Visible Thinking is not a program; rather, it is a framework and philosophy for educators to use when creating inquiry-based learning opportunities that engage students in higher-level thinking skills.
What visible thinking looks like in a classroom:
How should I teach if the test is given a year? What type of adults do I want our children to become? Is our classroom a place that prepares us for the real world, or can our classroom be the real world? These questions help guide my daily decisions when designing for our classroom. As we move into the conceptual age, my concentration is to provide students with a foundation in considering viewpoints, describing in detail what is there, reasoning with evidence, building explanations, making connections, forming conclusions, generating thoughtful questions, and uncovering complexities. These skills will serve them well in the future.
Thinking routines are the tools we use to unearth each child's thoughts and interests with subject matter. There are over forty thinking routines that are used at all grade levels and across all areas of curriculum. Examples of students practicing visible thinking:
What visible thinking looks like in a classroom:
- Focuses on the individual student as well as the collective thinking and collaboration of the entire class.
- Allows for natural differentiation by following students' interests throughout units of study.
- Concentrates on teaching for understanding, rather than for the sake of memorizing and repeating, so that knowledge can be applied to scenarios outside of the classroom.
- Requires active participation by all students and invites our learners' curiosities to help drive instruction.
- Provides teachers with a tangible view of students' thinking. Misconceptions, prior knowledge, reasoning ability, and degrees of understanding are more likely to be uncovered.
How should I teach if the test is given a year? What type of adults do I want our children to become? Is our classroom a place that prepares us for the real world, or can our classroom be the real world? These questions help guide my daily decisions when designing for our classroom. As we move into the conceptual age, my concentration is to provide students with a foundation in considering viewpoints, describing in detail what is there, reasoning with evidence, building explanations, making connections, forming conclusions, generating thoughtful questions, and uncovering complexities. These skills will serve them well in the future.
Thinking routines are the tools we use to unearth each child's thoughts and interests with subject matter. There are over forty thinking routines that are used at all grade levels and across all areas of curriculum. Examples of students practicing visible thinking:
Is it more important to be right or kind?
Learning is the consequence of good thinking. -David Perkins, Harvard University