The Thinking Curriculum

Over the past 20 years there has been growing interest in the idea of teaching thinking. This paper reviews the development of the idea worldwide, the supporting arguments and scepticism, the underlying constructivist psychological theories and the variety of methods and programmes used. A main distinction in approach is between those who advocate specific programmes, often based on skills analysis, and those who favour the infusion of thinking throughout the conventional subjects of the school or college curriculum. The balance of opinion supports the ‘thinking curriculum'; but this raises issues of domain‐specific knowledge and transfer. Recent work recognises the importance of social and affective, as well as cognitive, aspects in teaching thinking.