In this essay, I will be explaining how to create a thinking classroom and will talk about how important it is to develop children’s capacity to solve problems. I will be doing this by providing instructional methods that are proven to stimulate thinking in children and will be talking about how teaching problem solving skills in children can help support their future learning and their lives.
Problem solving, making conclusions, enquiring, evaluating concepts and organising material are all thinking skills that are essential in everyday life. These skills can be developed to create further skills such as analysis and reflection. Thinking skills are important to develop in the classroom. Some children can begin to learn these skills from their home upbringing with expressive discourse that they are able to engage in. Some parents also provide their children with an accommodating environment by providing them with questioning which can stimulate their creative thinking. Other children may not have this type of upbringing so it is important that they are not left behind, these children would benefit considerably from teaching approaches that can foster the development of their thinking skills which is why it is important to create a thinking classroom. Learning how to problem solve is important for a child’s development as it is something they will be coming across on a day to day basis with different levels of intricacy. It is an important life skill to hold and children will need this if they are to have a successful and bright future. If children learn to problem solve independently they will become more confident and happier in themselves and will not feel discouraged if they are not able to complete tasks.
In thinking classrooms, children’s thinking skills can be developed by providing them with opportunities to consider numerous standpoints, generate refined ideas, and successfully communicate their thoughts to their peers. Constructing a thinking classroom can be the greatest challenge teachers face, however educating in this type of environment can be fulfilling and enjoyable for both the child and the practitioner. A common trait in all successful thinking classrooms is the type of language used. Social constructivists such as Vygotsky (1978) and Robson (2012) believe that the interaction between the practitioner and the child, where language is used as a means, are the grounds for the development of children’s thinking capabilities. Communication can support children develop their thinking skills. Dialogic teaching basically is using verbal communication to carry out the teaching and the learning and requires the talk to be ongoing between the practitioner and the pupil. This can include questions from both the pupil and the teacher, feedback which is to inform how to move the child’s learning forward and contributions which should be extended as much as possible. Dialogic teaching can help develop a child’s thinking and improve their comprehension and understanding as well as supporting the practitioner in meeting the child’s individual needs by assessing their progress.
The type of language used includes questioning. The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics state “Precise questioning during lessons ensures that pupils develop fluent technical proficiency and think deeply about the underpinning mathematical concepts”. Questions in the classroom are usually used so that teachers can check for understanding, address misconceptions, extend children’s learning and can also be used to prompt the children to share their ideas. Constructing classroom learning around questions is a significant element of boosting thinking in children. Wilen (1991) trusts that questioning is to ‘stimulate student participation, to initiate discussion of a topic, issue, or problem based on previous learning and to evaluate student’s preparation for a later learning task.’ The type of questions asked can ensure that children’s thinking skills are being put to the test. To elicit productive thinking in the classroom, both open and closed questions should be asked. Higher-order questions encourage critical and analytic thinking which is why it is highly encouraged that practitioners implement these questions into their classroom. As important higher order skills are to develop, lower order questioning should not be avoided, this is exhibited in Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom et al 1956) who also states that lower-order questions should not be overlooked as these are the foundation skills which are needed to successfully move on to higher order thinking. It can be difficult for practitioners to produce a good mixture of open and closed questions that can stimulate answers in the lower order thinking range which elicit knowledge, comprehension and application. The same can be said for the higher order questions which elicit analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom et al. 1956) provides a scaffold for practitioners so that they can successfully compose questions that can trigger different levels of thinking. ‘Bloom’s Taxonomy is a hierarchical system of knowing that builds from the most basic kinds of learning around rote memorization at the bottom to creation at the top. When constructing questions, educators should teach students the difference between the kinds of questions and how higher-level questioning offers more depth in exploration. ‘(Sackstein 2015)
A significantly overlooked element of a thinking classroom is the act of children asking questions. Children asking questions is critical for developing thinking. For children to feel comfortable with this, a safe and secure environment should be created where children should feel welcome and free to nurture their curiosity. It may take some time for children to become comfortable with asking questions as it can be difficult for children to profess that they do not understand or are not confident with a subject. However, once the class have familiarised to asking questions, it will be clear how it is enhancing their learning through their development. Children asking questions can also provide support for the practitioner to figure out the children’s next steps in their learning so practitioners should make a place for pupil questioning in their planning. The encouragement of pupil questions is very important. There are many ways that it can be encouraged in the classroom, some being rewarding inquiries, regularly asking pupils to jot down questions they have and inviting children to question their peers or even the practitioner during discussions. For children to be successful in asking productive questions, the questioning must be followed by suitable feedback, assessment, and direction in how to construct them. The feedback may even lead to fresh questions and curiosity that will preserve their engagement in the future.
As well as questioning being significant to create a thinking classroom, scaffolding is also key in promoting critical thinking. Vygotsky described scaffolding teaching as the “role of teachers and others in supporting the learner’s development and providing support structures to get to that next stage or level” (Raymond, 2000). Scaffolding provides a temporary structure for children to be able to complete a challenging task that they would not be able to complete without the support. Scaffolding can elicit critical thinking and can include delivering prompts, asking questions and modelling steps to success. Scaffolding the teaching can offer a supportive learning atmosphere where children can take an active role in their own learning. Students share the responsibility of teaching and learning through scaffolds and this can allow them to take ownership of their learning. The teacher delivers the scaffolds so that the pupil can achieve with support – the tasks that he or she could otherwise not complete, thus helping the learner through the ZPD (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000). Scaffolding is a temporary structure because as soon as the child makes progress and their capabilities grow, scaffolding is decreased so that they are able to fulfil the rest of the task self-sufficiently.
The amount of scaffolding each child may need is really dependent on their individual needs. Teachers may raise the amount of scaffolding until the child is able to deliver an accurate answer.
One of the principal advantages of scaffolding teaching is that it involves the child and they have to use their thinking skills to complete the task rather than it being full supported. The child is active in their learning and is able to form and develop new knowledge through encouragement.
The final strategy that I will be discussing which can be incorporated to create a thinking classroom is encouraging metacognitive talk. Metacognition is thinking about thinking, in other words reflection. An essential critical practice in generating proficient thinking is metacognition. It can be incorporated into lessons by using reflective questioning during the lesson. Encouraging students to answer questions about their thinking can be very effective in helping them grow as thinkers. To establish metacognition in the classroom, many methods can be used such as encouraging pupils’ reflection by asking questions that pursue explanations and evidence and pupils completing evaluations of the topic being learnt e.g. what they are aware of, what they do not know, and what they have learnt so far. Metacognition can also take place when offering sufficient time for children to reflect when answering questions, this is supported by Black et al. (2003) who established that when teachers increase the waiting time it results in ‘more students being involved in question and answer discussions and to an increase in the length of their replies.’ Metacognition has 4 phases which are planning, monitoring, evaluating and reflecting. Examples of questions that pupils may ask themselves during these phases are:
The planning phase is regarding how the pupil will approach the task and the child will start thinking about how they are going to plan their work: what am I going to do?
The monitoring phase is regarding the progress they are making and how their strategies are working: Should I use another strategy?
The evaluation phase is regarding how successful the task went and what they may have learnt throughout the whole activity: How well did I do? phases
The reflective phase is what they would do if they had an opportunity to re-do the task and how they could further their learning by what they have learnt during this activity: What could I change if I did this again?
Each of these phases are fundamental in the strategy if it is to support the children’s learning and help them to apply and examine their thinking along with supporting them to develop a greater understanding of their own thinking practices. It can allow them to become independent learners as they learn to monitor their own progress and become active in their learning. Pupils would firstly need support to form their thoughts so that they are able to reflect on the thinking practices they have used. Practitioners modelling how to do this can help children memorise the strategy so they are able to use it each time they conduct a task. One way a practitioner can incorporate metacognitive talk in the early years can be using the traffic light system. The red light can be used for the planning phase to talk about when they encountered a challenge, the amber for the monitoring phase when they thought they had to change something and the green about the evaluating phase about what went well.
Most people think of mathematics and science when problem solving comes to mind however it is something that can be used and implemented in every subject in school as well as on a daily basis outside of education. Teaching children how to problem solve prepares children for the real world which makes developing children’s capacity to solve problems even more important so they are able to cope and overcome these challenges. It is one of the most imperative skills that children need to get to grips with becoming independent thinkers. The foundation of their learning starts with the capability to dissect a problem into smaller parts until they can establish a resolution. The three strategies discussed and mentioned previously all support developing independent problem solving. Children need to be taught on how to identify problems as this does not come naturally, they need support to generate ideas and come up with the best solution. Practitioners should provide children with enough opportunities so that children can experiment and use their thinking skills. With enough time and enough opportunity to practice, children can become masters in problem solving.
A thinking classroom setting has to be created by the practitioner and does not come by easily. By implementing various strategies, the practitioner is able to elicit children’s thinking on different levels and is able to develop their thinking skills including how to problem solve. Creating the perfect thinking classroom can take time just like growing into a successful teacher takes time, it requires hard work and dedication. Trying to create the perfect classroom to support all children is a task that need commitment however there is much to learn about how we can better our teaching and our instructional methods. In conclusion, I do believe that there are many different powerful strategies and approaches that can be implemented to create a thinking classroom. This includes and does not only limit to dialogic talk, questioning, scaffolding and metacognition. Children should be encouraged to be active in their learning by being inquisitive and asking questions. Bonwell and Eison (1991) defined active learning as involving the children in activities that cause them to think about what they are doing. Fink (2003) specified that the concept of active learning supports research which shows that pupils learn more and retain knowledge longer if they acquire it in an active rather than passive manner. I believe one of the most powerful tools that can be used in the classroom is the use of Bloom’s Taxonomy which can support heavily in assisting and developing children’s thinking skills. Developing children thinking skills and problem solving skills reap many benefits that can transpire out of the classroom, as well as their learning comprehension, it can help them develop confidence and their self-esteem which is why it is so fundamental for developing these skills within school.