Roedean School (SA) in Parktown was recently awarded Advanced Accreditation as a Thinking School.
The prestigious recognition came from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. Dr Sonja Vandeleur, who is the head of the department for Cognitive Education at Roedean, said the school started its Thinking School journey in 2009, with the realisation that an explicit, whole-school approach to build an effective learning community by using a common language of thinking was imperative.
The programme aims to develop and enhance the girls’ ability to exercise metacognition (awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes), reason logically, think strategically, problem-solve, innovate, create, imagine, and communicate effectively. Vandeleur is supported by a teacher drive team and, in the senior school, a student drive team. Each drive team meets once a month to discuss ideas of implementation and ways forward for the programme.
“Explicit lessons in thinking are timetabled in both the senior and junior schools. The thinking skill strategies implemented throughout the school are based on thorough and well-accepted academic study and research,” Vandeleur explained.
She said in 2015, Roedean Junior School received its accreditation as a Thinking School, and got re-accredited in 2018. In 2016 and 2017, the lower senior school and upper senior school were accredited respectively. The recent accreditation means both the senior and junior schools complied with both Level 1 and Level 2 as laid down by the University of Exeter.
Vandeleur explained, “For Level 1, there are 15 criteria to be met. These criteria include whole school and senior management commitment, training of staff, the outcomes of the programme, and school ethos, amongst others. “Level 2 criteria, which is required for advanced accreditation, requires that staff and students alike have developed a deeper understanding of the principles of cognitive education and its impact on both their individual learning and its potential contribution to society at large.”
She added that being awarded Advanced Accreditation demonstrated the commitment of the staff and learners at Roedean to develop and grow as a thinking community. Vandeleur said Roedean would work towards being re-accredited in three years’ time. “This requires on-going training of academic staff, the embedding of thinking skills in all aspects of the school, and, most importantly, that our students continue to develop their skills as independent, reflective learners. “We strive to prepare our girls to lead a ‘life of significance’ and the Cognitive Education Programme plays an important role in this preparation.”
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