Spaldwick Community Primary, Spaldwick - Thinking with Pictures Case Study

Thanks to Alison Leaver, Teaching Assistant

Why did you choose Thinking with Pictures?

I saw Thinking with Pictures reviewed in an ICT magazine and thought it would be interesting to use in school with my pupils, particularly a pupil I have at the moment who has dyslexia. I had looked at Mind Mapping whilst on my Foundation Degree course and had found it very interesting. We also had a visit from a dyslexia advisor who mentioned this product.

Who is using Thinking with Pictures?

I have used Thinking with Pictures in two different ways. Firstly I have used it on a personal basis to help with planning of college assignments. The software enables me to 'brainstorm' a topic and note down everything I want to include in my essay.

The second use has been with two boys in year 6. One boy is dyslexic, he is brimming over with ideas but becomes frustrated when he cannot get them down on paper. The other child has Aspergers, he has problems writing down all his thoughts when planning a writing task and so we have found the software helpful with supporting his thought processes.

Several colleagues have seen Thinking with Pictures being used and are keen to try the software in their own classroom.

What curriculum areas and objectives does Thinking with Pictures support in your school?

So far the product has been used with pupils to support Literacy and Science teaching, however any subject where the pupils have to plan before writing could benefit from the use of the software.

In your opinion, does Thinking with Pictures support the learners’ participation and involvement in communication, interaction and curriculum related lessons/projects?

We are using Thinking with Pictures to allow all pupils in a class to fully participate in writing tasks. Thinking with Pictures is particularly effective because it allows them to organise their thoughts before they have to commit anything to paper.

Thinking with Pictures has also been effectively used with the interactive whiteboards in each classroom. It has allowed teachers to involve the whole class in thinking about the topic work they are about to undertake.

What did your pupils think of Thinking with Pictures?

Those who have had the opportunity to use Thinking with Pictures have been very enthusiastic. A new program is always given a great deal of consideration by the pupils who use it and this one was found by them to be helpful and clear to use.

How has Thinking with Pictures supported effective teaching?

Thinking with Pictures has given the teachers another tool to use with either groups, whole classes or for one-on-one work with individual pupils. The maps can be referred to while planning and working on an activity and they can be used to summarise once an activity has been completed.

Major successes resulting from Thinking with Pictures:

My own personal use of Thinking with Pictures has been within my degree course, where I have used it to plan my assignments and order my thoughts. My use of this program has enabled me to plan my work during a spare 5 minutes when I have had my best ideas! I have found the maps I produce to be invaluable. I can add ideas and thoughts to my maps over a period of time, this has proved to be especially useful as I have had to show the progression of my thoughts. This is easy when I can save every stage of a map as a different file.

What you did?

Using Thinking with Pictures I have taken a topic title, broken it down and worked out my assignment contents on individual pages. I have then been able to show how I have adapted work for different children and how my planning has progressed.

What objectives were achieved and how were they assessed?

I have passed all my college assignments so far! Thinking with Pictures has enabled me to see where I am, what I have still to include and areas where I need to find more information. These are also objectives that would be appropriate within a classroom environment.

Quotes:

“Keep up the good work!”