Launching.

The launching of Thinking Skills activities is crucial but often minimal. Some of the key components to consider are:

Environment

It is important that these activities take place in a stimulating and calm environment. Pupils need to feel secure and able to take risks.

Resources

It is vital that resources are well prepared so as to ensure a calm introduction to the activity.

Instructions

Instructions need to be enabling in terms of completion of the task but not too detailed with the result that they remove the thinking element. Some activities will need no introduction whilst others require specific instruction in order to be successful. Often it is worth stating that there are no right or wrong answers so as to encourage risk taking. Specific notes on launching accompany each activity.

It is important to consider that it is possible to give too much away in the launch of an activity. Having launched the activity the role of the teacher is to circulate, observe and note interactions between pupils as these will be essential to reflect upon when debriefing.

For those teachers new to this teaching method visit launching and debriefing.