Curriculum for Excellence: Joined-up Thinking for the ... - WWF UK

Curriculum for Excellence: Joined-up Thinking for the ClassroomAbout this ToolkitThis professional development facilitator’s toolkitis an additional support intended for those educatorsresponsible for introducing the ideas and conceptsof systems thinking to colleagues. We hope thatthey will find it useful in a variety of contexts andthat participants will find the practical activitiesuseful in their own teaching and professionaldevelopment.Given the broad range of interests and motivationsof participants as well as the variety of contexts inwhich these activities might be presented, a menu ofoptions has been compiled to meet differing needs.In deciding which specific activities to employ inany given context, facilitators should consider thefollowing:• The likely mix of backgrounds of participants- primary/secondary- subject specialists- senior management looking atdevelopment of school policy/interdisciplinary initiatives• The intended application of activities- directly in the classroom- in staff development- in applying linkingthinking concepts to thedevelopment of citizenship and sustainabledevelopment educationFinally, it is intended that facilitators shouldfind this practical guide supportive without beingprescriptive. As stated in the Linkingthinkingforeword, “The citizens and professionals oftomorrow will require such qualities as flexibility,resourcefulness, creativity, self-reliance andempathy and the ability to participate activelyand responsibly.” Any and all of the activities andapproaches suggested here should not detract fromthe qualities above. Users should feel free to adaptand amend to suit their own situation and objectives,including the age range and ability of their students– and to share their insights with others.What is Linkingthinking?Linkingthinking: New perspectives on Thinkingand Learning for Sustainability, WWF Scotland2005 provides a flexible package of learning andteaching resources which introduce teachers andtheir students to joined- up thinking skills thatare broadly applicable to different situations andcontexts.Linkingthinking is the term used in thisresource to refer to thinking about the nature andconsequences of relationships or connections ,also referred to as ‘systems thinking’ and ‘holisticthinking’. In piloting this toolkit with teachers wehave also used the term ‘joined-up thinking’ whichhas come into everyday use. It recognises thatour world is highly complex and interdependent.Analytical thinking and reductionist thinkingtries to understand things by taking them apart.Linkingthinking complements this with a problemsolvingapproach that looks at the whole pictureand tries to understand comnections.This approach is beginning to be recognised incurricula and policy objectives and can clearly beseen as essential in the delivery of the purposes andaims of the Curriculum for Excellence.While the tools and activities included here focusprimarily on issues of environmental sustainability,the methodology is applicable in a wide range oflearning situations and educators are encouragedto extend their use into different situations andcontexts, both for personal use and with students.The suggested activities included in thisFacilitator’s Toolkit are only a sample of the fullrange of activities included in the Linkingthinkingresource. Linkingthinking is neither a course nor aprogramme of work to be used in its entirety but aflexible resource that can be dipped into or used inany order to meet the needs of learners. Educatorsare strongly encouraged to explore the full packagefor themselves to develop their own understandingand confidence in using this approach.