Raising standards for all through challenge: understanding why and how schools commit to the ‘hard case’ of Let’s Think in English
Abstract
Teaching for the development of students’ thinking through a Cognitive Acceleration programme like Let’s Think in English has the potential to significantly raise standards, particularly for lower and lower-middle attainers, in whole class, mixed attainment settings.
Predictably it is no easy win. The requirement for teachers to re-engineer aspects of classroom pedagogy through a sustained, theoretical and challenging professional development programme needs focus and commitment from teachers and school leaders over several years. This multiple case study was conducted to better understand why both primary and secondary schools are choosing the ’hard case’ of Let’s Think, what supports
them through initial implementation and leads them to sustain the challenge. Findings suggest that when the programme takes hold, it is precisely because of the effects of teachers and students working through collaborative challenge not in spite of this.
Keywords: Cognitive Acceleration; Professional Development; Intervention; Case Study;Pedagogy
Authors: Leah Crawford, Laurie Smith, Michael Walsh,
To read the full paper click LTCS draft at 16.05.23 (1)
