient time to think, reflect, and
engage in sustained discussion, deliberation and inquiry. Students need challenging tasks which stimulate, encourage and
support skilful and effective thinking.
(Source: http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/essential/interdisciplinary/thinking/index.html)
The Principles of Teaching and Learning P–12
PRINCIPLE 4 – You could try this
Students are challenged and supported to develop deep levels of thinking and application.
Strategies and tactics: Questioning
A full range of resources and professional learning workshops, hundreds of examples and practice can be found out at:
http://www.ltag.education.tas.gov.au/effectteach/pedagogy/questioning.htm
Look for:
Jamie McKenzie “Questioning strategies: Cultivating the talents of all students”

The relationship of thinking to questioning

Thinking as wondering

Critical evaluation of sources
Questioning techniques – Scamper, Questioning Toolkit, the Great Questions Press, the Technology of Questioning,
Questioning Practice examples
Jamie McKenzie is editor of the online journals –

From Now On: The Educational Technology Journal http://fno.org/

The Question Mark http://questioning.org/

No Child Left http://nochildleft.com/
Books: Learning to Question to Wonder to Learn (2005); Just in Time Technology: Doing Better with Fewer (2002); Planning
Good Change with Technology and Literacy (2001); Beyond Technology: Questioning, Research and the Information Literate
School (2000);
How Teachers Learn Technology Best (1999) FNO Press http://store.yahoo.com/fnopress/
Gifted Education Professional Development Package: Department of Education Science and Training, 2005
http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/school_education/publications_resources/profiles/Gifted_Education_Professional_Development_
Package.htm
Resources for affective and creative questions, reflective and metacognitive questions, thinking curriculum and frameworks
inquiry learning. Developed for ‘gifted education’ these resources are valuable for any teacher working with a range of student
needs. Coverage of Bloom’s Taxonomy 1956 (revised Anderson & Krathwohl 2001), Creative and divergent thinking is
supported by frameworks such as Williams 1993, Problem Based Learning, Kaplan model.
“The modules contain an overview of current research about particular areas of gifted education. This research, in plain
language, is illustrated by cartoons, case studies and examples of how it can be applied in the mainstream classroom. The
modules cover all levels of schooling: early childhood (the initial years of schooling), Primary (later years of primary schools), and
secondary (secondary school). The modules are also ordered according to whether a teacher is in a rural or urban school,
teaching in the classroom or involved in school administration, or whether the teacher is working alone or undertaking
professional development in a small group or whole school situation. Coloured Icons throughout the modules allow quick
identification of research, case studies, information and activities according to individual needs.”
The display of all professional development modules is found at:
http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/school_education/publications_resources/profiles/Gifted_Education_Professional_Development_
Package.htm#abstract
The Principles of Teaching and Learning P–12