workshop
overviews
Presented by Bena Kallick
In this 2 hour session, participants will explore what the Habits of Mind. They will have the opportunity to engage in some preliminary activities to get them involved with what they are, examples about how to get started, and resources.
Introduction to Habits of Mind (Unavailable)
Presented by Bena Kallick
In this 2 hour session, participants will focus on questioning and problem posing. Bena will lead with examples of how to help students develop better questions as well as how teachers can build their capacity to develop effective questioning skills that promote deep thinking.
Building a Personalized Culture of Inquiry (Unavailable)
Presented by Karen Boyes
Genius hour is a movement that allows students to explore their own passions and encourages creativity in the classroom. It provides students a choice in what they learn during a set period of time during school. Following structured guidelines and deadlines, students have autonomy to research, design, create and finally display and share their passion project. Genius Hour provides students with authentic thinking and learning and is a great platform for developing creativity, dispositional thinking and life-long learners. In this workshop, Karen will step you through the Genius Hour process from start to finish, including the pitfalls to be aware of and the tremendous successes being celebrated around the world.
Exploring Genius Hour
Presented by Karen Boyes
If you want your student to be thinkers, you will need to model thinking in your classroom. This workshop will delve into the metacognitive process and how to ask powerful questions. You will also explore how to see yourself through the eyes of your students. Plus we will look at ways to allow students to feel accomplished and in control of their own learning, establish a learning community with respect and interest and the idea that what gets recognised and researched is repeated and learned.
The Power of Modelling - Unpacking the Cultural Force
Presented by Ryan Dunn
Students are reasoning mathematically when they explain their thinking, when they deduce and justify strategies used and conclusions reached. In this session, Ryan will explore the how critical and creative thinking can be connected explicitly within primary mathematics teaching and learning through the use of number strings and number talks.
Teaching Critical and Creative Thinking in Mathematics
Presented by Lana Fleisig
Participants will explore some of the Project Zero Visible Thinking Routines with a focus on two of the Australian Maths Curriculum proficiencies - reasoning and
understanding. Participants will experience the power
that Routines have as tools for building understanding, as structures to support mathematical thinking, and as patterns of mathematical behaviour that empower learners to become independent mathematical thinkers.
Using Thinking Routines to Promote Mathematical Reasoning and Understanding
Presented by Harry Galatis
Critical and Creative Thinking Capability is now firmly embedded in the Victorian Curriculum. Consequently, teachers are now having to develop, implement assess and report on this often ill-understood capability? But how does one go about assessing for Critical and Creative Thinking? Moreover, how does one go about assessing for intellectual curiosity? This workshop will focus on assessment and consist of two parts. Firstly, it will provide participants with a brief overview of a developmental approach to assessment, how it differs to deficit approaches and why the former ought to replace the later in one’s practice. Key components of the developmental approach will be explained and modelled; including identifying capabilities, indicative behaviours, constructs, criteria and assessment rubrics . In the latter part of the workshop, participants will be guided in generating their own developmental assessment rubrics targeting critical and creative thinking and intellectual curiosity competency using the rules for writing quality criteria. The session will conclude with a short debrief and Q & A.
Assessing Curiosity and Thinking
Presented by Nadia Walker
Effective teachers of mathematics emphasise the importance of mathematical thinking and reasoning. In this workshop we'll explore a range of resources and strategies to design thinking-oriented lessons and make mathematical ideas visible for students. Rather than a linear progression of isolated lessons, we want students to understand that mathematics is a series of interconnected ideas, where we make links, discuss alternative strategies and reflect on our growing knowledge. Making this visible for students can enrich their experience of mathematics, build deeper understandings and improve student learning.
Making Mathematical Thinking Visible
Presented by Matt Vines
This session is designed to expose you to practical strategies to support you in embedding the critical and creative thinking curriculum across other learning areas and curriculum areas. It will cover practical examples of lesson ideas and strategies. Furthermore, it will delve into techniques to support you in assessing students against the curriculum and to ensure that you are structuring lessons that cater for higher order thinking.
Practical Strategies to Embed the Critical and Creative Thinking Curriculum Across Other Learning Areas
Presented by Wayne Craig
In this session Wayne will explore an optimistic approach to school improvement based on:
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curiosity and learning at the centre of school life
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a focus on the highest, not the lowest, common denominator
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fostering curiosity, engagement and empowerment
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positive regard for students and teachers
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high expectations about thinking, understanding and learning not just standards of achievement, behaviour and dress
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literacy for the future not just the past
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research evidence and on-the-ground experience.
Initially the session will explore the role of curiosity in learning and life and the remainder of the workshop will focus on some the actions schools and teachers can take to foster and maintain curiosity, including expectations, teaching strategies (theories of action - high impact teaching strategies and models of practice).
Reach (and Teach) for the Stars…An Overview
Presented by Leanne Moore and Hanna Spark
The future belongs to the curious and the teachers at Glenroy Central are passionate about working collaboratively to develop creative, thinking individuals. Our students are not afraid to ‘try’ it, ‘explore’ it, ‘touch’ it and ‘question’ it. Replace the fear of the unknown with new thinking and new ideas. Learn about engaging Investigations at Glenroy Central Primary School. This workshop will provide a narrative, research and hands on tasks to help participants to develop curiosity and engagement in their programs. They will gain an understanding of powerful learning strategies, such as questioning, and be able to see how Investigations (inquiry based learning) can improve outcomes in thinking and learning.
Curious Minds and Inquiry Learning
Presented by Wayne Craig
This session will examine the core elements of a curiosity culture and implementation of inquiry and cooperative groups as a means of developing the curiosity culture of the classroom.
Reach (and Teach) for the Stars…Inquiry in a Curiosity Culture
Presented by James Anderson
Why everything you need to know about Growth Mindsets you WON’T find on Pinterest! in this session we’ll clear up some of the misinterpretations about Growth Mindsets that you’ll find on social media.
Social Media Myths and Misunderstandings
Presented by James Anderson
In this session you’ll discover how it all ties together, and how to magnify your work with Growth Mindsets and Habits of Mind to achieve greater learning outcomes with students.
The Agile Learner - Turning a Growth Mindset into Actual Growth with Habits of Mind and Practice
Presented by James Anderson
Learn from over 15 years of experience to gain the insights into what it takes to succeed with Habits of Mind and ensure it doesn’t become “last year’s initiative”.
This is How they Did it!
Presented by James Anderson
In this session you’ll discover when and why you shouldn’t be praising effort, and how to direct your praise towards efficacy rather than effort.
Not All Effort is Created Equal
Presented by Ang H
The answer is sometimes just one – and you could be that spark! In this workshop, Ang will give you an overview of current Best Practices and pedagogy underpinning the provision of gifted education in Australia. You will be shown some of the Critical and Creative Thinking Skills and Personal, Social and Ethical Capabilities from the Victorian Curriculum that are key in developing within our high achievers to keep them engaged and moving forward on their learning trajectory. This workshop will also give you the chance to work through some latitudinal extension activities targeting different curriculum areas.
How Many Educators Does it Take to Light a Lightbulb? Engaging Our Best and Brightest
Presented by Jenna Herbert
Our session will explore how to pose and discuss big questions with an aim of deepening students understanding and reasoning skills. Jenna will share experiences and resources that have helped create a culture of thinking in her classroom, model how to conduct a critical discussion using an engaging stimulus and a variety of higher order questions, and make links to the Victorian Curriculum to help teachers understand where Thinking ‘fits’ and why it’s important to explicitly teach. This session will be run as an interactive ‘Thinking Session’ to give participants the best possible view of an authentic classroom thinking experience.
Exploring Big Questions through Critical Discussion
Presented by Stephen Woolfe
Have you ever wondered what characteristics a successful learner should demonstrate?
This workshop will give you an insight to Kingswood’s journey in developing a whole school ‘Learner Profile’ and the attributes highlighted by staff as most beneficial towards developing all students as thinkers.
Participants will undertake activities that will assist with making connections to the ‘Habits of Mind Dispositions’ and will provide you with ideas, strategies and examples that you can take back to your school, to assist with developing your own school’s Learner Profile.
Learners as Thinkers - Developing a Whole School Learner Profile
Presented by Jenna Herbert and Michael Wall
During this interactive session, we will explore how to prompt students thinking by invoking curiosity and exploring big questions through critical discussion. A workshop tailored to building deep understanding in junior school students, we will explore how to differentiate critical and creative thinking tasks. We will make links to literacy outcomes, planning documents and the Victorian Curriculum Capabilities.
Little Students Big Thinkers
Presented by Bonnie Zuidland
In this workshop participants will experience a Community of Inquiry session focusing on Creative Thinking strategies connected to this pedagogical approach. Community of Inquiry is defined as a rigorous, democratic and reflective from of dialogue and discussion built up over time with the same group of learners, it values and teaches critical, creative, collaborative and caring thinking. This session is just a taster of this approach and will use an Ethical problem as the basis of the stimulus for the dialogue.
Using Creative Thinking for Critical and Ethical Thinking
Presented by Verity Sheppard and Bree Morgan
Bree and Verity will share about their experience at Project Zero and the impact their learning has had on their leadership, teaching practices and student engagement in the years following. In their workshop they will particularly explore the cultural force of ‘language’ and present their experiences of how teacher language contributes to a Culture of Thinking. Throughout their workshop, you will have the opportunity to connect the ideas presented with your current teaching practices, extend your thinking and challenge yourself to change one word we use too often.
The Language of the Classroom
Presented by Matt Limb
Critical and creative thinking is seen to be central in effective learning, but how might our staff, students and parents engage with this in a purposeful way? This is a complex space and one that takes significant thought and planning and you may still have critical questions about how to lead it. How might you share your understanding of the capability? What might implementing it effectively in your school look like? How might you meaningfully engage the school community in it? Join Matt to engage with some of these important questions aimed to assist you in leading the effective implementation of the critical and creative thinking capability in your school.
Leading the Implementation of the Critical and Creative Thinking Capability
Presented by Melissa Pavey and Jonny Wouters
You’ve dug deeper, you already understand why the Critical and Creative Thinking Capability is important and have a growing understanding about what it is. But how do you teach it? For students to be successful in their learning of this capability we need to each it explicitly. Join us as we explore why this might be the case and what is might look like in the classroom.