The UQCTP has established a wide range of programs across primary and secondary school education, tertiary education, professional development, and community engagement. Targeted areas include:
- Helping students at all levels develop critical and creative thinking
- Improving school performance
- Widening academic participation and improving academic retention among marginalised students
- Assisting teachers in embedding and evaluating critical thinking in the curriculum
- Promoting the educational and social value of critical thinking and autonomous inquiry
Professional development
The Aspiring Thinkers Network (ATN) is a professional learning network designed to create education leaders in Teaching for Thinking.
Curriculum development and teacher training
The UQCTP assists schools in embedding Critical Thinking across the curriculum, develop Philosophy units, and train tachers in the UQCTP pedagogy. Schools that have already benefited from this program include Brisbane Boys Grammar School, Cavendish Road State High School, and Helensvale State High School.
Skill development
WRIT1999: Effective Thinking and Writing is an intensive university course offered to year 12 students as part of the UQ Enhanced Studies Program. The goal of the course is to assist students from specific backgrounds to improve their Year 12 performance and gain access to university. For this reason, WRIT1999 is restricted to students attending eligible schools, or identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders.
The UQCTP offers yearly workshops in Critical Thinking and assignment strategies to new UQ students in UQLink and YAP programs. The workshops are designed to introduce student to argument mapping, textual analysis, and addressing assessment criteria relating to critical thinking, clarity, and precision.
Student engagement
Philosothon is a program of the Federation of Australian Philosophy in Schools Associations, designed to develop the ability of students to critically analyse ideas and concepts, improve skills in argumentation, and to collaboratively explore philosophical issues. Private and state schools compete, and participants are judged on the quality of their synthesis, their ability to develop ideas collaboratively, and to use the methodology of philosophy to think critically about issues. The UQCTP has provided organisers, evaluators and facilitators for Philosothons at the state and national level.
University experience days
The UQCTP organises event days at UQ for primary and secondary school students. Every year, more than thirty disciplines across all UQ faculties and institutes participate by providing workshops and hand-on showcases. Students gain first hand experience of what research, study and careers are made possible to them through a university education. UQ student leaders and ambassadors assist visiting students with their activities, conduct campus tours and advise them on what life at university is like.
Curriculum and assessment
Philosophy and Reason is a Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority subject that focuses on teaching critical thinking skills. The subject provides excellent results on the Queensland Core Skills Test. Peter Ellerton from the UQCTP sits on the State review Panel for Philosophy and Reason, which moderates all work through the state in this subject, and also leads the syllabus Expert Writing Team, which upgraded the Philosophy and Reason syllabus in 2014.