ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on ways in which young children’s thinking may be developed and supported. A. Robertson points to positive gains, and suggests that, as a result of the programme, children both developed their thinking ability and learnt more effectively across the curriculum. C. Aubrey et al. record positive evaluations by teachers and headteachers for the effects on children’s thinking skills, independent thinking, language, listening, discussion and collaboration. C. McGuinness emphasizes the benefits of creating and supporting dispositions for good thinking, and an atmosphere where talking about thinking is actively pursued. Philosophy for and with Children is one of the most widely known types of intervention to support children’s thinking. Matthew Lipman’s approach to supporting children’s thinking was to develop stories for use with children of different ages. S. M. Wechsler et al. conclude that creative and critical thinking are relatively independent processes which play complementary roles in different phases of problem-solving.
