Hallagerbakken Skole in Oslo, Norway has been developing their approach as a Thinking School since 2015. A group of their experienced teachers and school leaders has recently commenced training to enable them to become a hub for provision of professional development and consultancy support for future Thinking Schools across Norway, with a view to extending the Thinking Schools network there.
Norway is currently introducting a new core curriculum which
redefines the purpose, values and principles for education, the essence
of which clearly reflect the central tenets of being a Thinking School.
Emphasis within the curriculum for example include expectations that
schools should help pupils to be creative and inquisitive, to ask
questions and to develop scientific and critical thinking. It states
that the “School shall help the pupils to reflect on their own learning,
understand their own learning processes and acquire knowledge
independently”. This is evidently an opportune time for schools
across Norway to consider the benefits for their students of adopting a
Thinking Schools approach.
Find out more about Thinking Matters in Norway here
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I write this as schools and colleges are now closed for an indeterminate period of time. This week we were due to host a visit by two groups of teachers from schools in Lithuania, now cancelled but fortunately one group also visited in February and we went to see several Thinking Schools in London..
Peter Short, Thinking School Lead, Wellington Primary SchoolDo you feel you are part of something special? You are here, reading a newsletter from Thinking Matters that shares the experiences of a range of very special schools. So, you should, because you are an agent of change..