Making thinking visible
Kari Cornett
Science
Grades 9-12
Floyd County School of Innovation
table of contents:
01
Introduction
04
Tools to Use
05
Testing Phase
06
Data Collection
07
Measurements and Analysis
08
Conclusion.
03
Research
02
Problem of Practice
My name is Kari Cornett and I am a 7th year science teacher at the Floyd County School of Innovation (FCSI) in Martin, Kentucky.
Introduction
I currently teach Earth and Space Science, Chemistry, Physics, and Aerospace Engineering at FCSI.
The problem of practice I have chosen is that of the idea that students are not adept at critical thinking, which is a necessary skill in science courses. Rather than have the ability to connect discrete ideas and concepts to one another, students today are seemingly incapable of viewing lessons as part of a broader picture and are unable to see how different topics fit together.
For example, my chemistry students can tell you how many atoms are in a compound and can say what a hydrocarbon is, but cannot write the formula for a hydrocarbon when given a specific number of each atom.
Problem of practice
As a result of witnessing this phenomenon occur again and again in my classroom, I have come to the conclusion that students do not possess the necessary skills to reason through new problems because they have not seen enough thinking made visible.
Therefore, I have chosen for my project to pursue strategies that will making thinking more visible in my classroom. The introduction of thinking routines more opportunities for making thinking visible will hopefully provide students with the “cognitive apprenticeship” they need in school, in order to complete tasks and learn to connect ideas to one another.
Problem of practice
According to Kirschner and Hendrick, “[f]or learners to learn something, it’s necessary for the teacher to make the reasoning and strategies needed to perform a task explicit. Otherwise, many students may learn to solve these specific assignments, but do so as a trick they learn by heart” (2020).
Research indicates that in order for students to really understand a concept and connect ideas to one another, they must be part of a “cognitive apprenticeship” under the teacher, in which the teacher guides them through thinking and reasoning processes.
Research
Tools to use
Students will be asked to walk the class through the thinking they used to arrive at a conclusion. The teacher will model this throughout class often.
3. CONNECT, EXTEND, CHALLENGE
Also from Harvard’s Project Zero, this strategy invites students to connect ideas, extend them by broadening their thinking, and determine how this new idea is challenging their previous way of thinking.
2. CLAIM, SUPPORT, QUESTION
From Harvard’s Project Zero, this strategy invites students to make a claim, identify support for their claim, and provide a question this raises for them.
Identify the problem of practice
Perform research and identify tools to use in the classroom
testing phase
Identify a class to use for testing
Teach Unit 1 as normal, without using thinking routines.
Collect data from class, in the form of MAP scores, formative, and summative assessments
Teach Unit 2 and incorporate thinking routines into the instruction
Collect data and compare to Unit 1 data to determine effect, if any
Data collection
MAP Scores (Science RIT)
Unit 1 Exam Scores
Formative Assessments (Quizzes)
measurements and analysis
Determine average growth from winter to spring MAP Science scores
Determine average growth in scores from Unit 1 to Unit 2 assessments
Determine average growth in quiz scores from Unit 1 to Unit 2 assessments
Conclusion
Incorporating visible thinking routines into the science classroom will hopefully benefit all students by providing them with the information and skills they need to connect concepts to one another.
If used correctly, visible thinking routines in the classroom should allow an observer to notice: higher test scores and more focused class discussions that incorporate higher order thinking skills.
Sources Cited
Kirschner, P. A., & Hendrick, C. (2020). “Cognitive Apprenticeship” Revisited. American Educator, 44(3), 37–40.
Project zero’s thinking routine toolbox. PZ’s Thinking Routines Toolbox | Project Zero. (n.d.). https://pz.harvard.edu/thinking-routines#CoreThinkingRoutines