Celebrating a Culture of Thinking

The celebration was a vibrant showcase of ideas and transformation. Staff viewed posters created by team members, engaged in reflective routines, and shared stories of classroom impact. Simon Brooks guided the group through ten practical strategies to foster thinking in the classroom and reminded us that developing a Culture of Thinking for students occurs when teachers also intentionally and regularly learning too.

Staff who attended the celebration of the Cultures of Thinking team have offered some reflections: 

“It was a wonderful display of our colleagues’ insightful work. The posters captured the depth of thinking happening in classrooms and sparked meaningful reflection and questions.
Through this celebration I was able to see the breadth of impact this professional learning has had on both my peers and the whole school. I saw the care my colleagues have for quality education and the desire to be involved in students’ actively thinking and learning.
I’ve started using some routines already. I’ve seen the excitement and buzz from those involved and feel like I’ve missed out on something great.
I would love to be a part of a Cultures of Thinking team in the future.” 

– Mr Hamish McKendrick

 “The afternoon was a creative showcase of my colleagues’ learning across the semester. The real feast was the ‘delicious’ spread of ideas about student engagement. I saw strategies that help students think critically, challenge assumptions, and deepen understanding.
I especially valued the biblical perspectives woven into many of the strategies. Ultimately, our goal is to shape learners who can think critically about the Bible and reflect on its application in their lives. Some of the posters challenged me to reflect on how I am equipping my students to do this in my own teaching.
I’ve noticed encouraging results—greater student engagement leading to deeper understanding. I look forward to being part of these workshops in the future.” 

— Mrs Sarah Border 

For those who participated in the project, the experience was both professionally enriching and personally rewarding. 

“Seeing the lightbulbs when students started to think deeper was the most enjoyable part. I didn’t feel alone in this journey—workshopping ideas with others kept me going.
The poster creation and presenting my thinking was probably the thing that I was most nervous about when starting this project. When it came around though, I was actually quite excited to share what I had learnt. It was easy to make my poster, because I was sharing what I had been doing.
As teachers, we are busy people, we don't want to add more to our load. Cultures of Thinking isn't adding more to the load. It has been a way for me to try new things in my classroom and see results in my students.
For anyone thinking of being a part of the project next year – do it. There is so much to gain, and honestly, nothing to lose.” 

— Miss Hannah Mannisto

“The most enjoyable thing was being part of the change in classroom culture—towards critical and curious thinking and discussions.
It was also enjoyable to try out and explore a range of critical thinking activities as I think this added depth and richness to our learning tasks.
I think sometimes as teachers we can be very (rightly) focussed on getting through the curriculum. I found this process helpful to not be so overwhelmed by the content we have to get through and instead focus on core thinking skills which the students can use for life.
It really focuses you as a practitioner on what’s important.” 

— Mrs Lyndal Cook

Looking ahead to 2026, our partnership with Simon Brooks will continue, expanding the reach of this initiative across learning areas.  

The Cultures of Thinking project isn’t about adding more to teachers’ plates—it’s about enriching practice, empowering learners, and shaping a school culture where thinking is at the heart of learning. 

Mr Ross Graham

Leader of Teacher Innovation and Learning