Thinking skills

Also known as: cognitive skills, strategic skills, reflective skills

Thinking skills are mental, cognitive and strategic processes used to do things such as solve problems, make decisions, ask questions, construct plans, evaluate ideas, organise information and create objects. They can include critical, creative, computational, systems, design and metacognitive thinking. They:

provide educators with a clear, structured approach to teaching higher level thinking skills
benefit students most when the explicit teaching of thinking skills is embedded within curriculum content and students learn in an environment that encourages innovative thought and action
are supported by many frameworks of thinking, including Bloom's Taxonomy, DeBono's thinking tools and Lipman's modes.

ICT templates

Learning activity templates
Slides - Design folio (new window)

* Designed to be used with Design thinking across the curric

ulum
Google templates	Slides – 5 Whys Slides – See Think Wonder Slides – Modify, Add, Size Slides – Predict, Observe, Explain Jamboard – Layered Inference Jamboard – Crazy 8s Slides – Design folio * Designed to be used with Design thinking across the curriculum Ensure you are logged into your Google account before accessing these templates.
Microsoft templates	Powerpoint – 5 Whys Powerpoint – See Think Wonder Powerpoint – Modify, Add, Size Powerpoint – Predict, Observe, Explain Powerpoint – Design folio * Designed to be used with Design thinking across the curriculum Ensure you are logged into your Microsoft account before accessing these templates. To edit Microsoft templates, go to: File > Download a Copy.

How to use with ICT

Develop thinking skills through scenario based learning, using simulations such as Minecraft: Education Edition, MapMaker, and coding apps listed in the 'Tools' tab of this section.

ICT tools

Apple Swift Playgrounds

The vendor has no accessibility information for this tool

Chrome Music Lab

Code.org Studio

The vendor has accessibility information for this tool

Grok Academy

MapMaker

Minecraft: Education Edition

Scratch – Offline editor

SketchUp for Schools

Thunkable

Tynker

Unity

External resources

Find out more resources
Title	Link	Description
NSW Department of Education - Education for a Changing World	Thinking skills	Comprehensive explanation of thinking skills including research papers, resources and podcasts to support students in a changing world.
NSW Department of Education - Science and technology K-6	Thinking skills - Science and technology K-6	Explore thinking skills related to the NSW Science and Technology syllabus through short videos with real-world examples of how they could look in the primary classroom.
NSW Department of Education - High potential and gifted education	HPGE - Differentiation Strategies	Support for educators to support students who are High potential or gifted with practical adjustment strategies to differentiate learning.
Thinkerskeys - Tony Ryan	Thinkers keys	Exploring thinking skills with guidelines, downloads, scenarios and downloads.
Australian curriculum	General Capabilities - Critical and Creative thinking	Explanation of Critical and Creative thinking as part of the General capabilities including description of thinking processes and PDF downloads.

Disclaimer

Links to third-party websites:

If you use the links provided on this website to access a third party’s website, you acknowledge that the terms of use, including licence terms set out on the third party’s website apply to the use which may be made of the materials on that third party’s website or where permitted by the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth).

The department accepts no responsibility for content on third-party websites.

Personalised learning

Students with disability

When planning to use technology in the classroom it is important to consider the diversity of your learners. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework to guide the design of learning environments that are accessible and effective for all. For UDL guidelines, information and additional materials, visit the CAST website.

Many students require technology as an adjustment to support their access to learning. Adjustments (NESA) are actions taken that enable a student with disability and additional learning needs to access syllabus outcomes and content on the same basis as their peers. Enrol in the Personalised learning with technology online course to help you make more informed decisions regarding technology.

To support your understanding of inclusive curriculum planning, enrol in the microlearning course: Curriculum planning for every student in every classroom. This online series is designed to equip K-12 teachers to effectively identify and meet the diverse learning needs of all their students

High potential and gifted learning and support

When planning to use technology in the classroom it is important to consider the full range of abilities of all learners. High potential and gifted learners may require additional adjustments and deliberate talent development. These strategies include differentiation, grouping, enrichment and advanced learning pathways so students can be engaged, grow and achieve their personal best.

Assessing and identifying high potential and gifted learners will help teachers decide which students may benefit from extension and additional challenge. Effective strategies and contributors to achievement for high potential and gifted learners helps teachers to identify and target areas for growth and improvement. School leaders can access the Evaluation and Planning Tool to support strategic improvement planning.

Recognising the diversity of high potential and gifted students represented in classrooms across 4 domains of potential can be explored further by accessing illustrations of practice.

For further support and advice about how to tailor learning for high potential and gifted students from all backgrounds, visit the High Potential and Gifted Education web section, High Potential and Gifted Education Policy or attend one of the professional learning courses on offer.

Learn more about the strategy

Professional learning

Professional learning (internal)
Provider	Course name	Link	Description
NSW Department of Education	MyPL High potential and gifted education courses	HPGE professional learning	A range of face-to-face and online options for NSW teachers.
NSW Department of Education	Science and Technology syllabusPLUS: systems thinking - online	My PL - Systems thinking	This syllabusPLUS session unpacks the syllabus with the participants. Systems thinking is the focus of this session.
NSW Department of Education	Science and Technology syllabusPLUS: design thinking - online	MyPL - Design thinking	This syllabusPLUS session unpacks the syllabus with the participants. Design thinking is the focus of this session.
NSW Department of Education	Science and Technology syllabusPLUS: computational thinking - online	My PL - computational thinking	This syllabusPLUS session unpacks the syllabus with the participants. Computational thinking is the focus of this session.

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