Thinkers

Thinkers are another attribute of the learner profile. The IB describes thinkers as:

We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyse and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions. 

In Kindergarten, there are many opportunities for children to think critically and creatively, pose and solve problems, show initiative, explain their reasoning and think about moral and ethical values such as belonging, family, relationships, diversity and inclusion. 

I recently read this quote in The Art of Awareness (Curtis and Carter): When we offer children the kinds of materials (open-ended materials and loose parts), they become creators of their experiences rather than consumers. I was struck by this quote as the idea of consumers and creators said so much about my resistance to using worksheets and resources that deny children the opportunity to think. 

In the Early Years of the PYP, thinking skills are part of a school's approaches to learning. Sub-skills include critical thinking, creative thinking, information transfer, reflection and metacognition. 

Strategies used in Kindergarten so far to foster thinkers:

A focus on concepts - We have focused on number sense, making connections, curiosity and play. A focus on concepts means a focus on understanding and unpacking ideas to strive for deeper learning. Our units of inquiry are conceptual in nature, but also language and maths learning that is sometimes taught independently of the unit. Having a conceptual focus helps to frame children's theories over a period of time so that we can all see how learning and thinking evolves over time. 

Open-ended materials - Linked to the quote above, loose parts are used and re-used in so many creative ways as children are not locked into the thinking modelled or pre-determined by adults. They offer a world of possibilities. Last week, children combined a salt pit with a book containing mazes and a set of characters to role play and develop imaginative stories. 

Questioning - Powerful questions that have high expectations of children's capacity to think are key to establishing a culture of thinking, with thinking time embedded so that thinking becomes routine. Some question stems that have proven useful are below. This week, we were thinking about the difference between squares and rectangles and so much thinking was needed and evidenced. 

Routines - There are routines established in the classroom to support thinking. We are using number dots that has encouraged a lot of critical and creative thinking about different ways to see and count numbers. Each day, there is a morning message that requires children to think about something relevant to that day or their life in Kindergarten. We also think about words we recognise and the changing days, months and numbers to show the passage of time. 

Reflection - Time for reflection is planned daily for children to reflect on their learning - both what they have learned and how they learned it. Recent prompts have included: "I am confused by...", "I was surprised by...", "I realised...", "I am wondering..." and "I discovered." The language of thinking is used and modelled for students. 

Paris as a Classroom - Each week, Kindergarten explore the local area. We are so lucky to be in Paris and use the city so actively for learning and thinking. We have visited the nearby nature trail and a lot of thinking was done about living and non-living things. Yesterday, we walked along a nearby shopping street looking for people and places we might be able to role play. As a result, different groups of children did a lot of thinking about the Metro, shops selling different goods and restaurants with menus. It has started an inquiry into money - the currency used in France, the notation to write money, how to read amounts and developing a sense of how much things cost. 

Read alouds - I read aloud to the class every day. The themes, narratives and characters are all perfect opportunities for children to think as readers as they respond to fiction and non-fiction. There are so many great titles that provoke discussion into relevant, timely and challenging big ideas that children are quick to make connections to, and explore from different perspectives. 

Reflection Questions:

- What are your students thinking about? How do you know?

- What types of thinking do your students find the easiest and struggle with the most?

- What strategies do you use to foster a culture of thinking?