Potential Development using Thinking Tools

The concept ‘Thinking Tools’ emanated from my book: ‘The DNA of Great Teachers’ and was further exposed when co-authoring the book: ‘Developing Critical Thinking: A Multi-Dimensional Approach in the Context of South Africa (Education in a Competitive and Globalizing World)’, with the editor Prof. Mary Gr?sser.

Although we are not aware of it, we are born with 26 Thinking Tools in our brains which has the potential to develop..

Learners who intuitively discover most of the tools present themselves as grasping faster, can see flaws, classify, analyse, relate concepts and seeing the bigger picture without much effort. Traditionally this empowers them to achieve success and are motivated.

They tend to have a developmental mindset, knowing there always more to learn. Their marks soar further when they are empowered with the names and purposefully use Thinking Tools. One reason for these learners to achieve could be appropriate stimulation during the Early Childhood Development (ECD) phase.

The downside is that these thinking skills are to a large extend de-learned by the traditional school system which focuses on memorising instead of thinking.

Learners who were not fortunate to intuitively discover a critical mass of the Thinking Tools by themselves or during ECD, do not do good in their subjects and tend to have a static mindset, thinking that their low marks are their permanent status of achievement. This can be turned around by empowering teachers to teach with Thinking Tools superimposed on the principles of Great Teaching.

In the School Turnaround Foundation (STF) project ((1918), “the assessment results on the Thinking Tools approach compared very favourably to the average of previous assessments on the same subjects, for example the electricity lesson results:

? Increased by 20%;

? The group’s average increased by 24%;

? The lowest score increased from 15% to 61% which is an increase of 46%; and

? No learner failed.”

“This approach to teaching led to the following classroom management successes, which are important in the work of STF, and is linked to the school turnaround methodology:

? All learners were involved in the learning process;

? There were no disciplinary issues;

? Learners started to see themselves as “ clever guys”, which is important to self affirmation;

? The learners enjoyed their new learning experiences; etc”

For more information leave your email address or WhatsApp me 0832592857