South Africa

The IACESA Conference 2011 saw the birth of Thinking Schools South Africa (TSSA) in partnership with Thinking Schools International (TSI). St Peter’s hosted TSSA’s first Thinking Skills Coordinators’ Training Course. Twelve delegates were taken through the TSI guide for developing a Thinking School. This will enable them to work towards the Thinking Schools Accreditation, offered by the University of Exeter in the UK.

In July 2011, two teachers from St Peter’s School, Johannesbury attended the Thinking Schools International Conference in the UK. Many of the workshops were conducted by accredited Thinking Schools educators, who shared examples and ideas of how to use Thinking Tools to enable children to become independent thinkers and learners. Katy Mthethwa, Head of Department, Thinking Skills, at St Peter’s School, said ‘We visited two accredited schools where children were able to articulate their thinking; metacognition was evident and we were visibly impressed.’

The International Association for Cognitive Education in Southern Africa 2011 – Final Programme

Dr Louis Benjamin, Project Co-ordinator for Thinking Schools South Africa (TSSA), talks about why it is important to take a whole school approach to the teaching of thinking.