These are some prompts that teachers might use with this image to make thinking visible in the classroom. Harvard University Project Zero is a research center that began with a group of researchers wanting to study and improve education in the arts. Today, they have expanded to include research into the nature of intelligence, understanding, thinking, creativity, cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural thinking, and ethics. One of Project Zero’s branches is the Making Thinking Visible team. ISB is lucky enough to be hosting one of the consultants from this team in January.
Project Zero Making Thinking Visible (MTV) team focus on children’s thinking and learning, aiming to make students better thinkers. They work with schools to help create a thoughtful classroom culture using various thinking routines to deepen student understanding, explore ideas, help student find meaningful connections and become more engaged. Last year, a group of teachers explored the visible thinking routines and put those routines into practice in the classroom. The success of this PLC carried over into the second semester and included teachers from all three school divisions. The attached video captures the essence of visible thinking, as ISB Grade 5 students articulate the benefits of making one’s thinking visible.
ISB will be hosting Mark Church, a consultant of Project Zero’s Making Thinking Visible on January 23rd and 24th, as part of an EARCOS sponsored workshop. Attendees of the workshop can expect to deeply examine the practice of making thinking visible in the classroom and learn strategies and tools that can be used to create a classroom culture of thinking. Please contact Sherryl Gonzales at secpd@isb.bj.edu.cn to register.
Project Zero
Visible Thinking
Visible Thinking Resource Guide
ISB Visible Thinking video