The Big Book of Independent Thinking

Do things no one does or do things everyone does in a way no one does

Ian Gilbert

• Publisher: Crown House Publishing
• Year: 2006
• Print ISBN: 9781904424383
• eBook ISBN: 9781845905545
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

In 1992 Ian Gilbert, author of the highly acclaimed Essential Motivation in the Classroom founded Independent Thinking Ltd (ITL). His aim was to 'enrich young people's lives by changing the way they think and so to change the world'. He has done this by gathering together a disparate group of associates specialists in the workings of the brain, discipline, emotional intelligence, ICT, motivation, using music in learning, creativity and dealing with the disaffected. ITL achieve their objective by 'doing what no one else does or doing what everyone else does in a way no one else does'. With a chapter from each of the associates plus an introduction and commentary by Ian Gilbert, this is the definitive guide for anyone wishing to understand and use some of the thinking that makes ITL such a unique and successful organisation. If you're looking for a quick 'How to'guide and a series of photocopiable worksheets you can knock out for a last minute PSHE lesson or because the INSET provider you had booked has let you down at the last minute and you're the only member of the middle management team who didn't attend the last planning meeting so you've ended up with the job of stepping in to fill in the gap, then this is the book for you. As befitting a disparate group of people brought together under the banner of Independent Thinking, these chapters are to get you thinking for yourself thinking about what you do, why you do what you do and whether doing it that way is the best thing at all. This book is meant to be dipped into, with not every chapter being relevant for everybody all of the time. Some chapters are written with the classroom practitioner very much in mind, others with the students in mind, other still with an eye on school leaders. That said, there is something here for everyone so we encourage you to dip into it with a highlighter pen in one hand and a notebook in the other to capture the main messages and ideas that resonate with you. So, does the assembly you're about to give, or that lesson on 'forcesyou're about to deliver or that staff meeting you're about to lead or that new intake parents evening you're planning look like everyone else's anywhere else? If so, then what about sitting down with your independent thinking hat on and identifying how you can make it so that we couldn't drop you into a totally different school on the other side of the country without anyone noticing the difference. Have the confidence to be memorable the world of education needs you to be great.

Chapter 1

On Love, Laughter and Learning

David Keeling

Before I leap dramatically into the chapter, I would like to begin by doing this same exercise with you, the reader, right now, to keep you on your toes and to make sure that you are not just flicking through to find the pictures.

It is an exercise that I always do at the beginning of my sessions. I do it because my work within education is usually centred on one word: success. So, I like to check with the group to see how successful the one hour, morning or day will be and what responsibility the group are taking to make sure that it is as successful as it can be.

A great pal of mine and fellow Independent Thinker, Roy Leighton (see Chapter 7), trained in Kabuki theatre in Japan and they use this exercise as a technique for getting into what they call a ‘state of flow’ or a readiness to be absolutely fantastic.

I’d like to put you in this state now by checking three things – your levels of:

• Energy;
• Openness; and
• Focus.

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is low and 10 is high, what is your level of ‘Energy’ at this moment in time?

I normally get the students to shout their answers out after a count of three, but I suggest you do it in your head so as not to distress those who may be close by.

If you think you are a ‘1’ then please – and I think this is the correct term – ‘be arsed’ to have a go. If you don’t try, how will you ever know? And if you think you’re a ‘10’ try not to go through the roof!

Now do the same for ‘Openness’, by which I mean how open are you to getting involved in your learning, to contributing, to believing that you can change the way you think about yourself, where you are going and what you can achieve?

Finally, do the same for ‘Focus’. What’s your focus like at this moment in time? Is this the fifth time you’ve read this sentence? Are you already wondering what’s for tea tonight or thinking, ‘Does my bum look big in this?’

Many of the kids I come into contact with find it almost impossible to exist in the ‘here and now’, for they are constantly preoccupied with other things that are not related to the task in hand.

I have been to many sessions where some of the audience (normally those sitting at the back) express that they are here against their will and would much rather be somewhere else. The only problem I have with this is that they can’t go anywhere else, but if they continue to focus on what is out of their control then they risk not getting anything valuable done – and what is the point of that?

A Chinese proverb loosely translated puts this argument beautifully: ‘If you have one foot in the past and one foot in the future you will piss on today.’

So I ask you again, what is your focus like at this moment in time? Jot your scores down for Energy, Openness and Focus and we’ll come back to them later.

Now that we’ve worked out what sort of state of readiness you are in for a chapter such as this, let’s get on with the main thrust of what I have to say. All that you will read in this chapter has come together over a ten-year period to challenge the hearts, minds and spirits of kids from all over the country.

When I say kids, I mean either big kids (anyone 16–116), including, parents, teachers, care workers, businessmen and -women), or little kids (anyone aged 6–16), this time including high achievers, the gifted and talented, C/D borderline, EBD (those with emotional and behavioural difficulties) or indeed SBQs (smart but quiet kids, the ones who just seem to get on with it and who are often the most neglected).

All of the work I’m involved in is geared towards improving self-esteem, self-expectation, motivation, confidence, goal setting, visioning skills, success, the brain and how it works and how amazing it is, dealing with change and creativity within the individual. These areas are explored and expressed in a unique way incorporating anything from stories, quotes, jokes, games, improvisation, forum theatre, practical strategies, music, magic and boundless energy.

Ultimately, all of the above has been used to help people become more confident learners and enable them to find ways of embracing change, developing the qualities required for success and finding their own sense of happiness.

Oh, yes, I almost forgot: the majority of the work that I do in schools is with disaffected kids. For eight years, involving thirteen schools, and more than eleven thousand young people, Independent Thinking associate Roy Leighton and I have been running programmes alongside the Raising Standards Partnership in and around Northamptonshire that have the sole purpose of enabling these youngsters to feel ‘capable’ and ‘lovable’ – two words that for us are the real definition of self-esteem.

We have achieved so much within these schools using a technique called ‘forum theatre’. (It’s a bit like role play but less damaging.) The main aim of this theatrical device is to set up a scenario based on the ideas given to us by students involved in the programme. During the scene there will always be a point of conflict between the characters, which needs to be addressed by the members of the audience, who have now taken the role of directors. It is their job to stop the action whenever they feel that the characters are doing something wrong, e.g. being disrespectful, arguing, intimidating someone or being ridiculous (this is usually my job).

At this point the directors have the power to give advice to the actors on what they could be doing to improve the scene and generate a more positive and beneficial conclusion. The scene can then be rerun as many times as it takes until the best possible outcome is achieved.

Where this device has really come into its own is when the kids decide that they no longer want to be spectators and instead become ‘spect-actors’. In this role, the kids get the opportunity to replace the actors and lead from the front in terms of resolving the onstage conflict. This allows the students, within a safe environment, the chance to rehearse their successes. There are no right or wrongs: there is just participation and a desire to transform the action into a more positive direction.

For the kids I have worked with on these programmes, this experience has helped no end in the building of confidence and an openness to look at things differently and to try many ways to create successes. It is through my experiences here and also as an associate of Independent Thinking for over five years working the length and breadth of the country that I feel ably qualified to give advice and suggestions to you in your work with disaffected young people.

My work for Independent Thinking has taken me to some of the most glamorous and exotic places that England has to offer, from Bolton and Stockport to Middlesbrough and Wigan; but, whatever the brief, the outcome and the feedback is always the same. People are genuinely enthused, empowered, excited and enlightened by the information, ideas and theories that they are discovering during these sessions, and there is a huge desire to find out more and at least attempt to do something with this newfound knowledge.

It was my intention, when I started work in education, to ‘put a bit back’ as they say – and to generate some extra income! It is now a passion to create unique experiences and to enthuse young people regarding the many possibilities that taking control over their life can offer, and to encourage people to think, feel and act in order to create a life they want and dream of, rather than a life that was forced upon them or that was left to chance. It is my aim within this chapter to share with you some of my educational experiences and to provide you with some practical strategies that I hope will support you in your work with young people.

All of this aside, it has also been bloody good fun!

I’ve made many friends and I have probably learned more myself than anybody I’ve worked with because, after all, the biggest learner in the classroom should be the teacher – am I right or am I right?

Before I take you through some of the strategies and techniques that I have utilised in my work over the years, let me share with you a couple of thoughts from two heroes of mine (although I know which one I would rather have on my side in a fight):

All great acts of genius began with the same statement, let us not be constrained by our present reality.

– Leonardo da Vinci

Let no way be the way. Let no limitation be limitation.

– Bruce Lee

But less about them and more about me. Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Keeling, David Keeling, or the Ginger Ninja – or, to the thousands of young people I have worked with, the Ginger Man. Not especially creative, or indeed easy to put on the front of my costume, but it suits me and I like it!

Let me give you a bit of my background. I was born in Sheffield in 1973 and was schooled in Nottinghamshire (Dayncourt Comprehensive). I have six GCSEs (failed maths and physics), two and a half A-levels and a diploma in acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. It is important to point out that none of the above has ever had any bearing, qualifications-wise, on what I do now as a profession.

On the other hand, my attitude towards myself, the people around me and the environment that I find myself in, most certainly has. I work all over the country and talk to a lot of people about their school experiences, and I never cease to be amazed at how similar their experiences are to mine. At infant and junior school I was having a whale of a time, every day playing with Plasticine and drinking free milk. Occasionally, I had to do PE in my pants and vest, but I’ve had the therapy and I’m feeling much better for it. I don’t know about you, but I found that my polyester two-piece chafed a bit. Especially when I was exiting from a forward roll.

It was a fun-filled creative time that lulled me into a false sense of security with regard to my future educational experiences, because what happened next was secondary school!

When I arrived on my first day, the backside fell out of my universe. Gone was the fun, creative, milk-drinking gymnastics of my primary years, replaced by desks, chalk and talk and textbook after textbook after textbook. For me the creativity, the imagination and the spontaneity had gone and in its place was boredom. Secondary school became, in my experience, a five-year exercise in wasting time. I actually learned more when I left school (not an uncommon event in my experience).

Luckily, three things got me through my comprehensive school experience:

• a good sense of humour;
• the ability to get on with people; and
• a vision.

1. A good sense of humour

Being ginger and chubby at comprehensive school is not a good combination. Fortunately, I’ve since blossomed into a beautiful swan. A ginger swan, I know. Life can be hard enough, so we should be encouraged to have more fun in everything we do.

Andrew Curran, consultant paediatric neurologist and fellow Independent Thinking associate (see Chapter 6), says quite clearly, if not a little ungrammatically, ‘If your heart’s not engaged then your head don’t work.’ So many of the disaffected kids I spend time with are suffering from this dilemma. They feel low or angry within themselves and thus become either reactive or switched off. This disengages the brain and leaves them with a strong sense of feeling incapable and stupid.

If anyone in your life has ever suggested, hinted or quite blatantly said that you are stupid or incapable, then they are wrong and I will willingly pay them a visit to explain why!

Never underestimate anyone – it is the most dangerous form of arrogance.

– Anon

Unfortunately, many of the kids I’ve seen, for whatever reasons, have spent a good deal of their lives being told that they are thick, stupid and useless and will never amount to anything by the very people they trust and look up to the most: parents, teachers and some friends. This can have a massive impact on a youngster’s expectations, self-esteem and perception of what they can achieve with their lives.

The work I do is aiming to create a safe environment for these young people to rediscover their childlike curiosity for learning and to begin the rebuilding of their confidence and expectation of themselves. A good sense of humour and an ability to find fun in learning are, therefore, vital.

W...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Acknowledgements
• Table of Contents
• Introduction to Independent Thinking Ltd
• Ten Things You Should Know Before You Read This Book
• Introducing David Keeling
• Chapter 1 : On Love, Laughter and Learning
• Introducing Nina Jackson
• Chapter 2 : Music and the Mind
• Introducing Jim Roberson
• Chapter 3 : The Disciplined Approach
• Introducing Matt Gray
• Chapter 4 : ‘Lo Mejor es Enemigo de lo Bueno’
• Introducing Guy Shearer
• Chapter 5 : Peek! Copy! Do! The Creative Use of IT in the Classroom
• Introducing Andrew Curran
• Chapter 6 : How the ‘Brian’ Works
• Introducing Roy Leighton
• Chapter 7 : Living a Creative Life
• Introducing Michael Brearley
• Chapter 8 : Build the Emotionally Intelligent School
• Copyright