Unlocking higher-order thinking skills - Exploring systems thinking, analogical problem solving and metacognition - Workshop

Oct 23, 2026

Workshop for secondary classrooms focused on unlocking higher-order thinking skills within the Cambridge Pathway. It guides participants to connect skills and knowledge through systems thinking, “kind” and “wicked” problem-solving, analogical reasoning, and metacognition. Sessions address best teaching practices and the link between higher order thinking skills and Cambridge learner attributes. Interactive activities support learners in building future-ready capabilities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages31

Reading Time1 h 18 min

AccessFree to download

Today’s workshop

Let’s start with a question

The good news

What are ‘future’ skills?

Nine meta-categories of future skills

Unlocking higher-order thinking skills Exploring systems thinking, analogical problem solving and metacognition in our secondary classrooms Irenka Suto, Florence Kemsley Cambridge Schools Conference, December 2025 Future-ready: preparing learners to thrive |
Presenters | | --- | |
Irenka Suto Florence Kemsley | Today’s workshop This workshop delves into the connections between skills and knowledge in the Cambridge Pathway. You will: • explore systems thinking, kind and wicked problem-solving, analogical and metacognitive skills • discuss best teaching practices and share experiences • examine the relationship between higher order thinking skills and the Cambridge learner attributes • participate in activities to help learners develop these skills. Cambridge Schools Conference, December 2025 Future-ready: preparing learners to thrive |
Let’s start with a question
What will be more important for today’s learners, thinking about equipping them well for the future?
You might want to consider technology change, sustainability issues, the pace of change, wellbeing:
A. Knowledge?
B. Skills?
C. Both knowledge and skills? |
Cambridge Schools Conference, December 2025
Future-ready: preparing learners to thrive | | --- | --- | | Can’t we access all the information we need instantly?
| | | --- | --- | | | | | Cambridge Schools Conference, December 2025
Future-ready: preparing learners to thrive | | The good news Curricula can be both knowledge-rich AND skills-rich. Skills and knowledge are deeply intertwined. “Deeper thinking skills need content on which to work. You cannot use deeper thinking skills unless you have something to think about.”(John Hattie, 2015) Cambridge Schools Conference, December 2025 Future-ready: preparing learners to thrive | Just about the simplest model of the mind possible
| | | | --- | --- | --- | | | | Working memory
(Your mental notepad) Long-term memory
(Storehouse of factual & procedural knowledge) | | Cambridge Schools Conference, December 2025
Future-ready: preparing learners to thrive | | | | Just about the simplest model of the mind possible
| | | | --- | --- | --- | |

Problem-solving requires:
- Adequate info from the environment
- The required facts & procedures in the longterm memory
- Room in the working memory | | Working memory
(Your mental notepad) Long-term memory
(Storehouse of factual & procedural knowledge) | | | Cambridge Schools Conference, December 2025
Future-ready: preparing learners to thrive | | What are ‘future’ skills? • There are hundreds of skills that could be considered necessary for the future. • Researchers in the Digital Education Futures Initiative (DEFI) reviewed 99 frameworks. Their analysis generated this figure. Cambridge Schools Conference, December 2025 Future-ready: preparing learners to thrive Nine meta-categories of future skills DEFI researchers recently conducted a scoping review (Kotsiou et al. 2022), analysing 99 frameworks of future skills which cover 341 skills. These skills were grouped into nine meta-categories. Higher order thinking skills Dialogue skills Digital & STEM literacy Values Selfmanagement Lifelong learning Enterprise/ innovation Leadership skills Flexibility Cambridge Schools Conference, December 2025 Future-ready: preparing learners to thrive

FAQs

What does the workshop aim to do for secondary classrooms?

It delves into the connections between skills and knowledge in the Cambridge Pathway, and helps participants develop learners’ higher-order and future-ready thinking through practical activities.

Which thinking skills does the workshop focus on?

It emphasizes systems thinking, kind and wicked problem-solving, analogical problem solving, and metacognition.

How are “future” skills characterized in the session?

The session explains that researchers reviewed 99 frameworks, covering 341 skills, and grouped them into nine meta-categories of future skills.

Oct 23, 2026

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