Friday, 23 September

13:30 – 13:45   Official Opening &  Welcome to the Conference Participants. Room "Lielupe"

13:45 – 14:25  PLENARY

Dr. Alexander Sokol, TA Group, Latvia. Room "Lielupe"

Thinking Competence: What Is Inside?

We have come to this conference because we are interested in thinking. Most of us claim we do things to help learners become better thinkers. But to what extent do we agree on what makes a competent thinker? What is inside the thinking competence? Do we have  a good model to help us reflect on the scope of our interventions? While not aiming to be comprehensive, I will share how we understand the thinking competence within the Thinking Approach to teaching and learning and invite the participants to discover and hopefully fill in the gaps in the model during the conference and collaborative activities following it.

 

14:35 – 16:00  WORKSHOPS

Irina Bučinska, Daugavpils Russian Lyceum, Latvia. Room “Venta”

What is the Right Time for Reflection?

The workshop will focus on organizing the teaching-learning process where reflection is viewed as an important skill for developing problem solving and creative thinking skills. Learner’s reflection is not a new idea as it has been used in the educational process for many years. But in our view, the potential of reflection and development it as a separate skill have not been implemented at the lessons to a full extend. During our workshop different ways and forms of reflections will be offered within the Thinking Task Framework and Thinking Approach to teaching English in primary and secondary school. The participants will have an opportunity to work with examples of a thinking lesson worksheets and discuss the tasks from a pedagogical and subject matter perspective.

 

Isabelle Million, Institute of Philosophical Practice, France. Room “Abava”

Practicing Philosophy or Thinking the Unthinkable from a Dilemma

 

I will ask a question based on a dilemma to all the participants.  All of them will have to make a choice and justify it by giving one clear argument (written work). When everybody will have finished to write, I will use the Hegelian principle of internal critic and external critic where each hypothesis will be questioned in order to go further on the idea, to dig it in common, and show the inherent contradictions in the speech. When it will have been done, a second hypothesis will be taken and compared with the first one, and so on. Reformulation will be used to ensure that both questioner and interlocutor understand each other and to show the difficulty of expressing precise ideas.  The objectives of the workshop are to product ideas, questions, articulate them correctly, deepen them, listen carefully to the speech of the others, make abstract links between the different ideas, analyze and synthetize the work which has been done.

 

16:00 – 16:30   COFFEE BREAK

 

16:35 – 18:00  WORKSHOPS

Stuart Twiss, Let's Think Forum, UK. Room “Venta”

The Let's Think Approach

This workshop will give you the chance to experience the Let’s Think approach through the materials for English, mathematics and the sciences. From experiencing Let’s Think in these different subjects and using materials aimed at children between 6 years and 16 years you will come to generalise the principles of effective teaching for better student thinking that is the Let’s Think Approach. Come to this workshop if you want to be engaged, have fun discussing difficult ideas with your peers and are prepared to work hard to reflect on the experience.

 

 Kristof Van Rossem, University of Leuven, Belgium. Room “Abava”

The Art of Socratic Questioning

This workshop consists of questioning exercises. We will focus on the ability to enhance the critical thinking skills of the pupils/the colleagues in a Socratic way. Two main skills to obtain this are : listening literally to what the other has said and asking questions that establish the „Socratic movements‘ : taking position, arguing, listening, concretisizing and questioning.  The workshop ends with a plenary critical reflection and with some practical tips how to use this in your classroom.

 

18:10 – 19:00  PLENARY

Stuart Twiss, Let's Think Forum, UK. Room “Lielupe”

Thinking Competences in Let's Think

This plenary will give a perspective from the UK on competence in thinking.

Stuart Twiss is a member of the Let’s Think Forum, the charity that promotes the materials and approach to cognitive acceleration that is Let’s Think. Stuart will present ideas generated by the Let’s Think Forum on four aspects of thinking competences.

What are the key competences in learners experiencing the Let’s Think approach?
How should competent Let’s Think teachers be prompting thinking in students using the materials of the Let’s Think curriculum?
What should a competent Let’s Think tutor be working with a teacher?
What should be the features of the course of training the teacher participates in?

 

19:00 –            WELCOME RECEPTION