The course presenter is Dr Neil Phillipson. Neil has over 20 years of experience as a teacher, a consultant / CPD provider and as a teacher educator. He is a trainer with Dialogue Works and SAPERE and is an affiliate of Oracy Cambridge. He has co-authored a book on Dialogic Education with Professor Rupert Wegerif of Cambridge University.

This course will consist of three 2 hour modules running from 2 pm until 4 pm on Wednesday January 27th, Wednesday February 3rd and Wednesday February 10th, 2021.

The A-Z, developed by Roger Sutcliffe of Dialogue Works, is a list of 26 distinct acts of thinking. A, for example, denotes the act of thinking ‘Ahead‘, B the act of thinking ‘Back‘ and C the act of ‘Connecting‘. The A-Z is:

• Memorable The alphabet acts as a mnemonic making it easy to learn the names of the 26 moves
• Comprehensible Activities and associated language are provided to allow each move to be practised and understood
• Comprehensive All cognitive moves are encompassed in the A-Z. They are applicable across all areas of the curriculum and all phases from early years to secondary.

If we can recognise and name the cognitive moves we make then we can reflect on their purpose and value. We can then begin to make conscious decisions to apply them. We become better at metacognition, leading to better thinking, better learning and wiser decisions – a better way of being!

This course, delivered in association with Dialogue Works, will provide you with all you need get started with Thinking Moves in your classroom. You can find out more about Thinking Moves at dialogueworks.co.uk and at 21stcentury learners.org.uk.