NORD ANGLIA INSIGHTS - CAN SCHOOLS BUILD BETTER THINKERS? NORD ANGLIA THINKS SO.

To thrive in a fast-moving, complex, tech-driven world, young people want more than just knowledge. 
 
It’s a message that comes through loud and clear from a new survey of more than 1,500 “Zoomers” who are on the journey from school, through university to the job market. 

Independent research from Nord Anglia Education reveals that 18- to 25-year-olds, across three different continents, are acutely aware that while good grades might be necessary, they are are not sufficient. 

As well as strong academics, the Gen Z respondents from the UK, India and the USA, want their schools to build confidence by developing young people’s problem-solving skills, critical thinking and creativity. 

In fact, 70% wished they had been given a better understanding of how they think and learn to help them feel more self-assured in new and challenging situations. 

 

A system focused on memorisation

What many young people describe, however, is a system which focuses on memorising facts to pass high-stakes exams, with other skills relegated to occasional bolt-ons. 

Amy Lee achieved the grades to study Classics at Oxford but says the academic demands of the elite university were a “culture shock” because her UK school had not taught her to think for herself, or to reflect on her learning. 

“It is so important that the skills we are taught in school help us in life and in the workplace, not just in exams,” says the 24-year-old. “We were taught to just listen to what the teacher says and trust it blindly. But if your boss says ‘right, does anyone have any ideas’ or ‘I’d love your feedback’, if you just go with whatever the authority figure in the room says, you are not going to be much good.” 

The effects of rigid learning structures

Sanat Dayani, who works in consulting, had a similar experience at his school in Delhi. 

“Students are given a template and told ‘this is the way that you do things’ because that is what is dictated by our system,” he says. “That might not be the way you develop understanding but that is the way it is. Academics are the end goal that will get you to this or that university.” 

 

The role of extracurricular activities 

Extracurricular activities, including sport, debating, music and drama, volunteering and outdoor programmes, are cited by young people as important ‘confidence builders’ but what happens in lessons should contribute too; from class discussions, exploring topics in more depth, presenting and public speaking, to giving feedback to classmates. 

“I think many of my peers question their own abilities to be industrious or handle a problem,” says Joshua Moore, 25, a music graduate who works in communications. “Rather than solve an issue themselves, their first port of call would be to seek help.” 

He warns that young people growing up in the information age instantly reach for their phones when asked a question, rather than having the confidence to think for themselves. 

The impact of technology on thinking skills 

Ishu Gupta, academic coordinator at Oakridge International School Gachibowli, in Hyderabad, India, agrees. For her the modern world—with its obsession with grades and its ubiquitous technology—is making it harder for children to develop the habit of thinking about their learning. 

“Some children struggle to grasp the importance of putting in effort,” she explains. “In many ways, everything has become too convenient. You can simply Google something and find the answer, but this habit does not foster deeper learning or enhance confidence.” 

 

Metacognition. A ‘learning superpower’. 

Ishu’s school is among more than 60 schools in the Nord Anglia group taking part in one of a number of research projects aimed at empowering children’s self-reliance in their own learning through metacognition. This means coaching pupils to be aware of how they learn, how to regulate their learning and reflecting on the learning process itself. Nord Anglia calls it a ‘learning superpower’. 

At its foundation, Nord Anglia’s approach centres on six key attributes — the 6 C’s — that young people need to thrive in the 21st century: curiosity, critical thinking, creativity, commitment, collaboration, and compassion. Schools are explicitly teaching children “thinking routines” to consistently support these “learner ambitions”.  

 

Thinking Routines in action 

A good way to think about thinking routines, developed by Project Zero — a research centre at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, is as a springboard for ideas, and a scaffold to order them.  

Year 8 pupils in an English class at Nord Anglia International School Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, are developing curiosity using a Thinking Routine called “peel the fruit”. 

Children studying a new poem draw four concentric circles. In the outer layers they record surface information; words that stand out, for instance. In the next layer, they might look at why some lines are longer than others and the structure of the poem. Next, they go deeper, exploring the literary devices used by the poet, before finally moving to the core — what the writer is trying to say. 

The technique has enabled mixed-ability pupils in KS3 to successfully tackle high-level poetry, according to Katie Keen, Head of Teaching and Learning and Metacognition Lead at the school. 

“The teacher is not simply telling the students what they need to know, allowing them to potentially switch off their thinking and just copy it down; students are actively driving their own learning themselves, with the teacher acting as a guide,” she says.  

Parents as partners in metacognition

Parents too can help their children to flex their metacognition muscles. At The British International School Abu Dhabi, families are introduced to a learner ambition each half term, and the thinking routines to support it. 

“We have been using the “See, Think, Wonder” routine to boost curiosity and it can be used outside school too,” says primary teacher Aaron Regan. “On a visit to the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, for instance, you can ask your children ‘what do you wonder about that?’ and encourage them to pose their own questions: ‘How tall is it? What is it made of?’ And try and find out those answers.” 

In disagreements with their peers, pupils can use the “Feeling and Options” compassionate thinking routine. It encourages them to consider how the other person is feeling and what other options they might have — a technique that can be employed years later when dealing with work colleagues, for instance. 

Metacognition is a confidence booster

Metacognition has been a revelation to students who perceive themselves as low achievers, according to Jehovahnie Mbenteu, a science teacher at NACIS, in Shanghai, China. 

“When these students recognise how they learn best, they begin to see their own potential,” she says. “One major barrier to confidence is the fear of making mistakes by being the first to speak up, especially in a second-language learning environment, but the thinking routine activities address this and create meaningful engagement.” 

Alexander Blatt, head of secondary English at the school, believes that rapid changes in our globalised society — in technology, politics and modes of communications — has made it more difficult to play a meaningful role as a citizen and an employee. What are often labelled “soft skills” are proving to be anything but. 

“The term is not helpful,” he says. “It makes these skills sound like they don’t matter very much but in these challenging times, problem solving, compassion and collaboration are absolutely the right qualities.” 

Some students can struggle to understand what metacognition can offer. Jamie Robertson, deputy head of physical education at Collège du Léman, in Geneva, describes a round table at his school, where four teenage girls were adamant that metacognition approaches were a waste of time. 

But the teacher realised that far from having failed them, the project had given them the confidence to form an argument and present a point of view. 

“They were employing metacognitive techniques, discussing their learning, putting their standpoint, but also spotting contradictions,” he says. “They might not have realised the good that it had done them at that stage, but potentially they will.” 

A lasting impact on students 

For Aaron Regan, in Abu Dhabi, starting early is key: “If we can develop the 6 C’s from the early years until when they leave us in Year 13, we will have a cohort that can think compassionately, critically, creatively and collaboratively,” he says. “What a world that would be.”