Learning Mentor Training

Able underachievers module

Theme 2 Active approaches for small group work

Guidance for participants

This training session is intended to be itself an example of an active and collaborative group
experience. The activities can be used by mentors as a future resource. To meet the requirements of
effective learning, the module follows principles that suit active learners, as opposed to “passive
receivers of knowledge”.

Aims (OHP1)
♦ To provide an overview of the benefits of
collaborative learning
♦ To enable participants to experience the
process of active collaborative learning
for themselves
♦ To explore the role of the mentor in
promoting the principles of active
collaborative thinking in group work
♦ To consider example types of activity

Equipment
♦ Two sets of A4 cards in two colours
♦ Flip chart paper
♦ Several pairs of scissors
♦ Blu tac

Activity 1 (20 min) “How does collaboration help thinking?”

This task makes a link between the ideas involved in collaborative group work and the participants’
own experience. This helps participants to draw first insights that are based upon reality. Then
different contributions are allowed to extend the group thinking, before the group arrives at a shared
outcome.
Task 1
♦ In pairs share one example from your own experience where you feel you made significant steps
in new learning as a result of a collaborative group or team activity.
♦ Each ask your partner to explain how, for them, being a member of their group helped their
thinking.
♦ Record your partner’s answers, then, join another pair

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Task 2
In this group of four draw from your partner’s answers and your own thoughts, to contribute to a group
discussion. Your group task is to produce a list of key points under each of the following two
headings, using A4 card in the two different colours provided: (All groups to use same colour code)

Colour card A Colour card B

Learning gains Conditions for positive collaboration
What kinds of new learning took place? What was it about the group itself that helped
What skills were extended? this to happen?

(Key points) (Key points)

Groups may find it helpful to compare their points with those below before embarking on Activity 2.

OHP 2 OHP 3
Benefits of collaborative group work Conditions for positive collaboration

Joining thoughts increases thinking potential An explicit shared goal

More exploration and deeper understanding All members have to cooperate to reach the goal

Construction of shared meaning (positive inter–dependence)

Expands repertoire of learning tools Balance of skills – everyone has expertise to

contribute
Challenges concepts and encourages new thinking
Social rules are understood
Promotes versatility in problem solving
Roles are clear Outcome is clear
Develops communication skills and social
competence Healthy conflict is allowed and leads to improved
performance
Independence from teacher and text
Risks taken
Raises optimism and resilience
Mistakes valued
Promotes self worth through positive peer group
participation Setbacks seen as challenge

Influences future teamwork and citizenship Momentum of trust and a sense of belonging

Allows teacher/mentor to observe learning Spontaneous help and support to each other

behaviours Encouragement is a shared responsibility

Success celebrated and used for higher goals

Humour

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Activity 2 (15 min)
This exercise offers a chance for groups to move to a new mixing of ideas, whilst keeping the
thread of continuity. The task technique now helps thinking to progress. Structured
suggestions are provided to help participants move from general principles to their
application. In this case the principles are applied to actual lesson planning by the mentor.

♦ In your four decide on a Colour A pair and a Colour B pair. Each pair takes ownership of their
coloured card. The Colour A pair need to join another Colour B pair. Similarly the Colour B pair
needs to find another Colour A pair, making new fours to complete Activity 2.
♦ First show each other the key points collected on your coloured cards. Add further points if there
is consensus.

♦ Then read the eleven sentences on the Handout 1 now presented to your group: “Positive
Planning for Active Collaboration – The Mentor’s Role”
♦ Your next job is to cut out the sentences and then arrange them in what you think would be a
sensible order if you were planning and then conducting a group activity.
♦ On flip chart paper, draw a spider diagram and stick the sentences on the spokes in clockwise
order, starting from the top. (see model)
♦ You may decide that that there is no “right” answer and that several versions would fit.
♦ .
♦ After you have completed this task, consider the questions that are posed to help you review your
process.

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OHP 4 / Handout 1

Point of activity made Tentative

clear and linked to Teach constructive help-
commentary when
authentic issues seeking strategies
rescue needed.
What do we do when we
Guidance offered as
don’t know what to do?
stepping stones – an
appropriate distance
apart

Link the activity to what

the pupils already know

Coach the group

skills needed e.g.
Produce end-of-task
What group rules do
Invite speculation questions for group to
we need?
“What if?” reflect on their process,
Ensure everyone has
Use questions to give clues Elicit learning points, and
a role
when thinking blocks occur in bridge to future usefulness
How are materials to
the group
be shared etc?

Use mistakes to
Provide key vocabulary, praise resilience. Organise learning environment

explanation of materials, Confirm learning. e.g. music, water, flexible

specific instructions and clear Notice all working and seating areas,

description of the outcome contributions positive atmosphere,

desired

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Flip Chart

START

END

Positive
Planning
For
Active
Collaboration

Are there other points missing that you think should be added?

Note any questions that arise whilst you are doing this

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Questions for the group:

When you have arranged these sentences in order on your spider diagram, discuss together these
questions:

♦ What different group skills have your group been using to complete Activity 1 and then Activity 2?

♦ Which different learning styles have been involved?

♦ What have you noticed about your own role in the two different groups?

♦ How did this group go about Activity 2? Would there have been another way?

Summarise your thoughts in the large group.

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ACTIVITY 3 (20 min)
The final activity is an opportunity to use some of these principles (Activity 1) and positive planning
strategies (Activity 2) to devise an example small-group session for able under-achievers. It also
provides you with a learning challenge, which is central to the active learning process.

Your group is now ready to use the spider diagram as a planning tool.
♦ Consider a group of able underachievers, preferably pupils known to someone in the group so that
there is a real context.
♦ Invent a short small group activity that might stimulate active collaborative thinking. Use parts of
your spider cycle as a guide to write a Task Card describing how you would run the session.

Example activities are offered on Handout 2, together with other ideas for different outcomes. You
may want to choose from the outcomes given or use outcomes of your own. Try to include a variety of
learning styles to suit different pupils in the group.

Your activity needs to be of your own making for this to be an effective training session. Creating an
original idea from all the ground you have now prepared will consolidate your experience as active
learners.

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OHP 5 / Handout 2

Example activities with outcomes Other outcomes

Design a board game about space travel played with dice, for younger Quiz or Panel
children. Use picture cards for “ forward” and “ backward” moves.

Write scripts for a play about a red blood cell as it travels around the Ideas storms
human body.
Act the parts played by the different organs.

Collect ideas on spider webs about the ways in which tourism might Posters/adverts
affect these people in your nearest city:
A taxi driver, a school leaver, a pensioner, a casualty nurse.
Produce a cartoon strip illustrating the problems and benefits of tourism Mindmaps
as they might arise for these people during the course of a week. Mime

Consider a controversial statement. e.g. “world governments should

abandon space travel and direct all the money to help eliminate poverty TV Bulletins
Throughout the world”
Prepare a set of positive arguments on “agree” cards and a set of Newspaper page
negative arguments on “disagree” cards.
Conduct a debate, reading from the cards.
How are you going to decide the outcome? Time lines

You want to design a “pupil friendly lunchbox”.

Develop a questionnaire to survey pupils in your class. Jigsaw groups
Carry out the survey. (each member
Prepare a summary of the findings. Which ideas can be used in a contributes one part)
new design? Which parts of a normal lunchbox should be kept?
Draw your new design and use a shoebox to construct a prototype. Hot seating

Draw the course of an imaginary river from its source to the sea. Flow diagrams
Create features describing the landscape and local communities.
Decide where on the river’s course you could site a bridge for traffic, Dance/song/poem
a fishing stretch and a new housing estate.
Label your locations with key points from your discussion.

Make a mobile of coins to commemorate the life and death of Guy Fawkes. Illustrated talk
Prepare a leaflet together to market the coins

What different intelligences do these outcomes use?

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Plenary session (15min)
Each group can describe the Task Card they have invented to the large group, for a final exchange of
ideas.

Record of ideas Final questions

What did you find easy/hard during this
session?
What did your group do well?
What did different members do that was
helpful?
What were the learning points?
How could active collaborative group work like
this be used to motivate able under-
achievers?
What ideas from this session will you use
again?

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Research file

Why do pupils need to develop thinking skills?

Social and economic changes in today’s society have compelled educators and researchers to rethink
the goals of education in terms of the skills students are likely to need in their future lives. Learners of
the future will be expected to operate flexibly in a rapidly changing world and develop new learning
throughout their working and non-working lives. They will need to communicate and cooperate in
order to function effectively in collaborative environments. To survive the accelerated pace of change
they will need to be open to new alternatives and able to transfer their learning to new contexts. To
participate fully in a democratic and technological society they will need to be able to think
independently, to have confidence in their own problem solving, to be self-directed and, above all,
empowered in the best ways to learn.

Leaders of educational and business communities have shown surprising consensus in their views
about the learning skills and dispositions that the modern workplace demands and yet may lack.
Surveys in America in the early 1980’s gave rise to the following targets for school-leavers which
became essential components of the “Critical Skills Programme”, a training programme for promoting
thinking skills now also available in the U.K:

Critical Skills Fundamental dispositions

Problem-solving Positive attitude to lifelong learning
Decision-making Self-direction
Critical thinking Internal model of quality
Creative thinking Collaboration
Organization Integrity
Management Curiosity and wonder
Leadership Community membership

The broad ideas underpinning this and many other programmes for “effective learning” emphasise the
vital role of experiment, collaboration and ownership of learning if students are going to develop real
learning tools that will equip them to succeed in their lives. Conventional forms of teaching in which
learners may rather passively receive knowledge from the teacher or other “given” materials, are felt to
be inadequate in encouraging the development of thinking and learning skills which can be applied
outside the school situation. “Passive receivers of knowledge” may master many academic skills, and
even give the correct answers to problems, without having learned thinking skills. More challenging
tasks are needed for them to learn how to manage more complex ideas. “Effective learners”, on the

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other hand, can adapt their learning to new challenges, actively construct their own meaning from their
own experiences and thus continually expand their learning potential.

As well as being more autonomous in their learning, effective learners can thrive in a learning
community, using the gains of collaborative learning and socially shared expertise. There is a well-
supported view that traditional teaching has placed too much emphasis on the acquisition of (largely
factual) knowledge by the individual, instead of harnessing the power of collective thinking through
group interaction.

With the revision of the National Curriculum in 2000, real opportunities have arisen for schools to
enhance learning through an increased focus on the direct development of children’s thinking skills.
Alongside the introduction of the six “Key Skills” (Communication, Application of number, ICT,
Improving own learning and performance, Working with others, and Problem solving) there is direct
reference to five “Thinking Skills”:

♦ Information processing
♦ Reasoning
♦ Enquiry
♦ Creative Thinking
♦ Evaluation

The Cognitive Classroom Project began in 1998, offering a practical response to meet schools’ needs
in this area. Outcomes from this school-based project have shown dramatic improvements in
children’s thinking and learning potential.

What thinking processes promote thinking skills?

The rate of change within society is accelerating so rapidly that it is difficult to assess what factual
knowledge will be needed in the future. The role of the school may therefore have to move its focus
from imparting information to teaching pupils to learn and think for themselves.

Thinking skills enable children to collect information critically and creatively and to use this information
to solve problems. Through thinking skills activities pupils can be encouraged to look at a variety of
ideas, investigate in greater depth, practise critical decision-making, challenge accepted ideas,
approach tasks in open-minded ways and acquire a deeper understanding of concepts.

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Pupils need plenty of practice in tackling problems before they can use the advanced thinking skills
that give them a higher degree of control over their learning. The cognitive operations that make up
thinking need to be explained taught and practiced regularly. In a system dominated by assessment
and exams there is otherwise a danger that “surface learning” can result.

Surface learners tend to:

♦ Overemphasise the importance of rote learning
♦ Be particularly conscious of exam and assessment demands
♦ Prefer to accumulate facts
♦ Experience difficulty in making connections or linking ideas
♦ Be passive (“show me what it’s all about”, “where are the handouts”)
♦ See learning as means to an end (extrinsic motivation)

Surface learning may be a necessary stage on the way to deep learning. Learners have to be
prepared for tests and exams. But if we want to develop learners who can transfer their skills from
one context to another and learn more and more effectively for themselves, then it is deep learning we
should be encouraging. The dividends in terms of personal development are also more enduring:

Deep learners tend to:

♦ Look for meaning
♦ Want an active interaction with the subject matter
♦ Link learning with life
♦ Change attitudes and beliefs when taking on information
♦ Relate new information to previous knowledge
♦ Use evidence critically
♦ Have an interest in learning for its own sake (intrinsic motivation)

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Many models have been put forward for developing independent thinking processes. Most recognize
that cognitive abilities alone are not the answer, and describe the essential ingredient of a learning
disposition that characterises successful learners. Given the “readiness” factors of curiosity and
motivation (sometimes referred to as the “positive learning state”), then the following attributes are
needed for the growth of thinking:

Cognitive abilities Learning disposition

Fluency (producing many ideas, resilience (having a go, coping with thinking
“out of the box”) uncertainty and setback,
tolerating frustration)

Flexibility (seeing different perspectives, resourcefulness (looking for new ways,

combining ideas into new and different persisting, seeking help, using internal
Solutions) resources)

Originality (producing unusual or unique reflectiveness (thinking about the thinking

Ideas) process, asking questions, seeing ways to
Improve)

Elaboration (adding to or developing ideas)

One framework that has been forward for the development of a thinking and problem-solving
curriculum is TASC (Thinking Actively in a Social Context: Belle Wallace). This offers a helpful
model for a “starter kit” of questions when children are in the early stages of developing thinking skills:

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 What do I
What
know
have we
about
learned?
this?
(learn
(gather)
from it)

Let’s tell What is the

someone! task?
(communicate) (identify)

How many
How well
ideas can
did we do?
we think
(evaluate)
of?

Let’s do it! Which is

(implement) the best
idea?
(decide)

Adapted from the TASC model Belle Wallace 2001

“Teaching Thinking Skills across the Primary Curriculum

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How does collaboration help?
Peer collaboration can be defined as a coordinated activity during which participants collectively
process and solve problems towards a joint outcome. The contribution of peer collaboration on pupils’
thinking has been widely documented. Working in collaborative peer groups is found to help pupils to
construct and become aware of their own thinking processes. Collaboration cultivates the “deep
thinking” that motivates learners. When sharing their views and perspectives with others, pupils can
discover divergent ways of approaching and solving problems. Furthermore, they can build upon each
other’s contributions to re-construct new interpretations and views. In negotiating “shared meanings”
the group members can gain from having their thoughts challenged and go beyond what they know
individually. This is sometimes called the “social construction of knowledge”. Co-operative
communication can create outcomes that no single person could achieve. Sharing the task can also
remove some of the stress that pupils experience when they struggle with a problem alone. For
children with low self-esteem, sharing success can be an invaluable way of changing their perception
of themselves as they come to value their part in group achievements.

Yet, as some findings show, not all collaborative interactions automatically lead to meaningful learning
experiences. What makes group work work? The fundamental condition to meet has been termed
“positive interdependence”.

Ways of fostering positive interdependence

♦ All members of the group have a mutual goal that they are all striving to accomplish
♦ Each member is assigned a complementary and interconnected role with specific
responsibility. All roles are needed for the group to complete the task. ( e.g. reader, recorder,
illustrator, presenter)
♦ Some roles may be chosen to actively promote positive group interaction. ( e.g. encourager,
time-keeper, help-seeker)
♦ Ground rules are clear and discussed before agreement. Skills of turn taking, listening,
♦ Brainstorming, sharing materials are taught and practised in advance.
♦ The group establishes a mutual identity through a name, flag or motto.
♦ There is a structure to the session for the group to follow. (e.g. clear end-product, careful
briefing, roles chosen, tasks broken into sub-tasks,
♦ Questions to help them with their planning, breaks to assess progress, procedures
♦ For seeking help, shared presentation of the outcome.
♦ There is a plan for reflection
♦ Questions are provided for members to conclude any learning points or, ways to improve
♦ All group members share feelings of success, value of each contribution discussed.

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The nature of the group challenge also matters. Challenges need to be seen as both worth
undertaking and exciting for best collaborative results. The most successful problem- solving is
observed when challenges are:

♦ Real and relevant to the pupils’ interests and concerns

♦ Relevant to some previous experience
♦ Enjoyable
♦ Demanding for the collective talents of the group, but not frustratingly so
♦ Big enough to involve all group members

Successful groups also have a repertoire of strategies to help each other. These can be drawn out
and reinforced for them by feedback from an observing adult. Examples can also be role-played:

Helping strategy Examples from classroom transcripts

organising “Only one more thing” “now it’s my go”

“We’ll put them in three piles first”

supporting “go on, try” “I bet you’ve worked hard”

“It’s nearly right”

challenging “I think that should be up there”

“No, wrong size, don’t put it there”
“This doesn’t give us the third part of the story”

suggesting alternatives “What about these?” “Why don’t you do the back?
piece? “Can we turn it round?”

explaining “’Cos look, the thick go at the back and the thin ones
at the front”
“It’s part of the large group and the blue group, see”

commenting “Looks like we’re doing it the wrong way”

“That one’s going to be easier to finish”

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Groups can gain a great deal from both planning their own process before the task, and reflecting on
their own process afterwards. “Processing” questions may be provided on cards:

Pre-task questions Post task questions

What do we have to do? What things did we do well?

How shall we do it? What could we do even better?

Is there another way?
What did each person do that was helpful?
What do we already know that will help us?
What were our personal ratings for…?
What do we need to think about before we (a named cooperative skill
start? e.g. sharing, explaining, challenging)

Diversity between group members may be a strength. Different learning styles and intelligences can
produce different perspectives and create conflict between ideas. Provided that the differences are
not impossibly large, such conflict can be intellectually productive as it asks individual group members
to reassess their own assumptions. Learning can take place through the very process of extending
thinking to find new solutions. Pupils need to be given practice in tolerating the confusion, however,
and separating cognitive conflict from emotional or personalized threat.

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Practice activities in managing differences might include preparing “for” and “against” arguments on a
subject and learning the rules for managed debate. An example activity might be:

Should football be allowed in the main playing space?

♦ Get the ideas out
Make sure all the ideas are out in the open, collected and displayed
♦ Step into someone else’s shoes
Divide the group in two. Assign all the “for” points of view to one half and all the “against” points
of view to the other half. Each sub group works out arguments to defend their position. They
present their arguments in the whole group. Then they switch roles and argue from the other
point of view. To do this well they will have had to listen to the other group.
Now they drop roles and work on solutions and consequences in the whole group.
♦ Solution and consequences
Brainstorm solutions and list the consequences for each. When all the solutions and
consequences are exhausted a vote can be taken to decide on the best solution.

Solution 1: Divide the area in half

Consequences: Footballers wouldn’t be able to play a full game – not enough space.
A teacher would have to be on duty to make sure people didn’t go over the
midline
Solution 2: Two days a week football, two days other activities
Consequences: The area doesn’t have to be split up
Everyone gets a fair go
On the off days the footballers would have nothing to do so they’d get
bored; the footballers could learn a new game
Solution 3: Football at morning break then have one day football, one day other games
during the lunch hour
Consequences: People could forget what day was what
Break is too short a time to play football
Footballers are big and do what they want
Solution 4: Use the gym for football
Consequences: Could rotate one day in gym, one day out, all get a good deal
♦ Reach consensus
Argument may be clear at this point. If not the group could vote or appoint someone to make
the final decision.

An observer can monitor the group’s use of cooperative problem solving skills e.g.
confirming, clarifying, elaborating, suggesting, and reaching solutions

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 What is the role of the mentor?
If pupils are simply told to make a group of four, given a collaborative task and left to get on with it,
they will either fail to get the task done because they fall out with each other or they will achieve it with
some group members doing very little. Often group members do not contribute because they feel
exposing their ideas in a group may be risky, and they characteristically avoid risk. Some will create
diversions to manage their insecurity. Structured group techniques are therefore recommended to
offer a group learning situation of low risk with clear guides for all members’ contribution.

The mentor’s role is crucial in providing the structure and then intervening at different points on the
group’s learning journey in ways that navigates rather than drives their thinking and working together.
Learners need scaffolding but not too much. Achieving the right balance is the key. In the early
stages the pupils will need direct teaching in the skills of collaboration. As they progress through
practice they will need more room for independence in making their own experiences and learning
from them. The mentor then needs skills to help the group develop the learning tools they need to
achieve success. Timely questions or suggestions, offered almost as a fellow-traveller on the learning
journey, will give the group their best chance of increasing their active thinking and learning expertise.
Lastly the mentor can play an important part at the end, supplying ways of helping the group to reflect
back on their experience, which is a fundamental requirement for effective learning.

The mentor’s role along the way

Looking back on learning
Travelling together Help the group to present or
Starting off
Help group to consider display the outcome and rate its
List skills needed and teach by modelling or
alternatives at planning stage. positives.
role-play: e.g.:
Allow experiment and a degree Revisit the original objective and
♦ Taking turns and sharing
of struggle. encourage group to talk through
♦ Listening to others ideas
Value all ideas, defer judgement. how they went about it – this
♦ Giving ideas/building on ideas makes the learning process
Summarise their ideas for them.
♦ Encouraging openly understood and shared.
♦ Asking for explanation Be optimistic.
Provide post-task questions on
♦ Blocking put-downs Ask Open questions (wondering cards to help reflection e.g.
aloud) “how would it be if …” “Is
♦ Ways to express disagreement and find What were the good things we
a joint solution there another way…”
did? What was hard? Who was
Practise different examples of making plans. Suggest how to proceed if the helpful? How? Which
Provide pre-task questions on cards to group seem blocked. collaborative skills did we use?
trigger thinking before action e.g. What do Give concrete focused feedback What have we learned that’s
we have to do? What’s the best way of going to confirm progress made, or new or useful? How would we
about it? What do we need to think about look at ways to improve. improve this if we did it again?
before we start?
Praise risk taking and new ideas.
Organise time, space, materials. Introduce
problems with carefully stepped instructions, Notice and celebrate good group
roles for individuals, tools needed for task skills
(e.g. key vocabulary, materials) and clear
final outcome.

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The mentor may also help individuals to assess their own progress as they gain from practising group
work skills. A pupil self assessment profile might be used:

HOW WELL CAN I? SELF-RATING

Listen carefully to instructions? 1…..2…..3.….4…..5
Listen to other people? 1…..2…..3…..4…..5
Explain my ideas without shouting
or being silly? 1…..2…..3…..4…..5
Make sensible contributions? 1…..2…..3…..4…..5
Take turns and share? 1…..2…..3…..4…..5
Encourage others? 1…..2…..3…..4…..5
Manage disagreement? 1…..2…..3…..4…..5
Ask good questions to obtain help? 1…..2…..3…..4…..5
Think of new ideas? 1…..2…..3…..4…..5
Help someone else? 1…..2…..3…..4…..5
Look for ways to improve the work? 1…..2…..3…..4…..5
Remember the learning points? 1…..2…..3…..4…..5

Finally,

How might active group work help able under achievers?

A recent study based on individual interviews with a group of Year 9 able underachievers offers
valuable insights into their views on what might be done to increase their performance. Some of the
key points that came from the study underline the benefits they might gain from active group work:
♦ Able Underachievers have no great love of learning in traditional academic subjects and show
preference for social life and recreation, performance, hands-on practice and creative activity.
♦ These pupils are bored by excessive copying, sitting passively, lack of variety, lack of relevance,
dull lecturing, uninteresting topics, silence, waiting and poorly planned lessons.
♦ These pupils do not readily identify activities that they consider to be positively challenging
♦ Able Underachievers value diversity (such as multimedia work) in teaching and group work and
prefer practical hands-on approaches involving performance other than predominantly listening
and writing and they welcome research practice. They want to break out of the restrictions of
closely controlled classrooms and be able to use more freedom and space in the way that
students in higher education might be able to do.
From “Listening to Able-Underachievers” Michael & Kathryn Pomerantz. 2002

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References and acknowledgements:

Educational and Child Psychology Vol. 20. No.2, 2003 (British Psychological Society)
Tudge J. Processes and consequences of peer collaboration: A Vygotskian analysis (Child
Development, 63, 1992)
Gavin M. & Rogoff B. Collaborative problem solving and children’s planning skills (Developmental
Psychology, 25, 1989)
Curriculum Briefing Vol. 1. No.3, 2003 (Optimus Publishing)
Pomerantz M. & Pomerantz K. Listening to Able Underachievers (David Fulton 2002)
Cowie H. & van der Aalsvoort G. Social Interaction In Learning and Instruction (Pergamon 2000)
Slavin R. Cooperative Learning (Allyn & Bacon 1995)
Johnson D. & Johnson R. Learning Together and Alone (Allyn & Bacon 1999)
Kumpulainen K. & Wray D. Classroom Interaction and Social Learning (Routledge Falmer)
Fisher R. Teaching Thinking (Continuum 1998)
Biott. C. & Easen P. Collaborative Learning in Staffrooms and Classrooms (David Fulton 1994)
Weatherley C. Transforming Teaching and Learning (Network Educational Press 2003)
Wallace B. Teaching Thinking Skills across the Primary Curriculum (David Fulton 2001)

Useful resources for practical group activities

“Teaching Thinking” (4 monthly magazine) (Questions Publishing)

Games for Thinking Robert Fisher (Nash Pollock Publishing)
Start Them Thinking Robin Fogarty & Kay Opeka (Skylight Training & Publishing)
Thinking Skills – a Teachers Guide Mike Jeffries & Trevor Hancock (Hopscotch)
Thinking Together Lyn Dawes, Neil Mercer & Rupert Wegerif (Questions)
Challenging Resources for Able & Talented Children Barry Teare (Network)
Imagine That Stephen Bowkett (Network)
Self Intelligence Stephen Bowkett (Network)
Managing Classroom Collaboration Chris Lloyd & Jeff Beard (Cassell)
Ideas to Go Sharon Shapiro (A & C Black)
Understanding Differentiation Sylvia McNamara & Gill Moreton (David Fulton)

Learning Mentor Training - Able Underachievers Module

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