INTEREDU™ - Developing Higher Thinking Skills in Different Subjects

Curriculum

Developing Higher Thinking Skills in Different Subjects

Program Details

Title	Developing Higher Thinking Skills in Different Subjects
Duration:	10 hours
Prerequisites:	Completed “ Advanced Educational Qualification”
Material:	Training Guide, Program Kit, and online resources on Marifah
Level - Track:	Specialized Level – Mathematics – Science – Computer Science - English
Target Audience :	Math, Science, Computer Science, and English teachers grade (1-3).

Short Description

This program focuses on developing thinking skills and avoids overloading the students with information for the purpose of memorization. This knowledge is through a high value and enables students to practice inside the classroom; its mastering would qualify them to apply it in different real-life future situations.

The program focuses on the concept, and brain working process according to the most recent scientific researches, and linking that with the theories of psychology, identifying the types and development strategies of thinking skills. Also addressing the concept of creative and meta-cognition thinking, the strategies of developing it, and the role of the teacher as a mediator to raise students thinking skills, and how to extract the thinking skills from curricula; for gathering information, transforming and communicating it. Furthermore, it introduces the art of designing questions that catalyze thinking and classifying them according to Bloom’s taxonomy, along with an indication to the thinking techniques assessment and measuring.

Big Ideas

•	Thinking is a must for believing and discovering the laws of universe. It is also required for succeeding in study and life and for facing the fast changes in this era.
•	Thinking is a skill that can be learned by training and practice. The thinking skills are taught by school's separated and integrated approaches.
•	Critical thinking is a type of thinking that requires decision-making skill.
•	Creative thinking is composed of a set of skills that can be enforced for students by training and practice.
•	A thinking student has certain qualities acquired from an active and thinking-motivating classroom environment.

Essential Questions

•	What is thinking?
•	What is creative thinking and how can the teacher develop it?
•	What are the characteristics of thinking teachers and thinking students?
•	What are the elements of class environment that enhance thinking?
•	How can we measure higher thinking?

Outcomes

Unit	Outcomes
1	• Identify the features of thinking according to psychology theories. • Identify the importance of thinking in the life of every individual. • Identify the brainwork mechanism.
2	• Identify different categories of thinking. • Identify the importance of critical thinking and its importance. • Explain the different approaches of developing thinking skills. • Identify the critical thinking skills. • Explain the strategies of enhancing critical thinking.
3	• Identify creative thinking and its skills • Identify the characteristics of creative thinking. • Develop the strategies and activities of developing and enhancing creative thinking.
4	• Identify the role of the teacher as a motivator and a mediator towards students' thinking. • Identify the characteristics of student's thinking. • Explain the factors of a thinking-motivating classroom environment. • Utilize higher level types of questions based on modified bloom’s Taxonomy in classroom instruction. • Develop different cognitive questions based on modified bloom’s Taxonomy.
5	• Identify the meaning of test phrases used for evaluation thinking. • Identify the different tests used to assess thinking skills. • Explain ways of assessing and measuring creative thinking. • Develop assessment tools oriented to teach thinking skills.

Assessment

No	Assessment		Component	Weight
1	Attendance and Participation		Participation	5
			Attendance	5
2	Formative Assessment	Self-regulated -assessment	KWL-Q	5
			Vocabulary Tool	5
		Trainer Assessment	Design a lesson aimed at enhancing critical thinking	15
			Design a lesson aimed at enhancing creative thinking skills	15
			Form higher level questions according to modified Bloom's taxonomy	10
			Conduct thinking assessment tools and questions	5


3	Summative Assessment		Exit Task	5


			Portfolio	10

			Final exam	20
Program Total				100

Time Distribution

No	Item	Time (min)
1	KWL-Q	15
2	Pre-Vocabulary Tool	15
3	Terminology	10
4	Activity 1.1: Thinking Concept + Importance of Thinking	20
5	Activity 1.2: How do psychology theories interpret thinking?	40
6	Activity 1.3: Thinking Mistakes and Obstacles (Snowball Task)	40
7	Activity 2.1: Discussion Session + Lecture (Approaches to Teaching Thinking)	10
8	Activity 2.2: Activity + Lecture (the Concept and Skills of Critical Thinking	30
9	Activity 2.3: Design a lesson aimed at enhancing critical thinking	40
10	Activity 2.4: Lesson Planning Task	50
11	Activity 3.1: Creative Thinking Skills	40
12	Activity 3.2: Research Task (Creative Thinking-Enhancing Strategies)	40
13	Activity 3.3: Application Task (Plan a Lesson)	40
14	Activity 4.1: The Factors of Thinking-Inciting Environment	40
15	Activity 4.2: Types of Classroom Questions	30
16	Activity 4.3: Activity Drafting Taxonomy (modified Bloom’s Taxonomy). HOT	30
17	Activity 5.1: Research Task + Lecture on Creative Thinking and meta-cognition skills.	30
18	Activity 5.2: Task - Creative Thinking assess and measures	50
19	Post -Vocabulary Tool	10
20	Exit Task	20
	Total	10 Hours