How do we use them?

There are several different thinking tools that we use at Stanley Park including Thinking Maps, De Bonas hats, lesson study cycles and Philosophy for Children. This page includes examples of how we use these thinking tools as a school. 

 

De Bono's Thinking Hats are a simple and clear creative thinking process which we use to help the children structure their thinking. Each hat requires a different kind of thinking and as a school we use these alongside the Thinking Maps to develop children's understanding and enable them to be the best they can be. 

Thinking Maps are an integral part of teaching and learning at Stanley Park. Each of the eight maps a different branch of thinking which is linked to the skill the children are developing. The thinking maps are used not just by the children in learning tasks but during whole class sessions, in staff and governors meetings and in planning sessions. This language for learning is fully embedded within our school community and we are always looking for new ways of developing each child's meta-cognition, their understanding of their own though process. 

Thinking skills are embedded within our school community, it is a common language for all children. This year Miss Penny became accredited as a 'Thinking Maps' trainer and as a school we were invited back to the Thinking Skills international conference in Swindon in June, which Miss Penny and Miss Watson attended. They ran a workshop explaining how we use Thinking Skills at Stanley park and what changes we have made over the last few years to develop our thinking curriculum. Feel free to look through their presentation below.