Thinking skills in England's National Curriculum

Abstract

This article sets out to explore some of the issues raised by the introduction of a number of particular skills in the English National Curriculum known collectively as thinking skills. These skills are now embedded in the National Curriculum and teachers are required to address them as part of their daily duties. This article argues that presenting such a limited selection of skills as the foundation for effective thinking may lead to an inadequate approach to enhancing pupils' thinking. Although creative thinking is emphasized in addition to the considerable focus on reasoning in the list of thinking skills presented in the National Curriculum, silence prevails on other types of thinking of equal significance, such as contemplation and sign-cognition (a form of pre-verbal and pre-imaginal form of cognition). The article attempts to highlight the need for the awareness of the complex nature of thinking and concludes by highlighting the opportunities that the introduction thinking skills offer teachers.