What is Sustained Shared Thinking? 

Sustained Shared Thinking can be described as a period of time in which two or more individuals are working together, both holding concentration on a specific task and working collaboratively to co-construct knowledge, skills and behaviours. Sustained Shared Thinking can only occur if both individuals are equally developing, promoting and maintaining the thinking, which is focused on collective understanding and a shared goal of the task at hand. The task can range from the metaphysical, such as a conversation around a shared problem or topic of interest, to an actual physical endeavour.

Sustained Sharing thinking, as mentioned above, is a mutual partnership where each individual engages with one another; however, it is not enough for them to just sustain their shared thinking and activities. It must also develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours of those involved in order to be considered Sustained Shared Thinking. When cared out correctly, it can allow for effective and high-quality learning to take place, which is of a higher standard than if the learning was conducted in a solitary manner.

Furthermore, in order for Sustained Shared Thinking to occur and enable the effective and high-quality learning that it has the potential to provide, all individuals involved must be fully immersed in the task. This requires all individuals to be able to provide and hold a prolonged and absorbed focus on one another and the task at hand. These prolonged and absorbed focus on the other person enabled an individual unique opportunities to see and understand the world through the perspective of another person. As well as this, the individuals within the Sustained Shared thinking are also able to develop and promote softer and harder to traditionally taught knowledge, skills and behaviours such as social interaction, creative and critical thinking and the processing and understanding of factual information.

The term Sustained Shared Thinking has its origins within the Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years Project (REPEY) that concluded and shared its findings in 2002. However, it wasn’t until two years later that it began to gain an elevated status within early years and educational pedagogical practice when It was then used and promoted in the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) in 2004. These projects and research have since been cited and used to inform the formation of the Early Years curriculum in England, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.