Use Harvard's 'Thinking Moves' for STEAM
To deepen STEAM engagement, KnowAtom is highlighting Harvard Project Zero's eight "thinking moves." The framework encourages students to explicitly practice skills like observing, reasoning with evidence, and making connections during phenomena-based lessons.
Harvard's "Thinking Moves" are part of a framework of "Thinking Routines" developed by Project Zero, a research group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. These routines are short, repeatable strategies designed to make students' thinking visible to themselves and their teachers. The framework is built on eight key thinking moves: observing closely, building explanations, reasoning with evidence, making connections, considering different viewpoints, capturing the heart of a matter, wondering and questioning, and uncovering complexity. These thinking routines are not just abstract concepts; they are practical tools for the classroom. For example, the "See, Think, Wonder" routine encourages students to first make observations, then interpret what they see, and finally ask questions. This can be used with a piece of art, a scientific photograph, or a historical artifact to spark curiosity and inquiry at the beginning of a new unit. Other routines include "Think, Puzzle, Explore" for activating prior knowledge and "Connect, Extend, Challenge" for helping students link new ideas to what they already know. In a STEAM context, these routines help students to think and act like scientists and engineers. For instance, KnowAtom uses a "picture-thinking routine" to help students make personal connections to scientific concepts before they even begin reading. This approach encourages students to look for evidence and build their own explanations, rather than passively receiving information. The "Tug of War" routine, for example, helps students analyze complex issues with multiple viewpoints, a crucial skill in real-world problem-solving. The consistent use of these routines can also have a significant impact on classroom management. By providing a clear structure for discussions and activities, thinking routines can reduce behavioral issues and student anxiety. When students know what is expected of them, they are more likely to stay engaged and on task. Routines like "Think-Pair-Share" give all students a chance to process their thoughts before speaking, which can lead to more focused and productive classroom conversations. For elementary students, these routines can be adapted to be more visual and tactile. For example, the "Color, Symbol, Image" routine asks students to represent the essence of an idea with a color, a symbol, and an image, providing a creative outlet for their understanding. This not only makes learning more engaging but also helps teachers to see and assess their students' thinking in a variety of ways. The ultimate goal of these "Thinking Moves" is to create a "culture of thinking" in the classroom, where students' ideas are valued and actively explored. This approach moves beyond simple memorization to developing students' ability to think critically and creatively. Research has shown that classrooms that use these routines see improvements in student engagement, metacognitive skills, and even grades and test scores.
