Sunday 31 May 2015

Action Research - Learning PIT - classroom steps.

Initial classroom action steps:

Develop, complete and analyse a student voice survey on their levels of positive mindset.


Get the class to unpack 'have a positive mindset' as a target, with possible success criteria.



Unpack and constantly refer to positive mindset posters and tools:

 1. Effort train

2. Change your words mindset display

3. Daily mindset chants



4. Use my iReflect planning sheet


Research Summary - What to focus on!

Obvious themes from the research to apply to our classroom:

Establish a class culture that values thinking and the 'struggle of learning'.
 - posters, chants and class ethos of 'hard work brings success'.
- unpack the process of 'The Learning Pit' with feelings and strategies at each step.
- add 'what did you struggle with' to our end of day reflection time.
- throw students into the pit  - give them challenges that will require struggle



Model the strategies of thinking and routines explicitly, using the language of learning daily.
 - focus on 'See, think, wonder', What makes you say that?, What are you puzzling over?'
- explicitly establish a series of thinking routines - Think, Pair, Share...
- unpack and use the language of thinking: resilient, evidence, hypothesis, making connections...



Set time aside to think.
 - teacher model and 'self talk' or verbalise thinking.
- self determined targets with self, peer and teacher feedback and next steps.
- iRefect time, find evidence of application, sharing reflections on blogs, tracking progress.


Visible Thinking Research - unpacking the gems!

Research links:


1.  http://edtalks.org/video/thinking-and-learning-together


Helen Lewis: Welsh teacher educator
Age 3 - 7 students
Encouraging young children to become aware of and talk about their thinking.

Visible thinking routines:
  • mind maps & visual organisers
  • explicit use of the language
Video as a source of dialogue:
  • evidence of other children doing 'good thinking'.
  • opportunity for further discussion
  • explicitly name and celebrate 'thinking skills'

2.  Visible thinking website:
Teach mini strategies to help develop and extend thinking.
Resulting in:
  • Greater motivation for learning
  • Development of learners' thinking and learning abilities
  • Development of learners' attitudes toward thinking and alertness for thinking opportunities
  • A shift in classroom culture toward a community of enthusiastically engaged thinkers and learner
Mini strategies:
Routines - repeatedly used, cross-curriculum, few steps, easy to teach, group or  individual.

  • What makes you say that? (evidence based reasoning) Begin with think, pair, share.
  • 3, 2, 1 bridge - 3 ideas, 2 questions, 1 analogy / simile - connections between prior knowledge & new ideas over time.
  • Colour, symbol, image to represent a concept e.g. red. Share ideas and adjust according to other opinion.



3.  "Making Thinking Visible" 
Ron Ritchhart and David Perkins. "Making Thinking Visible," Educational Leadership 65, no. 5 (February 2008): 57-61.

6 key principles:

  • Learning is a consequence of thinking - build on others' ideas - team endeavour.
  • Thinking requires skills and dispositions - Open-mindedness, curiosity, attention to evidence, skepticism, and imaginativeness...
  • The development of thinking is a social endeavour - a supportive social environment.
  • Fostering thinking requires making thinking visible.
  • Classroom culture sets the tone:

  1. thinking routines established
  2. the language of thinking is used
  3. time is allocated for thinking about thinking
  4. thinking is modelled
  5. the physical space allows for thinking
  6. relationships and patterns of interaction focus on thinking
  7. relevant opportunities provided for thinking

  • Schools must value and allow time for teachers to be thinkers


What does it sound like in class?
Listen to student ideas - spring from there.
Scaffold and draw out with appropriate visual organisers. Think-puzzle-explore routine
What do you 'think you know'? This allows for freedom to share - possibilities rather than absolutes.
'What makes you say that?' prompting the need for evidence.
Finally: 'What are you puzzling over?' opens them up to engaging in the struggle.




4. http://www.academia.edu/4841813/Making_Thinking_Visible_Through_Action_Research 
Draw students into metacognition using picture books: Oh the Thinks You Can Think: Seuss

What do you think, see, wonder? This is an awesome tool to encourage deeper thinking.
Dewey: 1910 The origin of thinking resides in perplexity, confusion or doubt.
Teachers verbalise the thinking goals behind a learning task.
What do you see?What do you think?What do you wonder?

The focus of this research was:
1. To make thinking visible in the classroom so students can recognise their own thinking.
2. To allow students to share their thinking so it can be guided.



5. https://edorigami.wikispaces.com/file/view/AERA06ThinkingRoutines.pdf

Start by building a classroom culture that values and nurtures thinking.
 - explicitly model thinking strategies
 - systems or routines that incorporate 'thinking' language and give time for 'thinking'

Possible thinking routines:
Think, pair, share, KWL
Spend time establishing these at the start of the year, indicating the importance of thinking.
Here are a range of Thinking Routines explained: (Click on the image for a larger view) 

What is the point of these routines:



6. The Growth Mindset: http://www.mindsetworks.com/webnav/whatismindset.aspx
http://akoallana.blogspot.co.nz/2015/03/carol-dweck-conference-18th-march.html

Encourage students to value the struggle.
We can get better at learning and thinking.
Knowing the process and who to ask if we get stuck.
Have a class culture that values mistakes or failure and learns from them.

'I want to do this because it is so hard!'
'Go slow, dig deep.'


7. The Learning Pit:

http://www.jamesnottingham.co.uk/about/learning-pit 



http://www.supplyteachingsolutions.co.uk/#!Instilling-a-growth-mindset/c24tn/1

Make the process of 'The Learning Pit' clear and visible to learners so they know what happens and the skills to use at different points.

Make sure you throw in the challenging questions that causes learners to 'struggle' to find the answer. I found it! There is no sense of elation without the struggle.

See 'The Learning Pit' as a collaborative experience where we build on each others ideas and skills.

The 'Learning Pit' sequence:
1.  At the start of the pit - ask a concept question - to push past surface knowledge.

2. At the bottom of the pit - add thinking strategies and collaborative opportunities. Focus on the Growth Mindset, never giving up but celebrating the struggle.

3. Outside the pit you have your deep answer or 'Eureka' experience.

4. Post pit - ask metacognitive questions - how did you feel, what strategies did you use, what will you use again?



8. Meaningful Reflection:
http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/12/03/what-meaningful-reflection-on-student-work-can-do-for-learning/ 

Focus on self improvement rather than achieving grades.
Reflection gives next steps for learning - formative.
Reflection is documented to allow for tracking of progress and thought process.
Reflection is shared to provide collective support.

Saturday 16 May 2015

Learning Pit: Visible thinking and student reflection

Now is the time to clarify all the ideas that are buzzing around my mind. What to focus on for my Action Research or Learning Pit for 2015?

My initial thoughts stem from the PD that I have been involved in so far this year:
1. Reading 'The Positive Mindset' by Carol Dweck
2. Listening to Carol Dweck in person in Christchurch during Term 1
3. Hearing Holly Clark at the GAFE Summit Christchurch discuss reflection in student portfolios
4. The Learning Pit - constantly being tweeted about

It was also clearly illustrated in an image that was shared with me this last week:




My focus research question is:

How can making thinking visible help students see the connections that allow them to effectively reflect on their learning both academically and in developing a postivie mindset?


The key words are visible thinking, effective student reflection and positive mindset.

This is supported by the principles of modern learning that require student agency - to be empowered by a sense of ownership over their own self directed learning.

It also supports the Springston School beliefs that learning should be:

Challenging: We will …

  • provide opportunity for students to be in charge of their learning

Relevant, Clear and Purposeful: We will …
  • co-construct success criteria to unpack learning outcomes
Supported with Modelling, Exemplars and Assessments: We will …

  • provide learners with the tools they need to set goals and plan for their own learning
  • reinforce reflection as part of the learning process
  • provide time for self-reflection and assessment
  • teach tools that lead to deeper reflection and self-assessment
  • give meaningful feedback/forward - allowing time to act upon advice