I am sure many of us would agree that an essential aim of early childhood education is to promote effective thinking in young children. We can achieve this, in my view, with the help of teaching thinking activities. I see the early-years environment as a rich and fertile ground for using such activities for cultivating and cognitive development.
Early years settings already nurture many of the dispositions teaching thinking activities seek to develop. In a nursery or reception classroom, one is instantly struck by the buzz of creativity and by the bombardment of questions from wondering and enquiring minds. One observes children engaged in reflection through acting out past experiences and creating their own meanings from learning in concrete ways with sand and water. Using teaching thinking strategies in this context highlights, extends and makes explicit the appropriate dispositions for learning that are already so evidently beginning to be developed here.
Are young children ready?
There are a many reasons why I feel teaching thinking activities are not only appropriate for use with young children, but also help to create a culture of adventurousness and strategic thinking. I will illustrate a few of the main reasons below.
Pupils are actively involved in building their own conceptual understanding through open, challenging tasks that engage their interest and encourage good behaviour. Piaget argued that children learn best when their curiosity is nourished and extended rather than just satisfied. He saw the role of open-ended activities and questions as key in driving this curiosity and thus intensifying engagement. This openness is also a fundamental principle of teaching thinking activities. The children involved are asked to think without the pressure of being right or wrong. They are also encouraged to listen to and consider other people’s ideas and points of view. Teachers help children to self-regulate and accommodate new information as they modify their thought structures to accommodate new experiences.