The Thinking Classroom

Developing the critical and creative thinking skills of students in our classrooms is a necessary culture that all teachers should foster. Not only does it underpin the syllabus outcomes and content indicators, but the ability to think critically and creatively, and to articulate that thinking to others, is a hugely valuable skill in today’s world.

Supporting students to be critical and creative thinkers requires us as educators to be willing to build our capacity, to make small consistent shifts towards embedding practices and fostering a ‘thinking’ environment that welcomes questions, that celebrates multiple perspectives and is comfortable working in a space that requires depth of understanding.

Alice Vigors is an educator in New South Wales, Australia. She has been teaching for over 13 years in both the Public and Catholic school systems. She is passionate about supporting and encouraging educators to think deeply about their efforts to cultivate critical and creative thinking and learning opportunities for students.

Reviews

“The Thinking Classroom does what few books have accomplished before: it guides educators in creating learning experiences that cultivate critical and creative thinking in their scholars. Alice Vigors walks readers through how to help students understand themselves better as learners and to be more reflective and aware of their own thinking. I am certain The Thinking Classroom will be a highly referenced book in my inquiry repertoire.”

Trevor McKenzie, teacher and author of the bestselling books
Dive into Inquiry and the Inquiry Mindset series

“The Thinking Classroom was astutely written by Alice with so many great insights and examples of quality practice. The practical nature of this book means teachers can implement ideas in their classroom straight away. I absolutely loved reading this book.”

Aaron Johnston, assistant principal and
founder of Mr J’s Learning Space

“The Thinking Classroom is a must-have for all educators. Alice clearly and authentically articulates with an abundance of practical resources how critical and creative thinking is integral to student success.”

James Gray, deputy principal

“I love the practical nature of this book. The fact that you can scan a QR code to locate additional information and resources is brilliant. The Thinking Classroom is a must-read for every teacher and leader.”

Rebecca West, deputy principal and
founder of Talkin’ Chalk

“The Thinking Classroom is a very easy-to-read book with so many practical strategies I could apply in my classroom tomorrow. There were so many ‘ah-ha’ moments in this book and powerful statements that really helped me to see the link between my current classroom practice and the fostering of a thinking classroom. A definite must-read.”

Demetra Vekic, classroom teacher