Thinking Pathways

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Thinking Pathways Sharing teaching ideas, resources and pedagogical practices to support other teachers.

Promoting Cultures of Thinking, Inquiry Learning and Visible Learning practices.

🎓 Mastering the journey from basic knowledge to creative application is key for student success.Understanding when stude...
28/09/2026

🎓 Mastering the journey from basic knowledge to creative application is key for student success.

Understanding when students are engaging in surface, deep, or transfer learning helps educators design tasks and questions that truly support growth. Each phase plays an essential role—building foundations, fostering critical thinking, and encouraging real-world application.

1️⃣Surface Learning:
This phase involves acquiring foundational knowledge and basic skills. It’s about knowing facts, formulas, and simple procedures.
Example: Memorising vocabulary or understanding a basic concept.

2️⃣Deep Learning:
At this stage, students explore ideas critically, make connections between concepts, and engage in reasoning and analysis.
Example: Comparing different viewpoints or applying concepts to new examples.

3️⃣Transfer Learning:
This phase involves applying knowledge and skills in new and varied contexts beyond the classroom, demonstrating true mastery.
Example: Using learned maths concepts to solve real-life problems or creating original projects.

With clear insight into these phases, teachers can make informed decisions about instruction and feedback, supporting every learner on their path. Effectively supporting surface, deep, and transfer learning ensures students build knowledge, develop understanding, and apply skills with confidence.

Discover how to recognise and guide these phases in The Learning Classroom.
🔗 https://thinkingpathwayz.weebly.com/the_learning_classroom.html

✅ Want to help your students understand exactly what success looks like? Clear success criteria are the key!Success crit...
14/09/2026

✅ Want to help your students understand exactly what success looks like? Clear success criteria are the key!

Success criteria play a vital role by making clear what success looks like in relation to the learning intentions. They provide students with concrete, understandable benchmarks that guide their work and support self-assessment and reflection.

By breaking down learning intentions into specific, measurable outcomes, success criteria give students a transparent roadmap for achievement. When these criteria connect to what learners already know, confidence grows and progress accelerates.

Success criteria also make assessment and feedback more meaningful, helping students take charge of their learning journey. When students understand the criteria, assessments become transparent and fair. They can identify strengths and areas for growth more easily and take ownership of their learning.

Explore practical tips and strategies on using success criteria effectively in The Learning Classroom.
🔗 https://thinkingpathwayz.weebly.com/the_learning_classroom.html

At the recent National Education Summit in Melbourne the Sketch Group was there to bring some of the key messages of my ...
13/09/2026

At the recent National Education Summit in Melbourne the Sketch Group was there to bring some of the key messages of my presentation Critical and Creative Thinking: still essential in the age of AI to life.

I’m incredibly humbled and honoured to have my book, The Learning Classroom, thoughtfully reviewed by Dr Ken Avenell in ...
11/09/2026

I’m incredibly humbled and honoured to have my book, The Learning Classroom, thoughtfully reviewed by Dr Ken Avenell in this edition of the Australian Educational Leaders (AEL) journal.

Ken shares that The Learning Classroom is “one of those books that quietly gets under your skin.” He highlights that it doesn’t offer quick fixes or magic formulas, but instead invites teachers and leaders to see the classroom as a living, breathing environment shaped by daily choices. The book’s core message — that rich learning spaces grow through deliberate design, routines that foster thinking, trusting relationships, and structures supporting student ownership — truly resonates.

Ken appreciates that the book speaks from the real world of schools, naming familiar challenges such as lessons that feel busy but shallow, and the pressure to “cover” content. He highlights the concept of “learning architecture,” where teachers craft experiences that help students make sense of ideas, supported by practical examples like thinking routines and reflective prompts.

For school leaders, Ken notes the clear language around cultivating a coherent learning culture — one that supports risk-taking, collaboration, and ongoing professional growth. Above all, he values the warmth in the book: a deep appreciation for the human side of teaching, including the uncertainty, joy, and breakthroughs that sustain us.

Ultimately, Ken describes The Learning Classroom as a thoughtful companion for educators striving to deepen their craft and foster classrooms where thinking is visible, learning is purposeful, and students are invited into meaningful engagement.

Thank you, Ken Avenell, for this generous and insightful review. It’s an honour to have your recognition and support.

🔗Order now: https://thinkingpathwayz.weebly.com/the_learning_classroom.html

ReflectivePractice

I’m incredibly humbled and honoured to have my book, The Learning Classroom, thoughtfully reviewed by Dr Ken Avenell in ...
11/09/2026

I’m incredibly humbled and honoured to have my book, The Learning Classroom, thoughtfully reviewed by Dr Ken Avenell in this edition of the Australian Educational Leaders (AEL) journal.

Ken shares that The Learning Classroom is “one of those books that quietly gets under your skin.” He highlights that it doesn’t offer quick fixes or magic formulas, but instead invites teachers and leaders to see the classroom as a living, breathing environment shaped by daily choices. The book’s core message — that rich learning spaces grow through deliberate design, routines that foster thinking, trusting relationships, and structures supporting student ownership — truly resonates.

Ken appreciates that the book speaks from the real world of schools, naming familiar challenges such as lessons that feel busy but shallow, and the pressure to “cover” content. He highlights the concept of “learning architecture,” where teachers craft experiences that help students make sense of ideas, supported by practical examples like thinking routines and reflective prompts.

For school leaders, Ken notes the clear language around cultivating a coherent learning culture — one that supports risk-taking, collaboration, and ongoing professional growth. Above all, he values the warmth in the book: a deep appreciation for the human side of teaching, including the uncertainty, joy, and breakthroughs that sustain us.

Ultimately, Ken describes The Learning Classroom as a thoughtful companion for educators striving to deepen their craft and foster classrooms where thinking is visible, learning is purposeful, and students are invited into meaningful engagement.

Thank you, Ken Avenell, for this generous and insightful review. It’s an honour to have your recognition and support.

🔗Order now: https://thinkingpathwayz.weebly.com/the_learning_classroom.html

🎉✨ Giveaway Alert! ✨🎉Teachers, this one's for YOU! Win a copy of The Learning Classroom — the ultimate must-have for you...
06/09/2026

🎉✨ Giveaway Alert! ✨🎉

Teachers, this one's for YOU! Win a copy of The Learning Classroom — the ultimate must-have for your professional journey. Don’t miss your chance to grab this prize!

🗓️ Entries close 30th September
👉 Enter now: https://teacherpd.com.au/teacherpd-giveaways

Extremely humbled by Dan Steele's words. It was so nice to catch up with him this week at the National Education Summit ...
05/09/2026

Extremely humbled by Dan Steele's words. It was so nice to catch up with him this week at the National Education Summit in Melbourne and spend time talking about all things education.

🎧 Listen to Episode 9 of the Thinking Pathways Podcast: Critical and Creative Thinking: Still Essential in the Age of AI...
05/09/2026

🎧 Listen to Episode 9 of the Thinking Pathways Podcast: Critical and Creative Thinking: Still Essential in the Age of AI.

AI can process information fast, but it can’t replace the uniquely human skills of judgement, emotional intelligence, ethical reasoning and the ability to innovate. These skills, alongside questioning, reasoning, imagining, and reflecting are central —not optional extras — for deep learning and informed decision-making.

💡 In this episode, discover how to embed:
*Bloom’s Taxonomy to boost cognitive challenge
*Questions that invite justification, comparison, evaluation, and creation
*The difference between critical and creative thinking
*How teachers and leaders can embed thinking skills into the way they do things

✨ Critical thinking tests ideas and evidence; creative thinking generates possibilities. Together, they equip students to navigate an AI-driven world with discernment and originality.

Listen now:
https://tinyurl.com/TPPEpisode9

A fantastic day at National Education Summit in Melbourne yesterday presenting two workshops on ▪︎Critical and Creative ...
04/09/2026

A fantastic day at National Education Summit in Melbourne yesterday presenting two workshops on
▪︎Critical and Creative Thinking: even in the age of AI
▪︎Learning the Ropes as an Early Career Teacher

So great to catch up with so many great educators and chat with other teachers and leaders about education.

🎯 Clear learning intentions are key to effective teaching and meaningful student learning.When students understand the p...
31/08/2026

🎯 Clear learning intentions are key to effective teaching and meaningful student learning.

When students understand the purpose behind each lesson and what they are expected to learn, they engage more deeply and take greater ownership of their progress. Clarity is not about giving students every piece of information or outlining every single move they’ll make. Instead, it’s about making the learning purpose explicit while still allowing room for exploration, creativity, and student autonomy.

Teacher’s Role:
To communicate learning intentions clearly and revisit them during and after learning activities. Teachers should link tasks and feedback directly to these intentions.

Student’s Role:
To understand, reflect, and refer to learning intentions throughout the lesson. Students should be able to articulate the purpose and use it as a guide for their work.

The Learning Classroom offers practical strategies to help educators craft focused learning intentions that inspire motivation and foster deeper understanding.

Ready to bring clarity and purpose to your teaching?
🔗 https://thinkingpathwayz.weebly.com/the_learning_classroom.html

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