Visible thinking

From the website http://www.visiblethinkingpz.org/:

VISIBLE THINKING ROUTINE

Visible Thinking challenges students to clarify their thinking and give them the opportunity to express their thought process in a number of ways. One of the best ways that I've found in mathematics is a variation of a technique called See-Think-Wonder.

This technique starts with a visual. In math, it can be a geometric shape, a multi-step equation, a visual pattern, etc. Students are then asked to record what they SEE. This can be challenging, as their immediate impulse is often to jump right to analysis. By slowing the process down, though, they are challenged to look at the entire visual and all of its components.

The next step is to THINK. Here, the students can begin to analyze what they've observed and start to make sense of it, but only after they've taken the opportunity to absorb the information they've been presented with.

Finally, they are asked to WONDER. They can take what they've seen, consider the connections of all of the elements, and then project beyond what they've been taught. This crucial step takes them out of a receive/report method of learning. It give them a no-pressure, low-stakes chance to consider additional possibilities.

EXAMPLE

This is an example of a 2-step equation, meaning that it takes 2 mathematical process to solve for x. In the See-Think=-Wonder exercise thjey could come up with something like the following:

SEE - There's an equal sign. There are 3 values in the top statement. There is one variable and two coefficients. We're asked what x equals. In the bottom statement, there are no coefficients or values, only one variable. The x is alone on one side of the equation.

THINK - We have to solve for x. We need to get rid of the coefficients. It's an equation, so needs to stay balanced.

WONDER - What happened to the value of 6? How do we get rid of the 12 and 10 coefficients? How do we get the x alone on one side of the equation?

From here, we can begin learning about solving 2-step equations, combining like terms, and isolating the variable.

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

My favorite Classroom Management technique is Doug Lemov's Strong Start. In this routine, students know that when they enter the classroom, they have a set routine and expectations to kick of the class time. This maximizes instructional time by giving the students their first order of business without requiring teacher instruction or oversight (Lemov, n.d.).

The best use fo this technique for my classroom will incorporate two things:

• Turning in homework, projects, or other take-homes that the students are expected to have ready for the start of class. By including this in the Strong Start Routine, we save class time that students would otherwise spend digging through their binders, folders, or backpacks to find the work, passing it along rows or moving through the class room to put the work in the teacher's hands. For example, instead of spending 3 - 5 minutes handing in papers, the teacher can pick up a stack of worksheets from the plastic bin.
• Gathering the day's warm-up and materials. The Warm-Up gives students the chance to get their minds aligned with the subject at hand. They can settle in, turn in their homework (et. al.) and get their heads in "math mode." The warm-up will be a review of previous material that students will need to be attuned to for the day's exercises. For example, if I'm going to teach the students about solving 2-step linear equations, the warm-up would be a reminder of what we covered in solving 1-step linear equations and the Order of Operations. Especially for math, it gets students in the mode of "math Think," using the specific language of mathematical notation.
• As a bonus, Strong Start gets the students working and allows the teacher the opportunity to transition into the class, too. Whether it's gathering additional materials for the class, addressing student a particular student's needs, or any of the other unexpected items that need attention throughout the day. For example, as students are working, the teacher can take attendance, finish an e-mail to a parent, and sign another student up for an extended learning opportunity without loss of instructional time.

Strong Start is an efficient technique to help ensure that both the teacher and the students are ready to teach and learn.