Thinking Tools Lessons

Thinking Tools Lessons is a user-friendly guide to help any teacher make creative and critical thinking a part of classroom instruction for all students. This book provides nine carefully designed, classroom-tested sample lessons to start students on the road to creative and critical thinking. Each lesson includes a structured, ready-to-use lesson plan, but also allows you to modify the lesson easily to meet your students' interests and needs. Each lesson guides you in preparing instruction, carrying out the plan, closing and debriefing the session, and conducting follow-up activities.

The nine lessons in this book focus on the definition of creative and critical thinking, the nature of thinking tools, basic guidelines for creative and critical thinking, and several practical tools for creative and critical thinking. The lessons incorporate material from the authors' research and a practice-based approach to creative learning and Creative Problem Solving. The approach draws from more than five decades of theory, research, and practical experience in applying these tools at many age levels―from young children to adults―and in many content areas or domains.

The lessons in this book deal with tools for thinking. These materials will help your students learn a variety of tools for generating ideas and for focusing their thinking, and then apply those tools to practical activities. These lessons make productive thinking lively and exciting!

Grades 3-9

Donald J. Treffinger, Ph.D., was the president of the Center for Creative Learning in Sarasota, FL. He earned a master's degree and a doctoral degree in educational psychology from Cornell University. Treffinger previously has been a member of the faculty at Purdue University, the University of Kansas, and Buffalo State College. He now is a member of the Gifted Child Quarterly Advisory Board and has served as editor of that journal and as editor-in-chief of Parenting for High Potential, NAGC's quarterly magazine for parents.

Treffinger is the author of more than 350 articles, chapters, and books. He has written and conducted research on the nature, assessment, and nurture of creativity and Creative Problem Solving, as well as problem-solving styles, gifted education, and talent development. He has given presentations and workshops worldwide, and served as a consultant to numerous local, state, national, and international organizations. He has received the Distinguished Service Award and the E. Paul Torrance Creativity Award from the National Association for Gifted Children, the Creativity Research Award from the World Council on the Gifted and Talented, and the Risorgimenti Creativity Award from the Destination ImagiNation program.

Carole A. Nassab is a program associate of the Center for Creative Learning. Nassab is an experienced educator who has served in numerous roles in public and private educational settings. She has been a middle school teacher, a school counselor, a principal, and a district-level administrator. Nassab has been actively involved in teacher education and professional development. She has provided training in building collaborative teams, managing change, creative and critical thinking, and Creative Problem Solving. Nassab has authored or coauthored several publications, including Thinking Tools Lessons, Thinking With Standards, Expanding Gifted Programs: The Levels of Service Approach, The Creative Problem Solving Kit, and The Talent Development Planning Handbook.