Teachers - Try This Step-By-Step Guide to Bloom’s Taxonomy This review by a.i. also serves as an excellent description of this resource. I give this resource 5 out of 5 stars for its accessibility and practicality for teachers new to Bloom’s Taxonomy. If you’re looking for an easy way to start using Bloom’s Taxonomy to boost critical thinking in your lessons, I highly recommend checking out the resource “Scaffolding Skills for Teachers and Pupils.” I know learning a new teaching framework can feel overwhelming at first. But this resource breaks down Bloom’s Taxonomy in a very teacher-friendly format. It walks you step-by-step through each level of the taxonomy, using summary of the Magna Carta to model sample questions. There are so many things I like about how this resource introduces Bloom’s Taxonomy: The explanations of each thinking skill are simple yet insightful. As someone new to Bloom’s, I appreciated how it brought clarity to the definitions. The variety of sample question stems per level helps put the theory into practice. You can reference these when creating your own questions. It encourages interactivity by having you write your own questions. This further cements understanding. The full modelling with the text extract is so useful. It’s a template for how to apply Bloom’s Taxonomy levels to any document in your subject. There is a ready-made student handout to use instantly in lessons. No extra prep needed! Also, the research evidence on using Bloom’s Taxonomy in secondary classrooms inspires confidence that the approach boosts higher-order thinking. This resource enables teachers to easily integrate more taxonomy-aligned activities into their teaching.

A review of this resource (which also serves as a useful description) I recently came across an amazing Bloom’s Taxonomy resource that I believe could be an absolute game-changer for any teacher. It’s called “Bloom’s Taxonomy Meets Five Children & It” and it provides a clear, step-by-step guide to implementing Bloom’s in your classroom using the beloved children’s story. I would give this Bloom’s Taxonomy resource a 5 out of 5 star rating. It is an absolutely stellar teaching tool that provides immense value. This resource is ingeniously designed to elucidate the Bloom’s framework AND develop teacher competency in applying it through guided practice. The ability to move from theory to application is a game changer. Unlocking higher order thinking abilities in students is essential in today’s world. This Bloom’s resource allows you to do exactly that - in a simple, hands-on way. I could not recommend it more strongly to any teacher looking to maximize their students’ potential. Here’s why this resource is so powerful: Demystifies Bloom’s - It breaks down the often confusing Bloom’s levels into simple, easy-to-grasp explanations that make the framework crystal clear. Models the Full Process - You receive a complete walk-through of Bloom’s Taxonomy applied to the story, from basic remembering questions up to higher order creative questions. Builds Understanding - The explanations reinforce the core distinctions between question types, helping you deeply comprehend the taxonomy. Develops Teacher Skills - You are actively involved in writing your own questions for each level, scaffolding your ability to formulate taxonomy-aligned activities. Ready-to-Use Student Resource - A student handout is included allowing you to immediately have pupils work with the story and Bloom’s questions. This resource stands out for making a framework that is often vague and theoretical into something concrete and actionable for teachers. Breaking down barriers to classroom application is hugely important. The guided explanations paired with opportunities to create aligned questions yourself scaffolds the learning process, building confidence in using Bloom’s Taxonomy. Being able to immediately have students try a Bloom Taxonomy activity further cements this. For its clarity, methodical training approach, reinforced connections, and classroom integration, I believe this resource merits 5 shining stars. It empowers teachers to turn Bloom’s Taxonomy from an abstract concept into a powerful teaching strategy. The result is substantial gains in critical thinking and higher order skills among students. When you consider the immense educational benefits unlocked, the resource delivers absolutely top-tier value worthy of the highest recommendations. 5 stars all the way! The best way to understand the power of this resource is to try it out yourself! You and your students will quickly see the many benefits.

Our EBL lessons develop both KS2 English and the 8 Evidence-Based Learning (EBL) skills in an interesting and enjoyable way. Developing these skills will maximise students’ learning outcomes. This brochure is an overview of the EBL lessons available on our website.

This guide, “Ten Strategies for Creating a Classroom Climate for Creative Thinking,” provides primary teachers with evidence-based, practical strategies to foster a creative and dynamic learning environment. Key Points of Value: Comprehensive and Practical: Includes ten actionable strategies, such as encouraging idea generation, group brainstorming, learning from mistakes, and using creative thinking frameworks. Supportive Learning Environment: Focuses on creating a classroom atmosphere that nurtures creativity through collaboration, acceptance of mistakes, and constructive feedback. Diverse and Flexible Approaches: Emphasizes activities like mind mapping, visualization, and “what if” questions to stimulate varied thinking. Explicit Skill Development: Highlights the importance of teaching students the aspects of creative thinking directly, fostering self-reflection and metacognition. Structured Process: Guides teachers through methods for generating, evaluating, and refining student ideas, ensuring productive and focused creative work. The Ten Strategies Covered Include: Encouraging ideas Brainstorming as a group Allowing for mistakes Teaching creative techniques Maintaining a relaxed approach Promoting a creative environment Supporting collaboration Implementing creative frameworks Teaching creative aspects explicitly Encouraging creative flow These strategies empower teachers to enrich their practices and cultivate a classroom culture that values creativity and innovation.

Teachers will find clear explanations, strategies, and examples that make it easier to integrate creative thinking practices into their teaching. This guide equips teachers with the tools to develop students’ problem-solving skills, adaptability, and innovative mindsets, making it a valuable resource for fostering essential 21st-century competencies. This guide is divided into two main sections, providing a well-rounded approach to understanding and applying creative thinking concepts. Key Highlights: Comprehensive Definitions: Clear explanations of creative thinking and how it differs from general creativity, helping teachers grasp its unique role in education. Evidence-Based Insights: A review of research-backed reasons why creative thinking is critical for today’s learners, enhancing your ability to justify its importance in your teaching practice. Attributes of Creative Thinkers: Detailed coverage of the key attributes that define creative thinkers, such as goal orientation, imagination, and self-regulation, offering you practical markers for student assessment. Practical Applications: Techniques and ideas to integrate creative thinking into your lessons, encouraging students to approach problems with fresh perspectives and innovative solutions. Support for Problem Solving: Insights on how creative thinking contributes to developing problem-solving skills, enabling students to adapt and respond effectively to new challenges. This guide is ideal for primary teachers who aim to enrich their teaching methods and promote higher-level thinking. It provides a blend of theory and actionable advice to make creative thinking a cornerstone of classroom success.

This evidence-based Teacher Guide, titled “Ten Strategies for Creating a Classroom Climate for Critical Thinking,” offers practical and research-supported techniques for fostering critical thinking in pupils. This guide is particularly useful for busy teachers who want to enhance their classroom practices to promote higher-order thinking skills. By integrating these strategies, teachers can create a classroom environment that supports thoughtful inquiry, deeper understanding, and the development of critical thinking abilities in their pupils. The guide is divided into two main parts: Introduction to Critical Thinking: It emphasises the importance of critical thinking as an essential skill for academic success and future careers, highlighting its role in effective communication, problem-solving, and navigating modern challenges like misinformation and biased information. Ten Strategies for Cultivating Critical Thinking: The guide provides actionable strategies for teachers to implement in their classrooms, such as encouraging collaboration, developing metacognition, promoting decision-making, and using reflective practices. These strategies are designed to help students analyse, evaluate, and construct new ideas based on reason and evidence.

This resource, Why Critical Thinking is Crucial Today, is an evidence-based guide tailored for primary teachers. It is divided into two main sections: Part 1 is a practical teacher’s guide to understanding and fostering critical thinking in the classroom, while Part 2 provides research-backed evidence demonstrating the importance of these skills. The document offers definitions, key principles, and strategies for developing critical thinking, emphasising how it encourages pupils to question, analyse, and make informed judgments. Primary teachers will find value in this guide as it equips them with actionable approaches to cultivate critical thinking, benefiting pupils’ academic performance and lifelong learning capabilities. If fostering independent, reflective thinkers aligns with your teaching goals, this guide is an invaluable resource. Key highlights for primary teachers include: Definition and Importance: Critical thinking is defined as questioning information and analysing it logically to form judgments. This is essential for helping pupils make decisions, solve problems, and distinguish between facts and opinions. Practical Benefits: The guide explains that teaching critical thinking enhances curiosity, promotes deeper understanding, and helps pupils navigate complex information—an increasingly vital skill in today’s digital age. Classroom Strategies: The resource suggests methods such as posing reflective questions (“Why did you write that?”) and promoting group discussions to build pupils’ critical thinking skills. Real-World Relevance: It underlines the significance of critical thinking for recognizing biases and identifying fake news, skills that only 2% of UK children currently possess, according to research.

A Teacher’s Guide to Problem Solving: An evidence-based time-saving, high-impact tool for essential skill development This resource is a concise, 20-minute evidence-based guide designed to help classroom teachers effectively teach problem-solving skills, emphasising their importance for 21st-century learners. It includes: Introduction to Problem Solving: Outlines the significance of problem-solving as a key skill for the future, particularly in adapting to challenges posed by rapid social and technological changes. Definitions and Features of Problem Solving: Provides clear definitions and discusses essential components, such as goals and barriers, associated with solving complex problems. Polya’s Four Steps to Problem Solving: Introduces George Polya’s structured method for problem-solving, which includes understanding the problem, devising a plan, implementing the plan, and reflecting on the solution. This approach helps pupils systematically tackle both mathematical and real-life challenges. Teacher Approaches to Problem Solving at KS2: Features practical strategies from educators, showing how Polya’s method has been used to build problem-solving confidence and adaptability among pupils. This guide supports teachers in preparing pupils to face modern-day problems, encouraging them to apply critical and creative thinking skills to non-routine tasks.

Less Marking, More Feedback: A Post-It Note Guide This practical guide is designed for busy teachers who want to reduce marking time while enhancing the quality of their feedback. Rooted in evidence, it introduces strategies to shift focus from traditional written feedback to more immediate, impactful oral feedback, allowing pupils to improve in real-time. With straightforward explanations and actionable tips, this guide is an ideal companion for creating a classroom where feedback truly drives learning. Professional development activities are also included to help you reflect on and refine your approach, making it a valuable tool for teachers aiming to optimise both their workload and learning outcomes.

A Dog’s Guide to Eleven Key Thinking and Learning Skills Price: £3 (Whole School Use) This resource, A Dog’s Guide to All Eleven Key Thinking and Learning Skills, is an engaging, one-page guide designed for busy teachers. It covers eight evidence-based thinking and learning skills, such as self-assessment, and metacognition, as well as three essential 21st-century skills: creative thinking, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Each skill is supported by research, ensuring that teachers can integrate proven strategies into their classroom with ease. The resource is fun, quick to read, making it ideal for teachers who want to make a real impact on their students’ learning without investing too much time. The playful theme involving dogs is intended to make the resource appealing. It’s designed to introduce critical learning skills that students will use throughout their academic journeys and beyond. What’s Included: One-page guide for each skill: 8 key thinking and learning skills + 3 crucial 21st-century skills. Engaging and creative format (A Dog’s Guide) that makes it easy to understand. Key Skills Covered: Collaborative Learning: How to effectively group students to maximise learning outcomes. Thinking Skills: Based on Bloom’s taxonomy, helping students move from basic remembering to creative thinking. Peer Teaching: Encouraging students to teach one another for deeper understanding. Peer Assessment: Developing students’ abilities to provide and act on feedback. Self-Assessment: Supporting students in evaluating their own progress and goals. Metacognition: Helping students think about their thinking, boosting problem-solving skills. Self-Regulation: Teaching students how to manage their own learning process. Independent Learning: Encouraging self-directed learning and decision-making. Problem Solving: Building skills to tackle tasks they don’t yet know how to solve. Creative Thinking: Helping students think outside the box and develop innovative solutions. Critical Thinking: Teaching students to analyse information and make evidence-based decisions. Why Buy It? Affordable: At just £3, this resource provides high-value insights for teachers and their whole school. Evidence-Based: Each skill is supported by research, ensuring your teaching strategies are rooted in proven methods. Adaptable: The guide is designed to apply to different subjects and age groups, making it a versatile addition to your teaching toolkit. Time-Saving: The guide is simple, quick to read, and easy to apply in the classroom, perfect for busy teachers looking to make an impact. For just £3, this guide offers an accessible, research-backed way to enhance the learning environment in your school. Perfect for whole school use and applicable to all subjects, it’s a resource that teachers can use repeatedly to build essential skills in students.

This 15-minute guide serves as both a theoretical foundation and a practical toolkit for teachers looking to develop self-assessment in their classrooms. It provides a solid understanding of the concept and offers actionable strategies to implement it effectively. Purpose and Context: This is a 15-minute teacher guide focusing on Self-Assessment, which is one of eight key Evidence-Based Learning (EBL) skills. It’s designed to help teachers understand and implement self-assessment strategies in their classrooms. Benefits of Self-Assessment: Increases student motivation and engagement Improves understanding of material Develops metacognitive skills Promotes lifelong learning Reduces teacher workload by sharing feedback responsibilities Enhances students’ ability to become independent learners Key Components of Self-Assessment: Students monitor and evaluate their own thinking and learning Students identify strategies to improve their understanding and skills Involves reflective activities Helps students develop criteria for evaluating their work Implementation Strategies: Teach students to ask key questions about their learning (e.g., “Where am I now?”, “Where am I trying to go?”) Use rubrics to provide clear criteria for self-assessment Create a classroom culture where mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities Implement self-assessment during the learning process, not just at the end Combine self-assessment with peer assessment for better results Connection to Other Skills: Self-assessment is closely linked to metacognition and self-regulation It’s a stepping stone towards developing 21st-century skills like creative thinking, critical thinking, and problem-solving Research Support: The guide includes numerous research-based quotes and findings to support the use of self-assessment This research could be used for teacher professional development Practical Considerations: Self-assessment requires practice and guidance from teachers It should be implemented gradually, with clear instructions and opportunities for students to apply and refine their self-assessment skills By incorporating these self-assessment strategies, teachers can help their students become more self-aware, motivated, and effective learners. This guide provides a solid foundation for understanding the importance of self-assessment and offers practical ways to integrate it into classroom practice.

This 15-minute guide serves as both a theoretical foundation and a practical toolkit for teachers looking to develop independent learning in their classrooms. It provides a solid understanding of the concept and offers actionable strategies to implement it effectively. Here’s a summary of its key features: Definition and importance: It provides clear definitions of independent learning and independent learners, emphasising why these skills are essential for 21st-century education. Evidence-based approach: The guide is based on a review of over 200 educational research papers, giving teachers confidence in its recommendations. Key skills overview: It outlines eight key thinking and learning skills, including independent learning, and how they contribute to developing critical thinking, creative thinking, and problem-solving abilities. Characteristics of independent learners: The resource details the traits of independent learners, helping teachers identify and nurture these qualities in their students. Comparison with dependent learners: By contrasting independent and dependent learners, teachers can better understand the spectrum of learner autonomy and how to move students along this continuum. Implementation strategies: The guide offers practical suggestions for promoting independent learning in the classroom, including alternatives to extended teacher talk and ways to gradually transfer responsibility to students. Benefits of independent learning: It lists the advantages of developing independent learning skills, such as improved academic performance and increased motivation. Teacher’s role: The resource emphasises that independent learning doesn’t mean leaving students to work alone, but rather supporting them in developing self-regulation skills and taking responsibility for their learning. Scaffolding techniques: It explains how teachers can use scaffolding to gradually build students’ independent learning skills. Evidence-based quotes: The guide includes research-backed quotes that teachers can use for their own professional development or to support their teaching practices.

This 15-minute guide serves as both a theoretical foundation and a practical toolkit for teachers looking to develop peer assessment in their classrooms. It provides a solid understanding of the concept and offers actionable strategies to implement it effectively. Definition of Peer Assessment Involves learners evaluating and making judgments about the work of their peers Usually a formative assessment strategy (occurs during the learning process) K ey Benefits a. Improves learners’ understanding of success criteria b. Increases engagement in learning c. Develops interpersonal and critical thinking skills d. Potentially reduces teacher workload e. Provides more immediate and voluminous feedback than teacher assessment alone f. Helps learners self-evaluate their own work more effectively Implementing Peer Assessment a. Use it for works in progress, not just final products b. Provide opportunities for learners to use feedback to revise their work c. Scaffold the process, especially for younger learners (e.g., using the T-A-G method) d. Ensure feedback is task-involving and focuses on key elements of success criteria

This 15-minute guide serves as both a theoretical foundation and a practical toolkit for teachers looking to develop peer teaching in their classrooms. It provides a solid understanding of the concept and offers actionable strategies to implement it effectively. Introduction This guide introduces peer teaching as a key Evidence-Based Learning (EBL) skill, highlighting its benefits and research support for classroom implementation. What is Peer Teaching? Defined as learners teaching other learners by design Traced back to Aristotle’s use of learner leaders Formally organised as a theory by Andrew Bell in 1795 Benefits of Peer Teaching Increases motivation, engagement, and understanding of material Develops critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills Creates a supportive and collaborative learning environment Improves academic achievement for both peer teachers and learners Fosters diversity and depth in knowledge and opinions Enhances social skills, teamwork, and cooperation Helps learners recognise gaps in their knowledge Builds social bonds and friendships Key Points for Teachers Peer teaching allows for explanation in language students naturally use It creates opportunities for active learning and immediate feedback Students often gain deeper understanding by teaching others It can lead to improved grades and greater confidence in learning Peer teachers may explain concepts more effectively, having just learned them It offers multiple perspectives and nuances to a student’s knowledge Implementation Tips Use peer teaching for one-on-one tutoring or small group instruction Encourage students to modify and explain concepts in their own words Create a structured environment for peer teaching activities Use it as a way to reinforce recently learned concepts Monitor interactions to ensure accuracy of information shared Potential Challenges Ensure accuracy of information being shared between peers Manage classroom dynamics to maintain a productive learning environment Balance peer teaching with other teaching methods Conclusion Peer teaching is a valuable tool that can significantly enhance the learning experience, improve academic outcomes, and develop important 21st-century skills in students. By incorporating peer teaching strategies, teachers can create a more dynamic, engaging, and effective classroom environment.

This 15-minute guide serves as both a theoretical foundation and a practical toolkit for teachers looking to develop collaborative learning in their classrooms. It provides a solid understanding of the concept and offers actionable strategies to implement it effectively. Definition of Collaborative Learning: An active learning method where two or more learners work together towards a common goal. Focuses on learner exploration and application of the curriculum rather than teacher presentation. Benefits of Collaborative Learning: Improved communication skills Increased motivation and engagement Enhanced problem-solving abilities Better metacognitive abilities Greater social and emotional skills Increased exposure to diverse perspectives Support for self-regulation Enhanced critical thinking skills Importance of Collaboration: Collaboration is a highly sought-after skill in education and the workplace. Explicit teaching of collaboration is necessary; simply putting students in groups is not enough. Skills Developed Through Collaborative Work: Includes listening, peer learning, peer teaching, assessment skills, metacognition, problem-solving, communication, inclusivity, and more. Research-Based Evidence: Collaboration develops self-regulation skills Enables students to extend their repertoire of learning skills Develops complex thinking Provides opportunities for students to present and defend ideas Develops soft skills crucial for effective communication 21st Century Learning Context: Collaborative skills are essential for success in complex societies and globalised economies. Goes beyond traditional academic subjects to include critical thinking, effective communication, and problem-solving. Practical Implementation: Establish ground rules and group norms Discuss and develop necessary skills like listening Encourage mindfulness of actions associated with effective collaboration Overall Impact: Enhances motivation, engagement, and academic achievement Develops crucial life skills beyond the classroom Builds self-esteem and leads to more robust social skills and emotional well-being This guide provides teachers with an overview of the importance of collaborative learning, its benefits, research-based evidence, and practical considerations for implementation in the classroom.

This 15-minute guide serves as both a theoretical foundation and a practical toolkit for teachers looking to develop thinking skills in their classrooms. It provides a solid understanding of the concept and offers actionable strategies to implement it effectively. Introduction to Thinking Skills Thinking skills are mental activities used to process information, make connections, decisions, and create new ideas. They are essential for learning, problem-solving, and decision-making. Impact on Attainment Developing pupils’ thinking skills can lead to better learning and increased attainment. Activities that make pupils’ minds work are highly effective in raising attainment. Bloom’s Taxonomy Overview Created by Benjamin Bloom in 1956, organising teacher questions into six categories based on required thinking skills. Provides a hierarchy of thinking skills, from simpler to more complex. Original Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956) Used nouns to name thinking skills: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation. Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001) Anderson and Krathwohl revised the taxonomy using verbs instead of nouns. New order: Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, Creating. “Creating” replaced “Synthesis” and moved to the top level.

This is a 15-minute teacher guide on self-regulation - one of eight key Evidence-Based Learning (EBL) skills. This comprehensive, and evidence-based, guide to self-regulation can be used across multiple classrooms and potentially inform school-wide approaches to developing students’ self-regulation skills. Content includes: An introduction to self-regulation in the context of learning and teaching. An explanation of what self-regulation is, defining it as the degree to which students can control aspects of their thinking, motivation, and behaviours during learning. A description of the characteristics of self-regulated learners, including their ability to set goals, use strategies, and manage distractions. An outline of the key components needed for self-regulation, including both cognitive skills (like lower and higher order thinking, self-assessment, and metacognition) and non-cognitive skills (like motivation, volition, and other attitudes and behaviours). Research-based information on the importance of self-regulation in learning, supported by quotes from the research. Placing self-regulation in the context of other thinking skills, showing where it fits in relation to Bloom’s Taxonomy and other 21st century skills. An appendix briefly introduces the concept of Socially-Shared Self-Regulation.

This resource is a 15-minute teacher guide focused on metacognition, which is described as one of eight key Evidence-Based Learning (EBL) skills. Here’s a summary of its contents: It provides an introduction to metacognition in the context of learning and teaching. The guide explains what metacognition is, defining it as “thinking about one’s own thinking” and distinguishing it from cognition. It describes the two key components of metacognition: metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive regulation. The resource places metacognition in the context of other thinking skills, showing where it fits in relation to Bloom’s Taxonomy and other 21st century skills. It includes examples of metacognitive questions that students might ask before, during, and after a learning task. The guide provides several research-based quotes on the importance and benefits of metacognition in learning. It explains how metacognition relates to self-regulation and successful learning. This guide that can be used across multiple classrooms and can potentially inform school-wide approaches to developing students’ metacognitive skills since it research-based evidence and practical examples.

Activities in this evidence-based learning lesson include looking at the characters, settings and problems in early traditional stories whilst focusing on the character of Goldilocks in particular. Also included is a creative writing task and answering higher and lower order questions. The five-minute evidence-based CPD activity at the end of this lesson focuses on self-regulation.

A set of classic metacognitive prompts for use in every classroom (24pp) This whiteboard resource is an excellent tool for teachers looking to incorporate metacognition into their classroom practices. Metacognition, as explained in the resource, refers to the process of thinking about one’s own thinking, and it is an essential skill for effective learning. The resource presents metacognition in a clear and concise manner, breaking it down into three distinct stages: before a task, during a task, and after a task. Each stage is accompanied by a set of guiding questions that students can ask themselves to promote metacognitive thinking. Before a task, the questions encourage students to understand the expectations, identify any prior knowledge or experience, plan the necessary steps, and determine the criteria for successful completion. During a task, the questions prompt students to seek help when needed, evaluate the effectiveness of their strategies, monitor their progress, and check for errors. After a task, the questions prompt students to reflect on their approach, identify strengths and weaknesses, consider what they have learned, and explore ways to improve for future tasks. This resource is particularly useful for teachers because it provides a structured framework for introducing and reinforcing metacognitive practices in the classroom. By presenting these guiding questions, teachers can help students develop the habit of self-reflection and self-regulation, which are critical components of metacognition. Additionally, the resource is visually appealing and easy to understand, making it suitable for use with a wide range of students, from elementary to secondary levels. Teachers can display the resource on a whiteboard or projector, or distribute printed copies to students, ensuring that the metacognitive prompts are readily available and easily accessible. Overall, this whiteboard resource is an excellent tool for teachers seeking to promote metacognition in their classrooms. By incorporating these metacognitive practices, teachers can empower students to become more effective learners, capable of monitoring their own thinking processes, identifying areas for improvement, and developing strategies for enhanced learning and achievement.