Developing Thinking Skills with the IB PYP
Hello again fellow inquiry teachers! This article is going to be expanding on my previous post where I was sharing my favourite books for developing thinkers and inquirers.
Looking for ideas for books? Read the article here.
In the beginning….
At the beginning of every school year, I always begin with an emphasis on building a community of learners within a culture of inquiry. And so, first things first, I begin at the beginning.
- Learner Profile
- Thinking Skills
- Conceptual understanding
Those three points involve bringing an awareness to the children of what it means to be a thinker and an inquirer. Their knowledge and understanding of their own unique Learner Profile starts from week one of our school year and here is where I introduce those Approaches to Learning Skills, specifically the thinking skills. Even more specifically, the sub-skills within the IB’s description of thinking skills.
- Metacognition
- Questioning
Classroom posters and activities for each sub-skill can be found in my store. - Analysing
- Evaluating
- Synthesising
- Dialectical thinking
Those are some pretty high brow words for primary years kiddos! And so we MUST break it down, skill by skill; introducing, practicing and reinforcing those thinking skills throughout our transdisciplinary inquiries.
I have been sharing my suggestions and strategies LIVE on social media and I’m including this first video for you too. It’s about 30 minutes long. So, grab yourself a drink, get comfortable and enjoy. In this video, I am sharing:
- Developing metacognitive awareness
- Visualisation strategies
- Schema and how it helps to build metacognition
BE INSPIRED. BE CONFIDENT. BE READY! Developing thinkers doesn't happen by accident. It takes deliberate, repeated practice with the ATL skills that build metacognition. Inside the membership, you'll find engaging, fun learning experiences designed to do exactly that: build thinkers and inquirers, one skill at a time, with zero extra planning on your end.
Next week, I’ll be sharing how I develop questioning skills to create more independent inquirers. Be sure to subscribe below so that you don’t miss out on those FREE resources coming.
Enjoy!
P.S. You can follow along for more ideas and strategies by subscribing to our monthly email by signing up here. Come on over and say hi. I’d love to meet you!
