Discover the cognitive, social, emotional, and other psychological benefits of learning how to act and perform. This book looks behind the curtain of theatre education to see how thinking on stage happens in real secondary classrooms. Reporting on the first large scale systematic qualitative analyses of acting classes for adolescents, the author…

Classroom teaching has many challenges, and these are compounded when you're also preparing students to navigate the world in a way that is healthy and forward-looking. But what if you could take a few minutes every day to not only help your students develop social-emotional skills, but also take stock, recenter, and reset yourself? This engaging…

Co-written by a professor of philosophy and an experienced teacher, "Philosophy for Older Children" is a concise, practical guide which explains how to conduct philosophical enquiries with children from the age of nine upwards. This book contains detailed plans for conducting 24 philosophical enquiries, which have all been successfully…

Critical, creative and collaborative thinking should be at the centre of all 21st century teaching and learning. "Creating Thinking Classrooms" is loaded with examples, stories and strategies for reinvigorating schools with this quality thinking. Written for leaders who support teachers, this guide treats educational change as a process…

The number of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB MLE) programmes has increased in recent years, especially in the Asia-Pacific Region. The case study booklet in this MTB MLE Resource Kit describes programmes in Afghanistan, Nepal and Pakistan that are examples of what language communities can do to help their children prepare to enter…

The experiences of children's play have a profound impact on all areas of their growth and development. Memories of play can be vivid and detailed. These memories often have a treasured place in our hearts and minds. Educators and parents have a special opportunity to ask themselves, "What kind of memories of play do I hope for the children…

It is now recognised that thinking skills, such as problem-solving, analysis, synthesis, creativity and evaluation, can be nurtured and developed, and education professionals can play a significant role in shaping the way that children learn and think. As a result, schools are being encouraged to make greater use of thinking skills in lessons and…

The digest explores the nature of the creative process. It begins with background information which notes the importance of seeing the familiar in a new light and the possibility on non-acceptance of the creative act. Four basic abilities necessary for creativity and problem solving are identified: (1) fluency, (2) flexibility, (3) elaboration,…

The paper discusses the iterative nature of problem solving; operant analysis of the response repertoire available in a problem situation; the likelihood of reaching a solution versus escaping from the situation; and the relationship between exiting with solution and exiting without solution, modeled on catastrophe theory. (JDD)

Teaching gifted students to think creatively may follow the AUTA model: awareness of creativity, understanding of creativity, techniques of creativity, and finally, actualization--development of creative talents. (CL)

The article discusses some limitations of present assessment procedures for identifying and understanding the further reaches of creative potential, identifies a few abilities of practical importance belonging to those reaches, and suggests some means whereby these talents might be assessed. (DLS)

Describes a "hands off" directing style encouraging student actors to think for themselves, not to mimic blocking and line readings imposed by a director. Notes that this directing style is not always appropriate. Suggests that most actors (even teenagers) will undergo a journey of transformation from being themselves to portraying other people…

In almost every classroom there is a minority of children that, regardless of effort, teachers have difficulty working with. The "Suggestion Circle" is a method for soliciting streamlined, on-focus ideas for solving classroom problems with the help of colleagues. In the Suggestion Circle there are three roles for people: the person who…

Dramatic play games emphasizing creative thinking and listening skills offer an emotional outlet for the entire class. Games involving pantomime, musical instruments, and communication are described. (CB)

Suggests ideas for finding and writing good feature stories for the school newspaper. (HOD)