TASC: Thinking Actively in a Social Context. A universal problem-solving process

Abstract

All children are born with the gifts of curiosity and creativity – and an insatiable appetite for asking questions to find out about the world in which they live. Fostering these questions and developing inquisitive and investigating minds is one of the essential roles of parent and teacher, and the processes of enquiry are the necessary routes for nurturing and developing all children’s potential for thoughtful discovery. The ethos of this paper is that ‘every child matters’, and the underlying message is one of ‘inclusion with differentiation’. The theme flowing throughout is that teachers and learners need to work interactively to construct knowledge; and, together, through this interaction, deep and sustained learning is promoted. When learners are truly involved in constructing knowledge for themselves, their motivation is high and both individual and group effort is sustained. Importantly, children in many communities are born into a rapidly changing technological world: they grow up using technological tools naturally, with ease and without fear, and they are often more proficient than their teachers! Learners are communicating globally, but all too often their technical skills and powers of communicating are not utilized in schools. In this paper Belle Wallace explains the Thinking Actively in a Social Context (TASC) Framework for thinking and problem-solving; Alessio Bernadelli recommends a wide range of software tools that he uses to develop TASC at secondary level; and Clare Molyneux and Clare Farrell describe a very successful primary project using TASC and Studywiz.

The role of collaboration in the cognitive development of young children: a systematic review

“…Thinking Actively in a Social Context (TASC; Wallace et al . ) is an educational framework to stimulate thinking and problem‐solving. Based on Vygotsky's principle of ZPD, small groups of mixed‐ability children work creatively and collaboratively on a task.…”

“…In order to facilitate positive collaborative interactions for this sub-group, it is likely to be advantageous to pair them with someone that they identify as a friend. Thinking Actively in a Social Context (TASC; Wallace et al 2012) is an educational framework to stimulate thinking and problemsolving. Based on Vygotsky's principle of ZPD, small groups of mixed-ability children work creatively and collaboratively on a task.…”

Gifted and Talented Services for EFL Learners in China: A Step-by-Step Guide to Propensity Score Matching Analysis in R

“…As suggested by Yuen et al [24], GT students spend less time practicing basic skills and benefit greatly from curriculum acceleration and higher-order thinking tasks. It is crucial to provide GT students with a learning environment where they can personalize and take ownership of their learning [25]. Because it is challenging for teachers to create equal opportunities for students with different levels of abilities in the same class [24], modifications of curriculum content and instruction or differentiated instruction for GT students are recommended [26][27][28][29].…”

The Impact of 21st Century Competencies on Future Job Seekers’ Diversity Readiness: A Developmental Perspective

“…How then can we ensure that learners stay focused on purposeful tasks when they are put through their overall challenge in class? According to Wallace et al (2012) learners are able to undertake a self-explanatory, collaborative, idea-sharing and developmental approach to their learning. By using TASC (Thinking Actively in a Social Context) approach, learners are guided through their challenge process.…”