Thinking Skills
Week:
4
Duration : 45 mins
Aims : To help pupils to narrow their choices before making a decision.
Objective/Goal:
By the end of the session the pupils should:
1.
Have
learnt to identify what is most important after looking at as large
a picture as possible,
3.
Be
able to identify areas where they could practice the tool (transfer),
4. Get accustomed to prioritise.
Warmer
Activity 1:
1. Story/anecdote.(10 minutes)
If you had to organise a surprise birthday party, which are the things that you would consider? CAF.
2. Elicit responses from the pupils and list them on the board. After around 5 minutes or when they seem to have exhausted all responses, ask them to try and pin point the three most important priorities.
"Which are the most important out of this list?"
At this point the students will have various priorities as this is a judgmental exercise where they will prioritise according to their values. Alternatively the teacher could give three rights of vote to each pupils. As the teacher reads out the factors involved, the pupils are to vote for the three that they deem most important. When the list is exhausted, the three points with most votes will be the group's priorities.
3.
Teacher explains that we need to focus our thinking before we do something and
thus introduces the Fip as a tool. (5 minutes)
Rationale
:
Starting
this session with a story will help the pupils realise how important it is to
think before we act. They will be much more likely to generate responses
throughout the lesson because they can associate the use of the tool with the
story.
Tool Explanation:
1.
What does Fip stand for?
Fip stands for First Important Priorities
2. When do we use it?
The Fip is used when we need to focus and select priorities before making a decision.
3. How do you do a Fip?
Some things are more important than others. When you are thinking about a situation you usually need to check what your priorities are. To make the right choice it is suggested that you do a CAF or A.P.C. before and than you chose your priority/priorities. This process is called a Fip.
Key Questions When Doing a Fip
What is the most important?
Activity 2 : (5-10 minutes)
Practice Item 1. Your family is selling the house that you live in with all its contents to go and live in a new house. You are allowed to take three things with you. The rest will be sold with the house. Do a Fip. Which three things are the most important for you?
Pupils work individually. They can write and draw the three items that they are taking with them.
Processing:
Teacher asks the pupils the following questions to stimulate metacognitive talk.
How do you choose priorities?
When is it most useful to find priorities?
Why do you need to prioritise?
Activity 3 :
Practice item 2. If aliens had to land on Earth, what would the priorities be? Do a Fip. (5-10 minutes)
Pupils now share the outcome of their thoughts
Activity
4:
Transfer.
Making sure that the children will be able to use the tool in a variety of situations is of paramount importance. The teacher can either do another practice item or ask the students where they think that they could use this tool.
Key Questions For Transfer
Why is Fip important?
When/ in which situation would you need to use it?
Activity
5:
Recap and concluding comments (7 minutes)
Teacher
summarises what was covered during the session. Alternatively the teacher
could elicit what was covered from the pupils.
Materials
needed:
Loose sheets of paper (Unless they have the Thinking Diary already in hand)
Flipchart paper and markers if there is no board in the room being used for the sessions.
Portable reverse timer
Symbol of the tool