Creating a Culture of Thinking

Independent and Lifelong Learners

At SAS we aim to make our thinking visible, so that our students might:

‘display the sorts of thinking dispositions we would most like to see in young learners: not close-minded but open-minded, not bored but curious, neither gullible nor sweepingly negative but appropriately skeptical, not satisfied with “just the facts” but wanting to understand.’
—David Perkins (2003), ‘Making Thinking Visible’, Johns Hopkins University

We do this by:

• Implementing a staff professional learning program based on current educational thinking;
• Employing Making Thinking Visible (MTV) routines;
• Creating continuum of thinking routines (K–6);
• Providing authentic in-class and whole of school opportunities to apply thinking routines;
• Documenting examples of children’s thinking.

How we measure our success:

• Children demonstrate independence and intrinsic motivation in their learning and community interactions;
• Demonstrations of children choosing to apply specific and appropriate thinking routines (MTV routines);
• Parent, teacher and student survey data; student self-review data and annual school review;
• Measurement against AITSL standards for Teachers and Principals.