Research - Case Studies
Ethiopia Teacher Professional Development:
Children's Home Society and Family Services
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia • 24-28 August 2009

Thinking Schools Model
The Thinking School model uses methods, strategies, and techniques that incorporate the latest research to develop a learning environment that focus on participatory student and teacher learning. The model develops life skills for teachers and students supporting their growth as thinkers and learners. An important aspect of the presented tools is they can be used with minimal materials, and minimal materials that are easily accessible in all schools (countryside and city). An example is Thinking Maps (visual tools) which can be used as effectively with sand and sticks, stone and limestone, and/or paper and pencil. This is consistent with the use of questioning, community exercises, room, and collegial coaching. All methods, tools, and techniques introduced equally apply to the lives of the educators as learners, in addition to improving the student success as learners. See Appendix B for descriptions and descriptions of the specific foundations, pedagogy, and strategies and thinking methods used in the teacher learning and training.

The following is from the Thinking Foundation in respect to Thinking Schools:

The criteria for the evaluation and accreditation of Thinking Schools have been derived from a number of sources.  They begin from a social-interactionist perspective which itself is grounded within socio-cultural theory (see Williams and Burden (1977) Psychology for Language Teachers, Cambridge University Press).  This perspective proposes that all learning occurs as a result of the dynamic interaction between expert mediators, novice learners, learning tasks/activities and the contexts within which these processes take place. Within the sphere of education this generally translates into teachers, pupils/students, aspects of the curriculum, classrooms within schools and the whole school environment.

Thus, to understand whether a school is functioning as a “thinking school”, it is necessary to identify the level of commitment and expertise that teachers within the school are displaying in facilitating the thinking skills and strategies of the broad range of students by means of a wide range of thinking program and techniques.  It is important to note the reactions of the students to this input in terms of their pleasure in learning, their sense of autonomy as independent learners and their reflective, caring behavior, as well as their improved academic learning outcomes.  It is important also to record the whole school ethos and overall commitment to cognitive education as a central means of achieving these outcomes.  As in many schools this may represent an aspect of innovative practice, further reference in drawing up these criteria has been made also to the vast literature on school improvement and systems change.