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Introduction
While there are many models and theories that have been developed to help describe and teach 'thinking skills' (for example, Marzano 1988; Perkins 1985; Swartz & Parks 1 994), critical and creative thinking appear to be approaches widely accepted in today's educational arena. Consider: The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA 2008) recognises that critical and creative thinking are fundamental to becoming successful learners. The new Australian Curriculum explicitly identifies critical and creative thinking as essential competencies to be addressed within the General Capabilities (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority 2011). The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) identifies Critical Thinking and Creativity and Innovation as two of six domains in their NETS-S for students (the standards for evaluating the skills and knowledge students need to learn effectively and live productively in an increasingly global and digital world) (ISTE 2000). The Partnership for 21st Century Skills also identifies Critical Thinking and Creativity as two of the ACs in the Learning and Innovation Skills Domain of the 21st Century Student Outcomes and Support Systems (Partnership for 21st Century Learning Skills 2010).
These key initiatives and internationally recognised frameworks are strong proponents of critical and creative thinking as fundamental skills to be taught to students in a progressive, sequenced development. It is now no longer possible, therefore, for schools to merely pay lip service to or ignore the strategic placement of these skills within the curriculum.
For the first time we have a national curriculum that not only explicitly identifies and names these skills but also ensures they are embedded across all learning areas from Foundation to Year 10. In the past schools selected or generated their own models, approaches and scope and sequence of skills. This was sometimes a hit-and-miss, ad hoc approach where the teaching of these skills depended upon the availability of staff who had an interest or expertise in this area or whether thinking skills became one of the curriculum priorities in the school. Therefore, while some schools had dynamic programs, others provided little or no explicit teaching of these skills.
The Australian Curriculum (hereafter Curriculum) now provides a mechanism by which all schools can ensure that these skills are explicitly taught to all students. The high-profile...