Aspiring Thinkers

Advance teaching for thinking

Join the Aspiring Thinkers Network to advance teaching for thinking at your school.​

Aspiring Thinkers provides school leaders and teachers with the expert guidance, collaborative network and professional learning partnership required to lead teaching for thinking at your school.

School Improvement Hierarchy​

• Improve pedagogical practices by shifting the focus from knowledge to inquiry, working collaboratively and providing a language of feedback on thinking.
• Enhance curriculum delivery by planning for student thinking and aligning cognitive verbs and 21st century skills across P-10 learning areas/general capabilities and Year 11-12 subjects.
• Develop expert teaching teams by sharing best practice within your school team and collaborating across the Aspiring Thinkers network.​

12-month partnership

Aspiring Thinkers membership includes 12 months (or more if you extend) of access to workshops, masterclasses and member collaborations. This includes expert guidance and a school-community partnership with the IMPACT Centre and the University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project (UQCTP).

The foundational workshop is facilitated by Dr Peter Ellerton from the University of Queensland. Peter is 1 of 3 national experts who redeveloped version 9 of the Critical and Creative Thinking General Capability. Peter’s passion is working with educators to enable a teaching for thinking focus across all year levels and subject areas.

​View masterclass dates and details.

Target audience​

Principals, school leaders and teachers from schools, education centres and alternative settings are encouraged to join the Aspiring Thinkers Network.

• Small schools are welcome to register 1 staff member.
• Medium and large schools are advised to involve at least 2 members initially, with a view to growing membership and using your involvement to enhance your school’s approach to pedagogy.

How it works

Membership begins with a foundational workshop facilitated by ​Dr Peter Ellerton, Curriculum Director of the University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project.

Foundational workshops content includes:

• how to develop cognitive skills through a shift in focus from knowledge to inquiry
• how to think and plan in the language of student cognition
• how to work collaboratively so thinking can be shared
• how to facilitate metacognition and provide a language of feedback on thinking
• learning experience design and virtues/characteristics of effective thinkers.

Members then join the network for a minimum of 12 months and enjoy full access to:​

• masterclasses delivered by experts and accessible via online and in-person delivery e.g. Argumentation, Writing and Thinking, Unifying School Cultures for a Thinking Education and Developing Virtuous Learners
• regular online collaboration with like-minded members, along with Member Symposiums and other interactions.

View master​class dates and details.

Membership fee for 12 months

• Network membership includes access to all workshops, expert guidance, masterclasses and member collaborations for 12 months.
• Your membership can be paid by invoice or School Budget Solution (SBS) credit transfer.
• The options are:
• $1,100 per person – we send you an invoice
• 3 x Staffing Unit Days (SUDs) – we send you transfer instructions.
• Member subscriptions can be renewed annually at a reduced cost.
• Payment is made after registration. You can shift dates if you are unable to attend your initial 1-day workshop at late notice.