What is the Process
for Thinking Schools?
Accreditation Process
By engaging the entire school community in a process of self-study, becoming accredited as a Thinking School provides a meaningful opportunity for continuous learning and creates an enduring culture of reflective practice. Over 80 schools have elected to participate in a voluntary accreditation process in order to reflect on, deepen, and sustain their development as a Thinking School. These schools have chosen to use the accreditation process as an opportunity to demonstrate and affirm their commitment to the principles of becoming a Thinking School.
• read more about the TSA process
Implementation Process
The training process includes:
- education bureau experts training
- school leadership teams training
- whole school on-site training with blended professional development support
- accreditation with Ethiopian university
Research On & About Thinking
The mission of the non-profit Thinking Foundation is to support high quality research on cognitive skills development, creativity, and critical reflection—at pre-school, K-12 and college levels in order to transform learning, literacy, teaching and leadership around the world for those with the greatest need.
• Research - Thinking Foundation
Leadership Training
Thinking Schools Ethiopia begins with Leadership Training using Thinking Maps, Inquiry (Reflective Action Process) and Collegial Coaching to support the sustainability of Growing Thinking Schools Inside Out.
University
Thinking Foundation collaborates with Universities globally to support schools that choose to participate in this reflective process and guides them through the steps involved, including the development of a school-wide portfolio. The Thinking Schools Accreditation Process (TSAP) developed by Thinking Foundation provides a meaningful opportunity for continuous learning and creates an enduring culture of reflective practice.
Model Schools in Action
Bikolos Nur Academy
Whole School Implementation
Hannan: "I really think that Thinking maps make a big difference in my life because before I really didn’t read my books much because it takes too much time to understand, but now I am interested to open my exercise books make Thinking Maps to actually study and know what I am reading. We can be independent and learn by ourselves, because Thinking Maps are our teachers. They make everything easy so that we can read and remember — it makes you visualize things. Thinking Maps capture our thinking in our mind."
Hannan Abdulfetah, Grade 9 Student
• Download the school reflections (as seen below) from students, teachers and the school leader about whole school transformational change. 
Addis Ababa Education Bureau
10 Model Schools 2014
Thinking Schools Ethiopia initially trained the Addis Ababa Education Bureau (AAEB) Expert Team. This was followed in June 2014 by a training for leadership teams (8 from each school) from 10 AAEB government schools. The photos in the slideshow below are from Cheffie Primary School, one of the 10 model schools (November 2014). Go to the Thinking Schools Ethiopia blog for ongoing updates at: www.thinkingschoolsethiopia.com.
Rural and Urban
Video below is in rural Ethiopia demonstrating use of Thinking Maps, Inquiry and Collaborative Learning methods with an average class size of 50+.
What is Thinking Schools Ethiopia?
The Thinking Schools Approach
provides foundational methods for thinking, problem solving, and communicating across all grade levels, all disciplines for the whole school including young children, youth and adults. The Thinking Schools approachprovides a common language to explore, discover and learn in a collaborative environment that supports and sustains the creativity and innovation of the educational community. Thinking Schools is foundational for a quality education system and life long thinking skills for students and educators.
• Thinking Schools International
• Research & Accreditation - Thinking Foundation
• Thinking Schools Ethiopia Blog
Ethiopia - A Context
Ethiopia has been an independent nation since ancient times, being one of
the oldest countries in the world, while most African nations in their modern
form are less than a century old. Ethiopia is now the 2nd most populous nation in Africa (and
13th largest in the world) with over 90 million 
people and the 10th largest by
area. The capital is Addis Ababa which is also home to the African Union. Ethiopia is one of a few African countries to have its own alphabet, in
addition to its own time system and unique calendar, 7 to 8 years separating
it from the Gregorian calendar. It has the largest number of UNESCO World
HeritageSites in Africa, with high-quality coffee beans being one of its top
exports.
Growing Thinking Schools Inside Out
The greatest impact on student learning and achievement occurs not simply in a moment in time but through the integrity of the learner's experience over time. Learner-focused schools and school leaders r
ecognize the importance of creating a coherent experience for their students whereby learning deepens and becomes consolidated across many years. Regardless of the setting or student population, whole-school change is a critical factor in supporting student growth and achievement. Thinking Schools Ethiopias is using Starting Points for Thinking, research based methods including:
- Reflective Questioning high quality inquiry and listening skills
- Visual Tools to map out ideas and orginize and share thinking. (e.g. Thinking Maps).
- Collaborative Networking including collaborative learning; collegial coaching, community building
• Thinking Schools International
• Research & Accreditation - Thinking Foundation
Pathways to Thinking Schools
Thinking Schools Ethiopia
An essential dimension of the Thinking Schools approach in Ethiopia and in projects in other parts of the world, such as the country-wide implementation in Malaysia as described in Chapter 1 by David Hyerle, is the effort to network different projects and thus gain not only multidirectional development but also multidirectional knowledge creation and development. Given its history of independence and successful commitment to raising literacy levels, perhaps Ethiopia is an ideal place to begin such an ambitious effort.
• read chapter 11 - Ethiopia
• read chapter 1 - Catalyst by David Hyerle
• read more about the book published on Corwin Press 2014.
Thinking Maps® are a Key Thinking Pathway
Thinking Maps are eight fundamental thinking skills defined and animated by maps, and introduced as a common visual language for thinking and learning across whole learning communities. From the beginning, the focus of the work using Thinking Maps has been on all teachersimmediately training all of their students across their whole school to become fluent with the tools. For more information go to:
• Research - Thinking Foundation
• Thinking Maps website
The video above is with students in an Addis Ababa Education Bureau Government School using Thinking Maps, Inquiry and Collaborative Learning methods.
Thinking Schools International
Thinking Schools International is for teachers, whole schools, educational bodies and countries who want to develop 21st Century learning and thinking environments using thinking skills with proven impact across the globe. Adopting different pathways for thinking, this is a unique, sustainable, whole school approach to learning with student centred thinking at its heart.
• Thinking Schools International website
How Can You Help Us?
Thinking Foundation is seeking a funding partners to support the Growing Thinking Schools Inside Out model in Ethiopia to guide whole school and whole education bureau transformational change. Please contact Thinking Foundation founder David Hyerle.
Thinking IS the Foundation for Learning
Who are the Collaborators?
In Ethiopia and Globally?
Video above is at the model school training for leadership teams from 10 schools (80 participants) on 16-17 June 2014. Video is in Amharic with English subtitles (click on the cc icon to activate the subtitles). Ato Dilamo Ottore, Head of Addis Ababa Education Bureau (300+ government schools), sharing the importance of the Thinking Schools Ethiopia program before the 10 school leadership teams.
The collaborators include:
- Addis Ababa, Tigray, Addis Ababa
Education Bureaus - Eminence Social Entrepreneurs
- Tigray Development Association
- Initiative Africa
- UNESCO
- Thinking Schools International
read more below:
Ethiopia Education Bureaus
Addis Ababa Education Bureau
Thinking Schools Ethiopia is collaborating with the Addis Ababa Education Bureau (AAEB) that began with training the AAEB expert team and now continues expanding with 10 model schools for the Growing Thinking Schools Inside Out project. Thinking Schools Ethiopia training in June 2014. The slideshow below provides views of the training.
Tigray Development Association
Tigray
Education Bureau
Thinking Schools Ethiopia facilitated training of the Tigray Education Bureau expert team for the Growing Thinking Schools Inside Out project. The training was coordinated by the Tigray Development Association. 
The seventy participants participated in the 2 day training on the 16-17 June. The accompanying images are from the training held at the Tigray Education Bureau.
• Tigray Development Association website
SNNPRS
Education Bureau
Thinking School Ethiopia is collaborating with the educational bureau of the SNNPRS (The Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Regions). Thinking Schools Ethiopia facilitated a three day training with the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR) Education Bureau Expert Team in Yirgalem (south of Awassa). The Growing Thinking School Inside Out training began with a three day training (March 2014) conducted for the whole Instructional and Administrative Leadership team of the education bureau.
Eminence Social Entreprenuers
Social entrepreneurs are agents of change who always forward original solutions to the most pressing societal demands of a nation. Eminence Social Entrepreneurs works to present innovative solutions to support a growing society. We choose to focus on bringing about a paradigm shift in our way of thinking and set off a powerful social impact.
• Eminence Social Entreprenuer website
UNESCO-IICBA Supports
Thinking Schools Ethiopia
UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) has written this Letter of Support to Thinking Schools Ethiopia – part of Eminence 
Social Entrepreneurs, a local non-governmental organisation for the work it is doing to promote the concept and practice of Thinking Schools Ethiopia.
Thinking Schools Ethiopia aims to promote modern teaching and learning methods in Ethiopian schools through the Thinking Maps Methodology and Whole School System. IICBA, as an Institute engaged in the promotion of modern pedagogy and support to teacher education institutions in Africa has been participating in the workshops that were organised to familiarise school teachers in Addis Ababa with the methodology and confirms that the new approach to teaching and learning be very beneficial to students in Ethiopian schools.
As part of Eminence’s commitment to “rejuvenating and transforming the delivery of services in Ethiopia”, llCBA believes that the Thinking Schools Ethiopia exercise will introduce a new dimension in the way teachers think about teaching and students about learning.’
Sincerely,
“I would like to see this continue in some form…this was a complete success…to have on an ongoing basis…for public school teachers…that would assist the whole education system in the country because this was a workshop about changing minds…acquiring a new set of beliefs about what education is all about…”
Video interview with
Dr. Awol Endris, Program Director at UNESCO - International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa, after participating in full five day Thinking Schools Ethiopia training in Addis Ababa.
Initiative Africa - All Children Read
The All Children Reading Initiative focuses on students thinking and reading (decoding, comprehension, thinking methodologies) including educators developing a reflective teaching practice through action research. Initiative Africa is collaborating with Thinking Schools Ethiopia on the implementation of the model project. The initial two day training with Principals from the 33 participating schools from 3 regions in Ethiopia was held in Addis Ababa in June 2013.
• read the Thinking Schools Blog Entry
•
Initiative Africa website
