Learners are encouraged to think about their roles and responsibilities as thinkers and learners.

are reflections enabling the development and co-participation in the learners thinking skills and beliefs in their capabilities to learn. (self-efficacy)

Thinking is enabled when:

• learners are given opportunity and encouraged to think about their values as learners

• learners understand

  • responsibility as a co-participant in the learning environment

  • how past experiences can help construct new insights and knowledge

  • being a member of a community is an important element of developing thinking skills

At the beginning and at the end of the lesson, the teacher provides silent time for learners to think about what they need in order to learn the best that they can. Each student quickly shares one idea with other members of the class. The importance of each idea to school and home learning is briefly discussed by the teacher.

Secondary

After each daily lesson, learners take three to five minutes to write in a thinking journal. Students are encouraged to think about their thinking, examine their self-image as a thinker, and the desire to be great thinkers. Prompts on the board include the following:

• How do you feel about your thinking?
• How do you feel about yourself as a learner?
• Are you contributing to your own/class thinking?
• When you have difficulty with a task or thought, do you shut down or persevere?

New

Elementary and Secondary

While reading The Diary of Anne Frank, learners discuss in small groups how their own personal experiences can form their perceptions and reactions to the ideas expressed in the play. Learners then generate ideas for learning activities that could increase their appreciation of the play.