Learning Opportunities

Over the last decade there has been in explosion of interest in how teachers can best build a culture of thinking in their classrooms, nurture students as powerful thinkers and learners, and make thinking visible.  These goals are more important in times of disrupted learning than ever.  Through his research and writing Dr. Ron Ritchhart has been a leader in advancing this important work.  His book Making Thinking Visible, co-authored with Mark Church and Karin Morrison, did much to popularize the use of thinking routines in schools and museums around the world.  However, this has not been without challenges.  Some teachers merely use thinking routines as one-off activities or in a superficial way. 

In the new book, The Power of Making Thinking Visible, researchers Dr. Ron Ritchhart and Mark Church share their research into just what difference using making thinking visible practices makes for students and teachers and how teachers can plan for plan to use these practices to maximum effect.  When used powerfully, thinking routines not only provide teachers with a set of practices to engage students, but help advance a broader goal to create classrooms where students’ thinking is visible, valued, and actively promoted.  This course will explore these ideas while engaging teachers in some of the new routines presented in the book.

Participant are required to purchase a copy of The Power of Making Thinking Visible as a text for the course.  The book is available via e-book or paperback through Amazon, Amazon UK,  Amazon SG, ACEL, Fishpond, or Wiley

SESSION 1

 The What:  Making Thinking Visible as a Practice and Goal

 What are the different ways teachers can make thinking visible?

• How do these practices relate to and connect to each other?
• What do these practices look like in action?
  • Analyzing a picture of practice.
  • Pulling back the curtain on our planning

 SESSION 2

The Why:  Exploring the Power of MTV Practices to Promote Deep Learning

• What are the 6 powers of making thinking visible?
• What do we mean by deep learning? Using the Making Meaning routine to help us answer this question.
• What does deep learning look like and entail?  Analyzing a picture of practice.

 SESSION 3

The How:  Learning to use Thinking Routines to Maximum effect

 How can we encourage active discussion of text? A text-based discussion of Chapter 6 reading using the NDA routine.

• What can we learn from teachers who use thinking routines to maximum effect?
• How can we plan with and learn from colleagues to help us use thinking routines to maximum effect?

SAPDC Book Study: "The Power of Making Thinking Visible" Please join us for a series of 7 one-hour online book study sessions to learn practical strategies you can use in any grade level classroom. One chapter will be discussed at each session.