How To Encourage Thinking

I have been challenged this week to consider what it means to create a culture of thinking within the classroom and the wider school environment. Is an effective educational curriculum about completing outcomes, covering content and tying a neat bow with an end of unit assessment? A classroom that values a culture of thinking may well pursue outcomes, content and assessment. However, there will be an additional layer of mega-cognition as students know and understand how they learn.

A culture of thinking places high value on visible and reflective thinking. As teachers, we need to be aware of inhibiters which might suffocate a culture of thinking such as limited time, judgment from others and working in isolation. Development of thinking is fundamentally social and requires time for discussion and reflection. Some tools that can be used to encourage a culture of thinking may include making connections, considering different viewpoints, reflecting on abstract scenarios and reasoning with evidence.

Here are five tips for creating a culture of thinking in your classroom.

1. Teach explicitly: Help students articulate their thinking process. This might involve using a specific learning framework such as Habits of Mind or Building Learning Power.

2.  Provide opportunity: Give opportunity for students to explore their styles of thinking through a variety of tools, for example mind mapping, role play, journaling and discussion.

3. Model thinking: Model visible thinking habits to your students. Demonstrate to your students how you engage with thinking to derive solutions and dream of new possibilities.

4. Scaffolding: Make the process of thinking apparent through scaffolding steps. Scaffold ways for students to see connections, pose deep questions, use their imagination and distill key ideas.

5. Explore ideas: Provide opportunities for students to engage with their imagination and explore ideas fully.

Here are activities, which might be a good starting point to engender a culture of thinking:

• The answer is magic, what is the question?
• Overnight the grass turned red, what happened?
• If the wolf ran out of breath, what would have happened to the pigs?
• What are ten uses for chewing gum?
• Name things which are opposite.
• In what ways are a cloud and spoon alike?

Question for you: How do you encourage a culture of thinking in your classroom?