Making Thinking Visible

The concept of “making thinking visible” is not new.  In fact, it is a core component of schooling and learning – students externalize their thoughts through speaking, writing, drawing, or some other method.  An ASCD Educational Leadership article titled “Making Thinking Visible” is dense with good information and strategies.  The article describes a Project Zero initiative called “Visible Thinking”, explaining the six key principles of Visible Thinking, strategies to promote it, and effects on learning.

A couple of the key principles:

• Learning is a consequence of thinking.  Or, in other words, thinking through concepts results in learning.  And, thinking through concepts is best done collaboratively.
• Good thinking is not only a skill but a disposition.  Open-mindedness, curiosity, and creativity need to be encouraged. 

Strategies to promote making thinking visible:

• Thinking routines offer structure to support thinking.  A couple of examples:
  • “Think-Puzzle-Explore” prompts students to share what they think about a topic, identify questions they puzzle about, and target ideas to explore.  While this strategy is similar to the KWL strategy, by using the term “think” instead of “know” a shift occurs from absolutes to possibilities and openness.  This gets back to the principle that good thinking is not just a skill but a disposition.
  • “See-Think-Wonder” routine sparks creativity and inquiry by prompting students to make observations about an object, image or event by answering these three questions:  1) what do you see?  2) what do you think about that?  3) what does it make you wonder?
• Consistent teacher prompts – after a student states an idea or opinion, ask the student “What makes you say that?”  Soon, students will naturally justify their ideas without prompting.

Effects of Making Thinking Visible:

• Classroom activities become more learning oriented than work oriented. 
• All students feel they have a voice and participation is enhanced (in quantity and quality).
• Long Lake Elementary school in Michigan has been implementing Visible Thinking ideas since 2004 and student scores have significantly increased on state and district tests in reading, writing, and social studies.

Using Interactive Whiteboards to support making thinking visible:

• An IWB can serve as a shared collaboration space, a notational system that makes collective thinking visible.  With collective thinking visible, memory is freed up for more complex tasks.
• The tools and functions of the IWB support varied forms of expression – text (typed or handwritten), images (drawn or camera), audio, and video – and supports the layering of expression over time.  In a classroom this promotes time for reflection.
• An IWB offers teachers a way to save all thinking documented on the board.  In this way, it captures learning over time and supports teacher in more accurately assessing students’ understanding.

I always come back to this key question – “Are you asking students to think or to remember?”

Curriculum – the secret to educational reform?

This Curriculum Matters’ blog post highlighting a new book called Tyranny of the Textbook:  An Insider Exposes How Educational Materials Undermine Reforms written by Beverlee Jobrack, retired editorial director for McGraw-Hill, raises some thought-provoking ideas.  Here are a couple of ideas shared via the post:

• School and district committees for curriculum selection filled with teachers and others who lack the appropriate expertise, motivation, and time to make the best choices;
• State textbook adoptions focused on whether curricular materials meet state standards, line by line, with little or no attention to whether they actually are of high quality and represent a coherent and well-designed instructional approach.

Some very generalized statements – just the type to spark controversy and discussion which usually seems to begin the change process.  Jobrack’s overarching message is “Quality curriculum taught by quality teachers has the most potential to improve student achievement.”

Have a look at the post.  It’s worth the read – especially with today’s priority to implement the Common Core State Standards.  As the Common Core State Standards initiative drives us to think about instructional shifts, let’s be sure to give curriculum the attention it deserves.

Readers of eSchool News Select Top Resources for 2012

This article highlights 50 technology programs and services that readers selected as winners for 2012.  You’ll see some familiar ones and several unique ones.  The resources are quite varied – ranging from LMS platforms to math curricula to assistive technologies to digital books – so it is worth a quick scroll through.  Two products on the list that we know quite well are BrainPOP and Safari Montage!

Promethean Planet – Best of 2011

I love the end of the year/new year “best of” features.  It’s nice to look back, review, recognize growth and progress, and spotlight the best of the best.  In 2011, Promethean Planet started with 26,000 resources and ended the year with over 50,000 interactive resources.  Also worth noting is the million member milestone achieved in July.  All good signs that the Planet is thriving as a useful, valuable community.  To see the top 10 most downloaded flipcharts and resource packs, click here.  You know these must be high-quality! 

And, not to be missed is the 2011 top 10 Edublog articles.  Here you’ll find tips and strategies pertaining to using iPads in the ActivClassroom, QR codes, comic strips, and more.  Take advantage of these great “summaries” to kick start new thinking in 2012!

Edutopia’s New Year’s Resolution: Think Differently

Happy New Year!  I can’t resist the opportunity to share a post from Edutopia’s eNewsletter.  First, I love the theme of the newsletter – “New Year’s Resolution:  Think Differently”.  Secondly, I appreciated the article “Discover Design Thinking” as it provides a nice overview of the design process and offers an application example.  I’ve blogged about design thinking in the past.  You can find posts here and here.  In this Edutopia article, the author, Betty Ray, Edutopia’s senior blog editor and community manager, also weaves in ideas for application in the classroom with students.  Design thinking is one of those inspiring and creative frameworks that sounds great in practice but can be challenging to implement.  This article is excellent in that it succinctly describes the process in action within the educational arena, with both teachers and students leading the way. 

Let’s start thinking differently now!  

December Power User Workshop Recap

On Monday, December 19^th, 64 dedicated teachers spent their day at Waipahu High School learning more about the Promethean ActivClassroom. Teachers were treated to presentations created by IAAK specialists as well as teachers from various schools around the island.  The Power User Workshop offered teachers of all skill levels something of value – from learning the basics to discovering new ways to add interactivity and engagement to lessons.  Many thanks to our wonderful teacher presenters, Heather Byrne, Danice Mineshima, Ann Tanaka, Cindy Wong, Judy Tateyama, Liz Castillo, and Midori Burton, who graciously volunteered to share their expertise with others.

Click on the links below to explore the excellent resources shared during the workshop.

• Basic Orientation for Teachers
• Introduction to Learner Response Systems
• ActivInspire 101:  Beyond the Basics
• Making Flipcharts with the ActivInspire Camera
• Making it Active!