| Publisher |
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Questions Publishing Company
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| Author(s) |
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Lyn Dawes, Neil Mercer and Rupert Wegerif
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| Address |
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Leonard House 321 Bradford Street Digbeth Birmingham B5 6ET
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| Tel |
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0121 666 7878
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| Cost |
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£19.95
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| ISBN |
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1904806015
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| Availability |
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Available from bookstores and on-line at http://websites.uk-plc.net/Imaginative_Minds/products/Thinking_Together.htm
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| Format |
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A4 paperback book
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| Family |
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Cognitive Intervention Approaches
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| Age Range |
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7-8
8-9
9-10
10-11
11-12
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| Subject(s) |
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English
Mathematics
Science
PSHE
Citizenship
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| NC Thinking Skills |
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Reasoning Skills
Enquiry Skills
Evaluation Skills
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| Overview |
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A programme of activities aimed at improving pupils' use of language for thinking critically and constructively. The activities are organised into a series of 16 structured 'Talk Lessons'. Pupils learn to collaborate by drawing up and using agreed ground rules for talk. They then apply these agreed rules as they work together on curriculum activities. The approach is based on a series of research studies which show that developing pupils collaborative talk and reasoning improves their individual reasoning and attainment. The introduction gives an overview of the 'thinking together' approach with links to relevant research.
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| Resources Required |
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All resources required to implement the programme are included.
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| Classroom Time Required |
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16 lessons initially
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| Training Requirements |
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Time to become familiar with the materials.
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| Delivery Method |
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The activities are designed to be delivered as a series of separate lessons, but the principles have wider application.
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| Related Research |
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Based on a series of research projects carried out by a team at the Open University (e.g. Mercer, Wegerif & Dawes, 1999) which have shown that developing pupils' collaborative talk and reasoning improves their individual reasoning as measured by Raven's matrices. The most recent study also showed improvement in pupils attainment in science and mathematics (Mercer, Wegerif, Dawes, Sams & Higgins 2002).
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| Related Resources |
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A web site http://www.thinkingtogether.org.uk/ offers additional resources and support for the teacher.
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| Theoretical Rationale |
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The underpinning rationale is based on Professor Neil Mercer's work on talk and dialogue (e.g. Mercer 2000), drawing on a broadly social constructivist approach and the work of Vygotsky in particular. From this perspective children learn to think for themselves by internalising patterns of talking that they experience with others (Wegerif, Mercer & Dawes, 1999).
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