The ThinkPlus Approach

ThinkPlus is a metacurriculum designed to complement a schools’ existing curricula.

It has been developed, evolved and proven from a young learner’s perspective and tested in real-life applications from Prep through to senior years.

ThinkPlus creates a genuine culture of learning, helping students to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

The program gives students the ability to think about their thinking.

Merging design and research, ThinkPlus has drawn on education research and a number of varied and relevant areas. These include self-regulation, cognitive science, mindsets, digital learning, pedagogy and neuroscience.

The unique strength of ThinkPlus is its combination of four core elements:

Easily intergrated with the standard teaching curriculum, ThinkPlus has the ability to transform the learning experience, change the classroom dynamic and enhance learning.

Recognising the role of emotion in learning, ThinkPlus has been tested, iteration after iteration, with thousands of hours of theory and classroom-based design – over seven years.

ThinkPlus educator Bernie Lanyon explains how the metacurriculum was developed, and some of the teaching resources available for teachers on The Journey website.

ThinkPlus is a proven way to promote learnable intelligence in students preparing them for success after school.

ThinkPlus creates smarter students by understanding how emotion impacts learning. The metacurriculum gives educators a range of tools and methods which fit seamlessly into the existing curriculum. Application of these proven tools allow students to work through the anxiety or frustration of not knowing helping them seek new paths to progress.

By approaching student well-being from both a scientific and a psychological angle, ThinkPlus is enjoying increased student buy-in, particularly at a primary school level.

The metacurriculum supports educators in creating a culture which focusses on the process of learning, not simply the memorising of ideas. Designing an evidence-based program that works for schools, teachers and students.

The Power of Co-creation

ThinkPlus embraces the need to change to remain effective.

To evolve effectively, ThinkPlus embraces the principles that drive constant improvement.

These principles include user-centredness, co-creation and collaboration.

All teachers, students and schools in the program are able to share impressions and perspectives of the program to evolve the metacurriculum and contribute to its ongoing effectiveness.

The development of our program has been influenced by:

  • Carol Dweck, Lewis & Virginia Eaton Professor at Stanford University.
  • Dr Edward deBono
  • David Perkins, Carl H. Pforzheimer, Jr. Research Professor of Teaching and Learning, Harvard Graduate School of Education
  • Dr. Michael Merzenich, Professor Emeritus Neuroscientist at University of California, San Franscico
  • Robert J. Sternberg, Professor of Human Development in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University.
  • Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine

Together with many other groundbreaking and dedicated researchers and teachers to numerous to mention here.