THE CULTURE OF LEARNING AT

CESENGAGING LEANERS IN CRITICAL THINKING

BY RAISING COGNITIVE DEMANDS

The Progression of Learning at CES

• EYFS – Year 1 a programme that takes students from pre-literacy to early literacy development using the ENC and IPC

• Primary – Years 2-6 – a programme that lays the foundations of literacy and numeracy by combining the ENC and IPC in ways that oblige demonstrated understanding by making conceptual connections between and among subjects

• Secondary – Years 7-12 – a programme that includes the advanced conceptual investigation of subject specific knowledge in the ENC and IGCSE and leads students to two pathways of pre-University preparation, in either A-level courses or the IB Diploma programme

Thinking

The new taxonomy of thinking, a revised Bloom’s taxonomy, is as follows:

• CREATING

• EVALUATING Increasing Complexity

• ANALYSING

• APPLYING

• UNDERSTANDING

• REMEMBERING

SIX FACETS OF UNDERSTANDING

McTighe and Wiggins identified six facets of understanding as follows:

• Personalize and Project

• Empathize Increasing Complexity

• Consider alternative perspectives

• Apply

• Interpret

• Explain

CRITICAL THINKING

• When students are able to think critically they are able to make generalizations and form enduring understandings that are transferable

• When students think critically they are thinking conceptually using conceptual schemas to find patterns in their learning.

• To prompt critical thinking we must ask questions that are factual, conceptual and provocative.

Traditional questioning Example #1

Topic: Martin Luther King

• Who was Martin Luther King?

• When and where did he live?

• How did he become an important leader?

• What is Martin Luther King most remembered for?

Conceptual questions EXAMPLE #1

If we consider the topic of Martin Luther King through the conceptual lens of the concept of equality we might pose the following questions:

• What contributions did Martin Luther King make to bringing equality into the consciousness of all Americans?

• Why was Martin Luther King considered one of the key leaders of the political changes made, to make racial equality possible, at a time of intense discrimination?

• What measures remain to be taken to assure racial equality is sustainable in the USA?

Traditional Questions- Example #2

Topic: Pollution

• What types of pollution are there?

• Why has pollution increased since 1950?

• How can pollution be reduced?

• What are the consequences of air and water pollution?

Conceptual questions Example #2

If we examine the topic of environmental pollution through the conceptual lens of sustainability the questions we ask that will generate critical thinking might be:

• What evidence do we have that pollution is making it harder to sustain the quality of our natural environment?

• How do we ensure air quality and water quality are improved to sustain the needs of an ever increasing population?

• How will Governments reach agreement on ensuring sustainable development and environmental protection are priorities for the future?

AT CES WE ARE EDUCATING FOR DEEP LEVELS OF UNDERSTANDING• CES graduates will be prepared for success at University because they will

know how to explain, interpret, apply their understanding in unfamiliar contexts, consider alternative perspectives, empathize, personalize and project.

• CES graduates will be able to analyse, evaluate and create persuasive and evidence- based arguments for change that enables sustainable Government, clean and safe environments free from conflict, medical advances that eliminate known diseases, financial acumen that allows for poverty to be eradicated and ensures sustainable development for the future of interdependent nations.

• We live in an age of exciting and terrifying change, conflict and human degradation.

• TO CHANGE THIS WE NEED LEADERS WHO CAN THINK.

THE IGCSE in Years 9/10

• At CES all students in Years 9/10 take 8 Extended level IGCSE courses for examinations that take place at the end of Year 10.

• The IGCSE is a preparatory course for students wanting to take advanced studies in Years 11/12 that will prepare them for University success.

• The IGCSE is certainly not a preparation for University.

• The IGCSE courses provide opportunities for students to achieve excellence in 8 courses that provide a broad base for making well informed course choices in Years 11 and 12.

Assessments in the IGCSE

• The IGCSE examinations are assessed on a scale from A* to U in which passing grades are considered those at C or above.

• At CES the majority of students earn 5 or more passing grades from A* to C across all subjects taken for examination. In 12/13 this figure was 67%. In 13/14 we are predicting this figure will rise to 80%.

• At CES the IGCSE courses are taught and assessed in ways that ensure all students demonstrate critical thinking in varied contexts. Remembering and recalling information is not enough to earn passing grades in the IGCSE.

A-Level and IB Diploma courses

• At CES we offer two pathways to University.

• Each pathways aims at developing critical thinkers.

• AS/A2 courses and IB Diploma courses are aimed at measuring how well students can develop solution pathways to complex problems.

• By selecting one of these pathways students are making a choice for further learning that will open doors to exciting careers and opportunities.

• CES students are advised to take the most challenging courses available to prepare well for what comes next.