Is the primary purpose of education to prepare more skilled workers for the present system or, as Dewey argued, “to develop human beings who are equipped to think for themselves and reconstruct that scheme as well as realise their own best potentialities”?
This is the first of several quotes from Dewey used in this book - clearly the authors agree with him. Their work draws on research at the thinking skills research centre in Newcastle as well as the classroom experiences of a wide range of teachers.
The book is full of practical ideas and strategies, offering more than easy-to-use, photocopiable worksheets. It provides an informative review of strategies for teaching thinking skills that could be used with any primary class. The ideas are exciting, engaging and challenging, and invite teachers and pupils to participate in adventures in thinking.
Many of the strategies, such as Writing Frames, Mysteries and Community of Enquiry, are not new, but the way they are presented, as well-tested techniques,makes them powerful tools for effective teaching. The flexible approach encourages teachers to adapt and develop the ideas through clearly presented examples of classroom practice.
There are sections on the use of ICT, professional development and key ideas such as metacognition. Useful book lists, margin notes and key quotes provide a stimulus for further reading. As Dewey argued, it is not enough that materials and methods have been proved to be effective, there must be reasons for thinking they will generate rich educational experiences. This book provides good reasons and lively ideas for teaching children to think for themselves.
Robert Fisher is professor of education at Brunel University
