THINKING SKILLS   ‘Let’s Think’      .... through Science 7 - 8’        ...through Science 8 - 9’    5 pillars of COGNITIVE ACCELERATION       EXAMPLES

The Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education project produced a set of curriculum materials between 1984 and 1987 to help pupils develop the thinking skills required in science. These materials were published as ‘Thinking Science’, a set of 32 activities suitable for most pupils for use between years 7, 8 and 9 in England, P7 to S2 in Scotland. Their intended use is as enrichment to the regular science curriculum delivered at the rate of one lesson every two weeks. Although set in the context of science the aim of these lessons is to stimulate cognitive development so that pupils can learn faster and more effectively.

Pupils are presented with observations, which challenge their preconceptions. In attempting to assimilate these observations, reasoning patterns which are more mature and of a higher order, are established.

Data available from a study of 4,500 pupils in 17 C.A.S.E. schools in England compared with added value data suggest significant gains in science and other curricular areas, an indication of a generic effect.

The particular skills developed in this programme are :-

• control of variables

• proportionality

• classification

• formal modelling

• compensation and equilibrium

• correlation

• probability

SSEE ‘TRYING TO THINK’ (CASE) POWERPOINT PRESENTATION (TRAINING MATERIALS SECTION)

SSEE THINKING SCIENCE LESSON: LESSON 27 FLOATING AND SINKING

 SEE THINKING SCIENCE LESSON: LESSON 11 KEEPING BALANCED

Three further cognitive acceleration programmes have since been published - LET'S THINK,   

‘Let’s Think’

Designed to be challenging for five to six year old pupils, the context is not science but the skills involved are scientific/numeric. They are :-

• time sequence

• rules of a game

• spatial perception

• classification

• causality

• seriation

This programme involves a teacher working intensively with a group of six on a series of practical problem solving activities for thirty minutes. The groupwork involved develops listening, talking and social skills. The obvious issue of working with one group in turn can be managed by deployment of classroom assistants, early intervention assistants and learning support teachers.

SEE ‘TRYING TO THINK’ (LET’S THINK) POWERPOINT PRESENTATION (TRAINING MATERIALS SECTION)

‘Let’s Think through Science 7 - 8’

Designed to be challenging for seven to eight year old pupils, this programme features whole class science activities tackled in groups of four for one hour.

The following schemata are covered :

• classification

• causality

• seriation

• conservation

• concrete modelling

• combinatorial thinking

• relationships between variables

‘Let’s Think through Science 8 - 9’

Designed to be challenging for eight to nine year old pupils, ‘Let’s Think through Science 8 - 9’ further develops:

• classification

• causality

• seriation

• conservation

• concrete modelling

• relationships between variables

All the Cognitive Acceleration Programmes are based on the idea that learners can be stimulated by challenging activities to think more effectively. This approach can be very inclusive as talking, listening and sharing ideas are valued, writing being a group task. The activities can appeal equally to different gender learning styles.

This is teacher directed and involves the whole class. Keywords are introduced.

What do you think this problem is about?

What have you found out?
Does that fit with what happened previously?
Why?

How did you solve this problem?
What was difficult about this activity?
Why was it difficult?

Where have we done something similar to this before?
How are they similar?
Where else might this be useful.

EXAMPLES

The ‘Let’s Think’ DVD example shows activity 19, ‘Bricks’, which involves placing 36 coloured bricks onto a wall template with 6 rows and 6 columns. There are 6 colours and the rules are that no colours should be repeated in any column or row. When this is successfully completed, 36 transparent patterned overlays with 6 different patterns are given to arrange according to the rule that no pattern is to be repeated in any row or column.

The teacher supported metacognition throughout the activity as young pupils frequently forget what they found difficult after the ‘problem’ has been solved. She is shown at the end actively encouraging pupils to articulate what was difficult and how they worked their way through the task.

Examples of pupils’ metacognitive phrases

I got it sorted out when ….      At first I thought ….       I had a problem with …..

If I hadn’t been in a group I would have ….       Then I realized ….             If I’m given this type of problem again ….

Helpful hints for implementing thinking skills programmes

• Start after October break once you have got to know your pupils.

• Think carefully about groups. Mix gender and ability and consider personality.

• The first three activities in ‘Let’s Think’ and the first two in ‘Lets Think through Science’ are designed to introduce children to the idea of groupwork. Use these activities to find out which groups work well together and make changes accordingly.

• Work around a small table so that eye contact can be maintained.

• Each lesson should reinforce the talking and listening rules.

• Make sure that you have worked through the activity.

• Do not dominate the group. Your role is to challenge and facilitate.

• Be aware of your questioning. Ask :-

• Why do you think that….?

• Can you explain to me…?

• Do not readily accept right answers. Seek consensus and ask why.

• Encourage the pupils to listen to each other.

• Highlight good ideas from pupils by saying “That is interesting, what do others think?”

• Ask less involved pupils “What do you think?”

• Bear in mind there is frequently no one ‘right’ solution.

• Be prepared to manage metacognition during the lesson as young pupils forget the difficulties they encountered. Ask:

  • Why did you do that?

  • Why is this hard to do?

  • Why do you think you should do that?

  • Can you explain to the group why you did that?

  • Why do you not agree?

• If you are using the ‘Let’s Think’ programme, stop after 30 minutes regardless of whether pupils have completed the activity or not.

SEE ‘SUPPORTING THINKING PROGRAMMES’ POWERPOINT PRESENTATION (TRAINING MATERIALS SECTION)

Parts of two lessons are shown on the video:

Lesson 27 Floating and Sinking

Pupils are working with the compound variable density. An investigation on the factors that affect floating and sinking is planned with the pupils. They investigated the effect of mass on floating using 5 jars A-E of different masses (400-1200 g) with same volume. Having concluded that the greater the mass of the jar, more likely it is to sink, they proceeded to investigate the effect of volume on floating using jars 1-6 (6 and A are the same jar) of different volumes with the same mass. Pupils then found from the results that the greater the volume the more likely something is to float. Jar X is introduced. It has a volume which floated in the previous experiment and a mass which also floated. Pupils were invited to predict the outcome. ’Cognitive conflict’ was created when the jar sank.  Similarly a second puzzling jar Y is shown. Using their recording sheet from the two investigations where they have 12 values, F or S (Float or Sink) for the jars of different masses and volumes the pupils then played the floating and sinking game which provided them with other values for F and S. The DVD example shows social construction where one pupil notices the pattern – a line above which all jars are floaters and below which all jars are sinkers. He attempts to describe what he has found.

Lesson 11 ‘Keeping Balanced’

In the DVD example, the pupils are given a balanced lever made with a metre stick with holes punched every 6 cm.

The holes are labelled from 1-8 on either side from the midpoint or pivot. The lever is pivoted at the midpoint and a weight of 400g placed at hole 2 on one side of the pivot.

The challenge is to find all the combinations of weight and distance which will balance this on the other side. The pupils at the beginning identify the variables in their investigation, the input variables (weight and position) and the outcome variable (balanced or not balanced). At first the pupils carry out the test but later in the lesson they are asked to spot the pattern and to predict where certain weights might achieve balance.

The teacher is attempting to manage metacognition and social construction with some difficulty. One of the group understands proportionality but cannot explain adequately how he knows the answer, another pupil is completely ‘conflicted’ (challenged) and the third is gradually seeing some pattern. Towards the end of the lesson this group could predict values which would achieve balance.

Variety in food and adaptations for feeding (pdf)

References

Published by nfer Nelson

Let’s Think  Philip Adey, Anne Robertson and Grady Venville.
Let’s Think through Science 7-8   Philip Adey, Frances Nagey, Anne Robertson, Natasha Serett and Pam Wadsworth. ISBSN 0 7087 0374 7
Let’s Think through Science 8-9   Philip Adey and Anne Robertson    ISBN 0 7087 1439 0

Published by Nelson Thornes

Thinking Science                        Philip Adey, Michael Shayer and Carolyn Yates    ISBN 0-7487-6231-0