Mind Challenge

Robyn Yared, Robertson State School, Qld.

‘It must be remembered the purpose of education is not to fill the minds of students with facts. …It is to
 teach them to think, if that is possible, and to always think for themselves.’
Robert Hutchins

Do I hear you sighing as you read the quote and wish that you could influence your school to become a learning community that values thinking? Robertson State School, Learning and Development Centre (Gifted and Talented) has been using the Mind Challenge as a strategy to foster student thinking skills and creativity for three years. During this time, student responses have reflected improvement in quality, depth and creativity. The Mind Challenge is a strategy that can be run by any parent, teacher or administrator. At Robertson, it has proven an excellent strategy to model thinking to all staff members as well as keep parents abreast of the types of thinking tools needed by students to equip them for life-long learning.

This interactive session will explain how to run a Mind Challenge, give examples of successful challenges and recommend thinking frameworks and helpful resources to support this strategy.

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