Group items tagged

"Visible Thinking, as a learning approach, makes extensive use of thinking routines in class.These routines, according to Visiviblethinkingpz.org, are are simple structures, for example " a set of questions or a short sequence of steps, that can be used across various grade levels and content. What makes them routines, versus merely strategies, is that they get used over and over again in the classroom so that they become part of the fabric of classroom' culture. The routines become the ways in which students go about the process of learning." To better understand how to use the visible thinking approach with your students and cultivate a thinking culture in your class, Langwitches has this wonderful infographic to share with you.This visual features a number of key thinking routines together with examples of how to use them with learners. Have a look and let us know what you think of it."

"I have been a fan of Visible Thinking Routines which were developed by Project Zero from Havard, for a while now. I have used these routines with students, as  blogging routines and in professional development workshops."

"The choices we make during the first hour or so of our morning often determine what the rest of the day will look like. Will your morning routine grant you a day full of productivity and peace of mind? Or will you be looking at an eight-hour stretch of haphazard work? Over the past five years I've interviewed more than 300 successful people about their morning routines. Through talking with business leaders and university presidents to Olympians, fashion models and artists, I've learned that while there isn't one "best" morning routine that works for everyone, there are best practices that some of the most successful people I spoke with follow every day. Here are some of the most common morning routines I've found among successful people."

"Fun fact: here at the Creativity Lab, Making isn't just about making things. Making is also about learning to see the world with new eyes, and developing deeper knowledge and understanding of the world around us. One of the ways we incorporate this idea is through using Agency by Design's thinking routines. Educators can easily integrate these routines into any subject - even those not typically associated with making, like the Humanities. The first routine, called Parts, Purposes, and Complexities, (PPC) is a great one to start with, and is applicable to physical objects as well as abstract ideas and constructs."

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello's iconic "Who's on First?" comedy routine from the 1930s just got a refresh from a few of today's funnymen. Abbott & Costello's Classic Who's on First routine in audio only format can be found her: http://pcdon.com/-Abbott-Costello-WhosOnFirst.wav

"Why Morning Routines Are Creativity Killers"

"Whether you're in a one-to-one iPad classroom or have access to a cart that you share with other teachers, it's important to establish routines early in the school year to manage these devices in your classroom. In addition to walking students through expectations and best practices, reference charts can be a helpful reminder of what students need to do when using iPads. Here are some of my favorite iPad reference charts:"

Despite this being a 'thinking' conference, despite us all being advocates for structured and scaffolded models of thinking, not one group had applied any thinking routines, utilised a collaborative planning protocol or talked about applying an inquiry model or design thinking cycle. It wasn't that we didn't know about them. It wasn't that we don't know how to use them. It wasn't that we don't value them. We had all the knowledge we could desire on the how to and the why of a broad set of thinking tools and anyone of these would have enhanced the process, but we did not use any of them. Why was this the case and what does this reveal about our teaching of these methods to our students?

"Last year, we took a shot at understanding how twitter could be used across a range of "cognitive actions," which yielded the "twitter spectrum." langwitches.org has done something similar-albeit a bit broader in nature. In the graphic below, they start with the idea of why a teacher should tweet with students (literacy, citizenship, etc.), then moves on to the idea of a "twitter routine" which helpfully offers some ideas for introducing younger students to twitter."

"Welcome to the ORC Stella website. The core of this collection is a library of more than 600 non-routine mathematics problems known as Stella's Stunners to be launched set by set over the coming months. The problems range from simple visual problems, requiring no specific mathematical background, to problems that use the content of Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and Trigonometry, up through Pre-Calculus. The Stella problems are not typical textbook exercises. They are considered "non-routine" problems because the methods of attacking them are not immediately obvious. Because these problems can supplement and enliven traditional mathematics courses in a variety of ways, we have included materials to assist in using Stella problems in your teaching: "

To ensure reflective practice is more than an activity added to our schedule, we need to take a reflective stance. Too often, reflection becomes the thing we do at the end of a task or the end of the day. We look back and contemplate what was, and with that in mind, we look forward to what we might do differently next time. It is in this way a very reactionary process. By all means, this form of reflection has its place, and it can be a powerful strategy to deploy as we seek to learn from experience. If we value reflective practice, we will be sure to set aside time for this form of reflection on a routine basis. By engaging in reflection habitually, we ensure that it is a routine part of our day. But adopting a reflective stance can make this more powerful.

"Learning basic math facts is a standard part of an elementary school education, but many children (and even some parents) dread the repetition of flash cards and times tables. Operation Math for iPad by Spinlight Studio hopes to make learning math facts less onerous by turning the task into a game."

"While some classrooms are lucky enough to have iPads available for each student, many classrooms only have one or two. With one iPad and over twenty students who are excited to use it, we have to find ways to use it efficiently. There are a variety of ways to do this and many apps to support each option. Just one iPad can be an engaging and effective learning tool in any classroom! "

"Parents who are uneasy about their own math skills often worry about how best to teach the subject to their kids. Well … there's an app for that. Tons of them, in fact. And a study published today in the journal Science suggests that at least one of them works pretty well for elementary school children and math-anxious parents."

"Note-taking is a small yet important part of anyone's digital routine. That's why apps like Evernote prove extremely useful for anyone who needs to jot down pieces of information at any given time. It lets you quickly jot down text notes or take shots of important documents from any device you're using, or directly from your web browser."