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APPENDIX B: PROCEDURES FOR

CREATING A CULTURE OF THINKING


Modeling thinking
To do this, I verbalized questions, connections or thoughts I had as I came across new
information. Sometimes, in listening to a talk or watching a video, I scribbled my thoughts on a
board nearby so that students could see how my mind was thinking about what I was hearing.
Frequently, when I researched something on the Internet, I talked through the process of coming
across a new piece of information and connecting it to something I already knew or asking more
questions to drive my research deeper into the subject.

Establishing time for thinking
Rather than diving into new material related to class projects, I scheduled in time to allow
students to express their thinking about the material prior to learning anything new. Sometimes we
posted wonderings around the new topic and sometimes connections we had to the topic.
Throughout projects too, we stopped frequently and took time to discuss what new thoughts were
popping up for us around what we were learning. This way, students could share out their
thinking, and I encouraged the practice of working with new ideas, rather than just memorizing
them.

Making thinking visible through the use of Harvards Project Zero Visible Thinking Routines (Appendix D)
These activity helped to cultivate students' thinking skills and dispositions and deepen content
learning. The routine is a straightforward list of steps for students to follow that encourages
deeper understanding of a topic.

Capturing thinking in visual displays around the classroom.
This involved deliberately organizing thinking on paper to help students visualize what was
happening in our minds. Rather than just sharing out ideas, we often wrote them on posters using
various graphic organizers to arrange our thoughts. Then instead of completed work displayed in
the classroom, the walls were filled with our brainwork dumped on paper.

Reflecting on thinking
At various times throughout the year, we had discussions or reflected on paper about thinking
and how certain strategies helped or hindered our understanding of new ideas. For example, we
had a conversation about the purpose of questioning to develop an understanding of this thinking
technique and it revealed current ideas or myths my students had around thinking that I then
worked to encourage or dispel.