A Watsonia North Primary School priority is the development of thinking skills which focus on ways to effectively develop students’ thinking processes and strategies. This curriculum supports the development of thinking skills in the following ways:

  • teaches students about thinking and learning
  • engages students in complex thinking to manage new situations and solve problems
  • studies topics in-depth
  • extends periods of time for sustained thinking
  • relates thinking and learning strategies to subject knowledge
  • embeds thinking and learning strategies in every activity and
  • is accessible to every student

Why is it important to teach the skills of thinking? Teachers and schools are faced with the challenge of providing building blocks for their students’ effective participation in workplaces and communities of the future. It is therefore necessary to provide young people with the capacity and motivation to:

  • be community-builders, with strong social competencies, resilience and self esteem
  • work in teams with skills in cooperation, communication and negotiation
  • select and evaluate information and be intellectually curious
  • be problem-solvers and be able to think creatively and critically
  • be independent of mind, self-regulating and reflective
  • be flexible and be able to adapt to change and
  • know how to learn and want to continue to learn throughout life

The more students believe their teachers to be emphasising thinking and learning strategies …

  • the greater the motivation
  • the more strongly they are involved in productive cognitive strategies
  • the more firmly they focus on the task goals
  • the less they see the school to be focused on individual ability and competition
  • the less they perceive a lack of control over their own learning

The more students feel they are given time to explore and understand new ideas, the more they …

  • feel motivated to learn
  • value really understanding their work
  • feel they are in control of learning
  • believe their school is showing them how to be better learners