Questions Publishing Company

Mike Lake and Marjorie Needham

Leonard House 321 Bradford Street Digbeth Birmingham B5 6ET

0121 666 7878

45.00

1-898149-36-4

Directly from the supplier on-line at http://www.questionsonlinecatalogue.co.uk/

A4 Ring Binder

A series of 11 classroom activities through which children learn, apply and review 10 tactics, such as 'Pinpointing the Problem'. An introduction outlines the rationale for the programme. Each of the 10 strategies comes with a suggested lesson plan and photocopiable support materials which the pupils discuss and work through in small groups. The tactics are introduced and reviewed in whole class sessions. The rationale draws on wider research in thinking skills but the materials do not refer to any formal evaluation of its impact on learning. The publication is aimed at primary school teachers and does not require any formal training.

All resources required to implement the programme are included.

One hour per week over 11 weeks

Time to become familiar with the materials

The activities are designed to be delivered as a series of separate lessons.

The original programmes of Lipman and Feuerstein have been researched and can show evidence of impact on pupil attainment and attitude. The authors do not report that impact of these materials have been formally researched. A description of pupils' reasoning when using the programme can be found in Baumfield and Higgins, 1997.

Mike Lake has written other materials such as the Primary Thinking Skills Project, Improving Thinking Skills through the Literacy Hour, Thinking With English, Improving Concentration Skills and Improving Memory Skills. These can be combined to provide a 'Thinking for Learning' programme for primary schools.

The programme draws on research in thinking skills for older pupils, particularly Instrumental Enrichment and Somerset Thinking Skills.