Little Gems


A Little Gem:  Have you heard of the “Headlines” routine?  It’s a unique way to show students we value their thinking and we value the effort they put into growing their thinking. View a two and a half minute clip of the Headlines routine in action here: http://www.amazon.com/Making-Thinking-Visible-Understanding-Independence/dp/047091551X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330807322&sr=8-1  (it’s the first video option on the list).   Making Thinking Visible by Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church and Karin Morrison is full of what they call ‘thinking routines’ like this one.  The book is a great resource for teachers striving to improve their abilities to engage students in critical thinking across the curriculum.

I’m excited about the Common Core’s focus on learning how to learn.  Today, students have instant access to never-ending data, facts, theories, opinions…and it’s all coming at them (and us) at lightning speed. School is no longer about information transmission; the information is everywhere.  Our focus must be how to access information, manage it, consider it, and do something with it. And, all of this revolves around thinking.  To push students’ thinking, we must push our own.  Tony Wagner’s books have helped me better understand what’s important to today’s learners.  Visit him at www.tonywagner.com.

Happy Saturday! It’s a beautiful day in Utah. The Wasatch Mountains are lit up with yet another majestic covering of glorious snow (and Max is happily building another racetrack while dancing to Michael Jackson music).  Ahhhhh… Saturday J

8 comments

  1. Amazingly I just discovered this book & a good article about it last week. My school is a progressive school in Denver that focuses on their premise, what you described in your next to last paragraph. There is too much to learn, so it's important to teach students to know how to access what they need & to learn that way, mostly through personal choice. I write about our approach sometimes on my blog. I enjoyed the little video on Amazon. And-I live in Colorado; we are neighbors! We too have that wonderful sky and mountain view! Happy Saturday to you!

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    1. Hi Linda!
      I just posted a comment on your blog. Great to connect. I'd love to hear more about your school in Denver!
      -j

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    2. Thanks for coming by my blog. In this latest post, you should read the link I gave to Expo. It shows a celebration we have of the learning so far at school, & a bit of how the school works! I hope we can keep talking!

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  2. This looks like an interesting book and it will have to be added to my wish list. Teaching kids how to think is the key.

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    1. Elsie,
      It's a great book. Lots to digest. I'm sure I'll be refering to it for years to come!
      Happy reading!
      -j

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  3. Hi Janiel, I have tried several things to get the comment section to come up on your current post (today) but something's wrong. That's perhaps why you have no comments. Since we don't work with common core at my school I really don't know much, but I did bookmark your article to read later. Thanks for your thoughts & the links!

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  4. Linda,
    Thanks for the heads-up about the comment thing. I feel like I am talking with myself (which isn't necessarily the worst thing that could happen, but, hey, response/dialogue is nice, isn't it?). I look forward to checking out the link you mentioned above, too. There's so much to take in via the internet--it can be overwhelming :) It's a grand sunny day in Utah--bet you are experiencing the same! Happy Monday!! j

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