Let's Think in English Hub

Let's Think in English

Richmond Hill Primary Academy is delighted to be working in partnership with Let’s Think in English. We are proud to be a hub school, offering training and support to our colleagues across the country.

At Richmond Hill, children from Year Two to Year Six experience a Let’s Think in English (LTE) lesson once every two weeks. Our Year One children begin the programme about half way through the year, once they have sufficiently learned the necessary skills such as turn-taking and listening. It is often cited as children’s favourite lesson – see the bottom of this page for some videos from lessons to see for yourself why so many children love it.

LTE and the hub school is led by Kelly Cousins, Ben Lodge and Laura Vickers. All have been trained in the Leading LTE course and are experienced and passionate practitioners. If you have any queries regarding the hub school please do not hesitate to get in touch.

What is Let’s Think in English and why use it?

Based on over thirty years of research from King’s College, London, Let's Think in English is a cognitive acceleration program designed to develop thinking skills through engagement with challenging texts. Let's Think in English is based on Vygotsky's social constructivist learning theory and Piaget's cognitive development principles, emphasizing the importance of cognitive challenge and social interaction in developing higher-order thinking skills.

The program uses high-quality literature, poetry, and other texts as a vehicle to develop children's cognitive abilities, particularly focusing on:

• Inferential thinking
• Reasoning skills
• Metacognition (thinking about thinking)
• Collaborative discussion skills
• Critical analysis

The program has been shown to help children:

• Develop deeper comprehension skills
• Become more confident in expressing and justifying their ideas
• Transfer thinking skills to other curriculum areas
• Improve their ability to engage with increasingly complex texts
• Enhance general reasoning abilities

What a lesson looks like

Let's Think in English sessions follow this structure:

1. Concrete Preparation: The teacher presents a carefully stimulus to the class using access strategies where appropriate to ensure it is accessible to all.
2. Social Construction: Students share their thinking in small groups or as a whole class, with the teacher facilitating rather than directing.
3. Cognitive Conflict: Children engage with thought-provoking questions that require them to:
• Make inferences beyond the literal
• Consider multiple interpretations
• Justify their thinking with evidence
• Build upon others' ideas
4. Metacognition: Time is dedicated to reflecting on the thinking processes used during the session.
5. Bridging: Follow up lessons will refer back to the LTE lesson and the reasoning skills developed in order to allow children to apply those skills in different contexts.

(Taken from the official Let's Think in English website: About Let's Think in English - Let's Think in English)

For more information on the programme, please contact LTE@richmond.doncaster.sch.uk, or call Kelly Cousins (Head of School & LTE Hub Lead) on 01302 782421.