Thinking about thinking, learning about learning: Professional inquiry project

As the end of the semester edges closer, we have been tasked with creating our professional inquiry project integrating an essential course question and relevant outcomes, then identifying what professional growth results. One suggested path was to read a new book and blog about both the book as well as the reading experience, connecting that with our learning and proposing next steps for continued professional inquiry. When it's winter in New England, many gardeners - including this one - pick up books instead of shovels.  Path chosen.

As I was exploring potential reads, I knew I could easily fill half the time allotted for the entire project to this first step. After looking at dozens of books, dozens, I settled on one that kept surfacing in my searches and immediately appealed to me even though I passed it by several times. My apprehension centered on two things: concern that the book's themes wouldn't easily correspond to our course's essential questions; and that this book was exactly the genre I'm usually drawn to, derailing my initial thought to pursue a purely pragmatic topic with a concrete purpose and tangible result. In the end, intrigue won out.

Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners is written by three educational practitioners/researchers - Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, Karin Morrison - who have the Harvard Graduate School of Education Project Zero in common. Founded in 1967 with 'a focus on understanding learning in and through the arts',  the research led and fostered by Project Zero has expanded in scope to include topic areas such as developing understanding, character and ethics, civic agency, creativity and other perspectives on understanding learning.

I'll be using the book as a focus for blogging over the next week or so. I hope you'll join me in the exploration.

Day One

My small Maine town has one of the most vibrant libraries I've ever had the pleasure to experience. And because downsizing last year created a new normal for me, acquiring a new book is something that takes a lot of forethought and justification. Due to the convenient wealth that is the inter-library loan, 'Making Thinking Visible' (MTV) was on my desk in a couple of days. But there would be no underlining and writing in the margins for my notes, so I've been using a version of tabbing that doubles as a reader's version of Twitter, bookmarking pages with short, salient notes.

Thinking about thinking

My first note, 'thinking about thinking', captures my interpretation of the initial thought process in making thinking visible as described by the authors; and that connection brought me back to systems thinking, a concept first introduced to me by Donella Meadows (1986, 2008) and one that has continued to grow in importance as a way of perceiving and being in the world. The common thread here is stepping back from the thought or action itself to observe and question why it is so. The impact, the growth comes not from the continued external imposition of the question but by integrating the perspective of curiosity to wonder why something is.

The authors tackle Bloom's Taxonomy (1956), a foundational framework in the world of education, early on and question the viability of relying on hierarchical levels of thinking that attempt to translate the complexity of learning objectives in an ordered fashion. Even a revised (2001) version using verbs rather than the original's nouns, providing additional depth and dimension,  does not dissuade them. Instead, they argue that 'understanding is not a precursor to application, analysis, evaluating and creating, but a result of it.' (p. 7)

Revised Bloom's Taxonomy, by Vanderbilt University
Center for Teaching, 2001 (CC BY 2.0).

So, learning about something comes from work and activity related to that subject; learning to do something in authentic inquiry leads to understanding. Using the tools of the discipline to solve problems and make decisions leads to an understanding, a deeper knowing, of the subject. For instance, learning about gardening by reading foundational texts, researching equipment and soil types, learning the different plants recommended for your planting zone are very different than planting a garden. The factual background will help guide your initial choices, but it is in the doing one learns how to be and think as a gardener. Understanding is messier and more dynamic, interconnected rather than a linear progression.

The authors envision eight types of thinking that foster understanding of new ideas:

• Observing closely and describing what's there
• Building explanations and interpretations
• Reasoning with evidence
• Making connections
• Considering different viewpoints and perspectives
• Capturing the heart (essence) and forming conclusions
• Wondering and asking questions
• Uncovering complexity and going beyond the obvious, below the surface of things

The fundamentals of these eight types are also applicable in other cognitive functions, namely problem-solving, decision-making and discernment (or, in the authors' words, forming judgments). The processes will look a little different - identifying patterns, generating possibilities, evaluating arguments, formulating plans and monitoring actions, identifying bias and assumptions, clarifying priorities and what is known - but the dynamic work of grappling directly with what one wants to do or know is much the same.

As I read through this section of the book, I came to realize the room for growth and hope contained within these concepts, and it reminded me of this quote from Meadows (1992):

"We have within us the ability to wonder,

the intelligence to understand,

and the love to care about that which we wonder at.

I try to play to those abilities,

within myself and within others,

and in them I always find hope."

Day Two 

How exactly does one make thinking visible? And why go to the trouble of trying to find out? For me, the subtitle hooked me in: 'how to promote engagement, understanding, and independence for all learners'. That's practically revolutionary. If we were each engaged in the work of understanding our learning environment (and here I mean our workplace, our families and friends, our neighborhood, our society, our world), and able to discern and form independent opinions in a process of careful deliberation and respectful dialogue, the effect would be startling. Indeed, transformative.

Uncovering and being able to really look at thinking about thinking requires some kind of common language. One way to literally make thinking visible is through the tool of concept mapping. The authors describe a methodology developed by their research team using concept maps for grades 3-11 that teachers could use to begin a discussion with their students about what thinking is, and determine what type of thinking is actually being utilized in the learning environment.

Responses from the completed maps were grouped into four primary types: associative (associated with thinking, such as where it often occurs, but not describing the act), emotional (an affective connection with thinking), meta (the nature of understanding, concepts of building knowledge), and strategic. Strategic thinking is a type that is further categorized by the authors (more on that later on), and is the specific kind of thinking used to describe mechanisms that then construct understanding; that is, it is the type most often used when making thinking visible.

Simply noticing and naming thinking as it's happening, making the process real and identifiable can also serve to make thinking visible. One of the larger goals here is to demystify thinking and learning, allowing learners to experience - and experiment with - engaging with new ideas.

Asking authentic questions in the learning environment, questions that are generative and promote inquiry and discovery, support making the invisible visible. Educators and peers who model interest in ideas support learning by posing these essential questions.

Asking constructive questions, ones that guide understanding by asking learners to connect ideas and form interpretations, serving to anchor learning in the larger concepts so that constructing understanding is possible.

The power of asking 'what makes you say that?' resides in its ability to clarify thinking for both the speaker and the listener. This intentional request, made with an open and curious mind, allows the development of reflective dialogue with each question and response prompting new questions. This discourse makes the learner's and educator's thinking, as well as the construction of understanding, visible.

Listening is as much a part of asking good questions as forming the initial question. For without focused listening, checking to clarify what is heard is what was said, and offering responses that tend to build rather than break down connection and community, there can be no good questions.

Another tool for making thinking visible is documentation of learning that serves to deepen the understanding. So this is more than simply recording what has happened over the course of study; rather, it is a way of capturing artifacts - photos, audio and/or video recordings of discussions, written contributions to group projects - that document the learning process. In this way, both learner and educator can act as observers to the process and reflect on their individual parts in the learning journey as well as the strategies used.

Encouraging strategic thinking

What do you envision when you hear the words 'strategic thinking'? Maybe a game that has formulating strategy as its core purpose? Or planning sessions at your workplace focused on a long-term strategic plan?

Mill board game, from Pixabay (CC0)

What about practicing meditation or intentionally inviting opposing viewpoints into a discussion as means of thinking strategically? Any of these activities can be part of self-motivation or -discipline, building meaning or constructing deeper understanding; and it's these types of thinking strategies that the authors focus on when making thinking visible.

The authors describe an idea to help support educators and learners in making thinking visible and developing understanding. Thinking routines are repeatable procedures, simple enough to integrate into other routines, a framework that focuses attention on specific thinking 'moves' (authors' terminology) that support building understanding. In this context, thinking routines can be perceived as tools, structures/supports, or patterns of behavior that are intended to be integrated into the usual flow of the learning environment, evolving with continued use to be flexible according to the context, and to support a culture of independent thinkers.

Day Three

In the large view, routines are procedures or practices that are repeated regularly in order to accomplish recurring tasks and activities so that the results happen almost without conscious thought. Routines allow seamless integration of what is often repeated, and allow the formation of habits.

In the perspective of visible thinking, routines are patterns of operating and seen as effective tools that help achieve specific results. For easier application, the authors present thinking routines in categories of use: introducing and exploring, synthesizing and organizing, and digging deeper. The point is also made that flexibility and innovation are at the heart of these tools, akin to the process of teaching and learning. As tools become more integrated as a a way to facilitate thinking and understanding, their application may shift or evolve to meet the needs of the participants and context.  For a quick overview of the routines and their categorizations, see this Thinking Routines Matrix.

As I was reading through the matrix, thoughts of how particular routines could be integrated into either synchronous or asynchronous learning environments and using educational technology tools began to bubble up.

For instance, one of the routines grouped under introducing and exploring, Zoom-In focuses on first describing just a small portion of an image and inferring what the image might portray. Viewers develop a hypothesis after close examination and consideration of possibilities. As additional pieces of the image are revealed, time is given to observe closely and consider how the hypothesis has changed and what new questions are generated. Once the entire image is revealed, reflection on the thinking process and questions inspired by the image are considered.

This simple exercise involves practice in observing, developing hypotheses, reassessing assumptions when new information is introduced, imagining possibilities, appreciating flexibility and building understanding on how perspectives can change based on what information is available or noticed.

Here's a look at another thinking routine useful for introducing and exploring ideas.

 
It's easy to imagine Prezi or any screencast program being used to demonstrate either Zoom-In or See-Think-Wonder (or See-Wonder-Think as used in the video). Prompts could be given either in voice-overs or as screen prompts, and documentation of the experience could be created by an individual or as part of a group using any collaborative communication tool (Google docs, MS Word Online, or Quip could work well). 

Now that I'm seeing ways the theory of visible thinking is applied in a learning environment, I'm beginning to appreciate how the thinking and learning can lead to understanding, the bigger picture emerging as these routines are put into practice.  

Moving into the next category of synthesizing and organizing ideas, I first noticed CSI: color, symbol, image. The prompt asks for the learner to think of the most important ideas or themes at hand, and choose a color, create a symbol, and sketch an image that capture the essence of those ideas. This is personalized learning, and opens up a creative outlet especially for those not as comfortable expressing themselves with the written or spoken word. This routine also elicits metaphorical thinking and making connections between ideas.

Another wonderful option is the micro lab protocol. The routine is simple, equitable and transparent. To start, individuals reflect on the central theme or topic being discussed; then, in triads, each group member shares their ideas while the other two members listen without commenting with a 30-second pause in between each one. The triad then discusses as a group, with each member's comments being recognized, clarifying questions asked and connections drawn between ideas generated. This provides a space to practice reflection and the art of discourse, and strengthens presentation skills. Even though this might work best in a traditional setting, this routine could be tried using any video chat tool such as Google, Zoom, or Slack. 

A classic thinking routine to synthesize a change in one's understanding is 'I used to think..., now I think.' This reflection can be articulated in writing, orally, or perhaps drawn as a timeline with either images or text marking the changes. The routine is simple and clarifying, helping develop reasoning and metacognition skills. The only caution I would raise here is the inherent danger in assuming correlation implies causality. This thinking routine is structured to specifically look at the evolution of thinking, the path of learning, and to recognize how specific actions or decisions lead to their end results. The intent here is not to support the cognitive bias of causal illusions; still, it might be beneficial to weave that distinction into the routine early on.

Day Four

The third and final category of routines, digging deeper into ideas, begins with a question.
Asking 'what makes you say that?' is an invitation to both parties to be open. Open to learning, to being vulnerable, to listening without judgement but with respect. It is a powerful way to ask for another to make themselves known, and equally powerful to be heard. 

One of my favorite books I had the pleasure of reading during my masters' program, Parker Palmer's To Know As We Are Known, explores the power of coming into being known as we come to truly know others as they are. Palmer (1993) notes "Teaching and learning are human enterprises, and we must use human emotions in the learning process... I will try to respond to your feelings with an understanding that comes from knowing my own" and later states "...feelings are a part of the whole person; we can enter into the relationship called truth only in our wholeness, not with our minds alone" (p. 85). Here I think he's referring to a similar experience, trusting the question will open the door to both respectful listening and a frank telling of the 'why' that includes the speaker baring some part of who s/he is, beyond  a discrete intellectual exercise.

Two other routines in this section, 'circle of viewpoints' and 'step inside', each get their impact from appreciation of perspectives other than one's own. The ability to expand one's worldview, to intentionally invite the unfamiliar and, at times, uncomfortable into one's comfortable set of assumptions and routines is essential to learning in the midst of complexity. Otherwise it's simply too easy to shut down, raise up the shields and refuse to change, or even contemplate the relevancy and validity of 'other'. And we know, as surely as we know the cycle of seasons, that refusal, that rigidity, leads to stagnation and eventual decline. To refuse adaptation is to invite extinction. Better to live in the moments of dissonance, work to regain balance and understanding, and move forward. 

This is one motivation for embracing the world of teaching and learning, this affiliation with growth and change as a way of adaptation, a method of finding what feels true to self. The understanding of the word 'true' here is up to the reader - coming into alignment, living in accordance with reality, holding to a faithful center, laying down arms against 'what is.'

'Double Tent' by Paul Klee, 1923, (Wikipedia Commons) 

Day Five

Conclusion and Reflection

How might we use technology to enhance real-world, collaborative, learner-centered education?  
As part of this project, we were asked to identify at least one course essential question that was the focus of our inquiry. By integrating the use of Slack as a tool for collaboration with our small group PLN, and imagining the educational technology tools that might be (and were) used to make thinking visible, this exploration has opened up new ways of seeing the potential for enhancing meaningful digital learning. The basis of visible thinking is to demystify thinking and learning, thereby opening up the process itself for both scrutiny and further exploration as a source of wonder. As scaffolding for building understanding, the thinking routines not only enrich the collaborative aspect of the experience but put the learner(s) at the center of the experience. That is, each learner is expected to develop their own questions; be able to articulate, in various modalities, their thinking; and follow their curiosity to wonder what else there is to discover. And all of this happens within the context of a collaborative learning environment, with both learners and educators sharing the journey of exploration and discovery side by side.

This project also asked that we articulate at least two course outcomes for which we are demonstrating proficiency. This was more of a challenge for me. My often serpentine explorations are not always easily identifiable as supporting specific outcomes. One, to read and synthesize literature and research on educational technology to support personal experiences and deepen conceptual knowledge feels right and true, particularly with this particular resource central to my professional inquiry. The second, to articulate a personal philosophy of educational practice that demonstrates awareness of educational psychology, cognitive principles, conceptual models for technology integration (i.e., TPACK, SAMR) and learning theory is one I'm still reaching for in context of the conceptual models for technology integration. These have been more difficult for me to translate into professional practice, but I continue to come back to this framework as a way to envision potential use and impact of certain tools. This visual caught my eye, and may have been shared at an earlier point in our online discussions:

Padagogy Wheel, V4.0, by Allan Carrington, Jan. 2015 (CC BY 3.0)

Of course I'm drawn to the colors and integration of images with the concept model, but this method of presentation breaks through a lot of my resistance and uncertainty about the 'what' and 'how' of the SAMR model. Another resource I found specific to this model is the Tamritz blog about using digital badges as a tool for professional development, and one that integrates the SAMR model to design learning for engagement.These are two of the tools I'm using to further my understanding of this framework.

I feel a renewed connection to learning theories first encountered in my masters' program, especially transformational learning theory, and a developing interest in how digital learning can act as a catalyst for deeper understanding of complex issues with, at least in part, the use of visible thinking tools. In order for educational technology to increase meaningful learning encounters, there must be bridges built between self and other, otherwise we run the risk of appearing to create community and collaboration only to miss opportunities for lasting growth. I think utilizing the thinking routines documented in the Ritchhart, et al., (2011) text could make a difference in how learning builds understanding across online learning environments. 

In our small group collaboration, I would have enjoyed more interaction. We initially had a miscommunication about the tool we were using, so that our actual time using the workspace on Slack for communication was quite brief. As much as I enjoy the intensive work of writing and thinking on my own, sharing experiences and tossing questions back and forth offers time and space to develop perspective and build relationship. Something like taking a mental walk with peers. I'm looking forward to collaborating more for our capstone synthesis. I've continued to use Twitter as a way to broaden my PLN and enjoy the challenge of a diverse community. One chat I participate in regularly, #WokeEd, asks me to consider questions and ideas I otherwise probably wouldn't. It's a stimulating discussion and invites me to examine my own biases and assumptions. Uncomfortable and rewarding.

In reflection

As I think about the experience of reading this book, watching videos of some of the thinking routines in action, discussing the book's observations and my thoughts on the conclusions with others, I again draw connections to systems thinking and transformational learning theory (Mezirow, 1991; Tisdell, 2003). I don't know if the connection is simply because of my long-held attraction to both theories, or because visible thinking is one more way to engage with systems thinking through deeper understanding, and one more way to confront what has been unacknowledged which can then act as an initiation into transformative learning. 

If we are willing to hear other perspectives and understand them as equally valid, see the wonder held in the smallest detail, willingly sit with the questions that never occurred to us and seek out what is our own truth in response, there is room for transformation. 

If we have visible, tangible, audible paths that document our thinking and learning journeys we are able to see our growth (or our stagnation) and points of convergence or divergence along the way. We have a mechanism to hold our own thinking process up to the light, to examine its twists and turns and leaps, maybe even seeing the nexus (?) of learning where we realized our place in the whole. And then we can look out and up to see that we are an integral part of an interconnected whole, that each decision reverberates throughout, and we begin to think about our thinking, to learn about our learning. Isn't this the essence of education?

'Neural Network' from Pixabay (CC0)

 

Additional Resources

These articles about making thinking visible in practice may be of interest:

Cone, J., Rowe, S., Borberg, J., Goodwin, B. (2012) Community planning for climate change: Visible thinking tools facilitate shared understanding. Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, 5(2), 7-19. UMaine Fogler Library

This article is noteworthy for its investigation of engagement between community members and university research faculty and graduate students on a collaborative planning effort. Key to the project is the awareness that engagement is different from outreach, the traditional perspective of Extension's role in the community, elicits collaboration vs passive learning. Community members were co-creaters in decision-making, relying on identification of the convergence and divergence of beliefs, values, and knowledge using two visible thinking tools - concept maps and influence diagrams. The study shows the impact of visible thinking tools on increased understanding through the representation and organization of ideas.

Delaney, C. and Golding, C. (2014). Teaching clinical reasoning by
making thinking visible: an action research project with allied health clinical educators. BMC Medical Education 2014 14:20, 1-10. doi:10.1186/1472-6920-14-20

A very interesting study of the use of visible thinking tools to teach clinical reasoning, a fundamental but complex foundation of understanding in professional practice. Using action research and the tools of articulation and reflection, allied health students engaged in thinking routines; worked alongside educators and peers modeling clinical reasoning that providing scaffolding for experiential learning; and, with educators, experienced the shared impact of metacognition. The study found the principles of visible thinking useful in teaching complex clinical reasoning and called for additional research to evaluate impact on performance in specific disciplines.

Tan, K. (2013). Thinking at a glance: Making thinking visible through technology. 2013 IEEE 63rd Annual Conference International Council for Educational Media, Oct. 2013, 1-7.
doi:10.1109/CICEM.2013.6820162

This is a study limited to students in one pre-university course, Project Work, in Singapore. The interest here was the focus on educational technology as a means to make thinking visible. The specific aspect of the course studied, Group Project File, is one required to produce evidence of the thinking process used by a group during the larger project. The thinking routine tool, see-think-wonder, used digital images from simple photos to multi-media images and interactive products to elicit reflection and expanded questioning. This study lacked extensive explanation of background, methodology, evaluation and results, but was an interesting look at the application of educational technology from the perspective of visible thinking.

The top four resources I found for this project were:
 
Project Zero
Website for the Harvard Graduate School of Education research center that encompasses the visible thinking project along with almost 40 others. Extensive resource list of articles, videos, books, and tools to further exploration.

The Smithsonian Learning Lab 
A collection of learning resources that appear endlessly interconnected. Supporting creativity, exploration, discovery, and deeper understanding. Free to sign up, requires email.

Educator Innovator
Sponsored by the National Writing Project, an online hub of educators supporting creativity and connected learning. Includes some visible thinking resources and so many more resources by topics, more than I can summarize. Blogs, some webinars by topic, and The Current, an open publishing site to share resources and stories.

Show What You Know - Infographic of mobile and web apps suitable for making thinking and learning visible,by Tony Vincent from his site Learning in Hand, updated June 2016. Available for download.

References

Meadows, D. (2008). Thinking in systems: A primer. White River Junction, VT:Chelsea Green Publishing.

Mezirow, J.(1991). Transformative dimensions of adult learning. San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass.  

Palmer, P. (1993). To know as we are known: Education as a spiritual journey. New York, NY:HarperCollins.

Ritchhart, R., Church, M., Morrison, K. (2011). Making thinking visible: How to promote engagement, understanding, and independence for all learners. San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass.

Tisdell, E.J.(2003). Exploring spirituality and culture in adult and higher education. San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass.