Week 2: Chapter 2

Chapter 2 : Making Thinking Visible- A Goal and Set of Practices

The term "visible" is not just used to represent what is seen with the eye itself, but also what can be perceived, noticed, and identified. In this chapter, we learn that their are four sets of practices used to make thinking visible. These four practices are woven together to enhance and complement one another. These four practices are:

• Questioning 
• Listening
• Documentation
• Thinking Routines

While it can feel like making thinking visible is an intervention, a framework, or even a program to be implemented, it is not. Making thinking visible is a broad goal of teaching and a set of practices to support this goal. When these practices are used everyday in our teaching, making thinking visible will become the culture of our classroom.

"When we make thinking visible, it not only gives us a window into what our students understand, the product of their thinking, but also into how they are understanding it, the process of their thinking. Of course, uncovering students' thinking is as likely to give us evidence of students' insights as it is to reveal their misconceptions.""

Chapter 2 Reflection Tasks: 

1. Share your reflection on the quote above. Why is identifying misconceptions important?

2. Think about where you are in your journey of making thinking visible. Would you say that there is evidence of making thinking visible in your classroom? On page 31, we read, "What have I learned about my students' thinking as a result of doing this routine? If you can't answer that question then several things might be going on." Which of the areas below do you feel may be the roadblock for making thinking visible in your classroom?

• A focus on correctness over thinking
• Approaching a task as work rather than an opportunity
• Weak Content that provides few opportunities for thinking
• A need for models of what thinking might look like in this instance 
• Be sure to comment on another colleague's post!