Advantages of thinking-based learning


Thinking-Based Learning (TBL) is an active methodology that teaches students to think, reason, make decisions and write my paper for me. The objective, therefore, is not only that students acquire the knowledge of the syllabus, but also develop skills and abilities related to thinking and can put them into practice in the future autonomously, for any other topic, concept or challenge .

THE KEYS TO THOUGHT-BASED LEARNING

The leading figure in thinking-based learning is Robert Swartz, philosopher, professor and researcher, head of the Center for Teaching Thinking organization. Swartz defends that critical and creative thinking should be exercised and worked within the framework of curricular content and this is precisely the objective of Thinking-Based Learning. It is, therefore, a methodology that changes the approach with which content is addressed: it is not about memorizing or learning basic notions about a topic or concept, but about putting into practice and assimilating the necessary procedures to generate and develop knowledge.


Consequently, the TBL requires that the teacher guide and instruct the students in the procedures necessary to carry out higher-order reasoning and in the thinking routines that the students then put into practice to confront in a reflective and deep way the contents that are learning. To do this, they use different tools and strategies, such as specific questions and graphic organizers, and work together in cooperative groups. They learn to think and make decisions skillfully, taking into account the options available, the positive and negative consequences and their importance, and selecting the best option accordingly. In this way, critical and creative thinking is integrated into the teaching-learning of the contents. And, at any other time when students want to understand or assimilate a concept, they can put into practice the thinking tools they have acquired by applying them to new information.

FIVE ADVANTAGES OF THE TBL

  1. Promotes active learning. Compared to traditional teaching methods in which the teacher transmits information to students, who only have to memorize it, the TBL places the student at the center of their learning. It is the student who must build knowledge, which is much more motivating and effective.

  2. Get deeper and more meaningful knowledge.  By building their own learning and developing it through various techniques and tools, the student better assimilates knowledge, analyzes, relates and reaches a deeper understanding.

  3. It is very versatile.  It is a teaching method that can be applied to any subject, topic or concept included in the curriculum and, in addition, it can be combined with many other active methodologies, such as project learning, collaborative work or reverse pedagogy or  flipped classroom . It is therefore adjusted to different ways of teaching-learning and organizing the classroom.

  4. It allows a more effective evaluation. With the TBL the result is only a part of the learning: the essential thing is the procedure carried out to reach the knowledge. This also affects the evaluation process and, when facing an exam or a test, students do not limit themselves to remembering what they have learned, but reproduce the process, relate the information acquired and demonstrate a true understanding of the concepts or subjects evaluated.

  5. Work skills and abilities for life.  This method not only makes it easier for students to understand and assimilate the curricular content, but it also teaches them to think, moves them to reflection and encourages them to dialogue, express their points of view and collaborate. In the process, they put into practice different strategies and acquire a multitude of skills and thinking abilities that will be useful throughout their student, work and personal career, such as:

  • Search, processing, analysis, classification and evaluation of information

  • Creativity, curiosity and innovation

  • Posing and solving problems

  • Decision making

  • Effort, perseverance and overcoming mistakes or challenges

  • Search for accuracy, truthfulness and precision

  • Autonomy and collaboration capacity

  • Listen, understanding and empathy

  • Oral and written expression

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