Thinking routines are powerful tools that facilitate critical thinking and deepen understanding.

These structured approaches to thinking encourage students to analyze information, make connections, and generate meaningful insights.

By incorporating thinking routines into classroom practices, educators empower students to become active learners who can approach complex problems with creativity and confidence.

Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills:

Thinking routines provide a systematic framework for students to engage in higher-order thinking. By employing routines such as Think-Pair-Share, See-Think-Wonder, or 3-2-1 Bridge, students are encouraged to think deeply, analyze multiple perspectives, and consider various possibilities. These routines promote critical thinking skills, such as evaluating evidence, making inferences, and drawing conclusions. By engaging in these routines, students develop their ability to think critically, ask insightful questions, and approach challenges with a growth mindset.

Fostering Collaboration and Communication:

Thinking routines also foster collaboration and communication among students. When students participate in routines that involve sharing their thoughts and perspectives, such as Think-Pair-Share or Gallery Walk, they learn to articulate their ideas, actively listen to others, and engage in meaningful discussions. These routines create a classroom environment that values diverse viewpoints, encourages respectful dialogue, and promotes active participation. Students learn from one another, gain new insights, and develop their communication skills, which are essential for collaboration and success in both academic and real-world contexts.

Deepening Understanding and Engagement:

Thinking routines provide structure and guidance that help students engage deeply with content. By using routines like See-Think-Wonder or Concept Attainment, students learn to observe details, make connections to prior knowledge, and generate thoughtful questions. These routines activate prior knowledge, spark curiosity, and promote a sense of ownership over their learning. Students become active participants in constructing their understanding, as they delve into complex topics, analyze information, and develop new insights. This active engagement leads to increased motivation, curiosity, and a genuine passion for learning.

Promoting Transferable Skills:

Thinking routines not only enhance critical thinking within specific content areas but also promote the development of transferable skills. The ability to think critically, ask questions, and make connections is valuable across disciplines and throughout life. By engaging in thinking routines, students develop skills that can be applied to various academic subjects, real-world situations, and future careers. These skills include problem-solving, analysis, creative thinking, and effective communication, which are essential for success in the 21st century.

Examples of such routines include but are not limited to:

  • 1. See-Think-Wonder

    • Purpose: To help students observe and interpret information, fostering curiosity.
    • Process:
      • See: Describe what you see without interpreting.
      • Think: What do you think about this? What could it mean?
      • Wonder: What does it make you wonder? What questions do you have?
    • Use: Visual prompts, images, artwork, historical photos.

  • 2. Think-Pair-Share

    • Purpose: To encourage individual thinking, collaboration, and sharing of ideas.
    • Process:
      • Think: Reflect independently on a question or prompt.
      • Pair: Share ideas with a partner.
      • Share: Discuss with the whole class.
    • Use: For discussions, problem-solving, or reviewing new content.

  • 3. Three Times Why

    • Purpose: To encourage deeper reasoning and uncover underlying ideas or motivations.
    • Process:
      • Start with a statement or question on a topic.
      • Ask “Why?” in response to the first answer.
      • Ask “Why?” two more times, each time prompting further depth.
    • Use: Exploring cause-and-effect, motivations in literature, or reasons behind scientific concepts.

In our next blog, we’ll look at using a routine to teach Basic Facts in the Math class.  This routine will