Sustained Shared Thinking - Practical Pre-School Books

Helm and Katz (2001) explain that rather than give children
information, practitioners should give them time and space
to obtain it for themselves. Practitioners can help with this by
facilitating discussion, encouraging children to talk together
and ask questions of each other as well as adults. This involves
asking open questions, a difficult skill that takes time and
practice to develop. For examples of open questions, see the
prompt card on an investigation area below. It can be made
easier by including question ideas on planning and observation
documents. It is also a good idea to display reminders around
the learning environment that will serve as prompts for all
practitioners. This can be done in the following ways:
Display open questions both inside and outside
These serve as prompts for practitioners who are seeking to
develop a conversation with a child in order to help further
their thinking. The questions are intended to act as inspiration
for practitioners, who need only glance up for a moment to
get an idea about what to ask next. They also serve as useful
prompts for additional adults such as students, parents and
support staff, who might be new to the setting.
Create sustained shared thinking cards
It is also helpful to display cards that promote sustained
shared thinking in each area of provision within the setting.
These cards have suggestions for open-ended questions and
useful key words that can be introduced into conversation. In
addition, the cards might highlight where such activities fit
into the curriculum.
Set up informative displays
Informative displays set at the children’s eye level are also an
effective way to prompt discussion. Such displays might feature
posters or photographs with snippets of information and questions
about the project theme. These displays can be used to provide
information and stimulate conversation about a subject. Helm
and Katz (2001) suggest also mounting children’s questions for
investigation in the relevant areas of provision around the setting.
Reflect with the children
Display photographs of the children taken while they were
involved in their investigations. These photographs can be
captioned with questions or observation notes and quotations
An example of a sustained shared thinking card for the investigation area
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Using projects to promote sustained shared thinking by Marianne Sargent - Author of The Project Approach in Early Years Provision