Visible thinking routines  (VTR) are a powerful tool to help learners think more deeply about content, engage more readily in the learning process and become more aware of opportunities for thinking and learning.

During the month of October and November, I have a goal of using this teaching strategy at least once each week.  It is a powerful teaching tool, and it will work well in my upcoming lessons in Grade 6 Literature.

The students are starting a new unit  on the book, Flush, by Carl Hiaasen.  The setting for this book is Florida Keys, and I wanted to understand the students’ knowledge about this area.  While I identified the students who had been there for vacation or visiting relatives, it was important for all of them to think deeply about the setting so we could explore the environmental concerns in future lessons.

The VTR ‘See, Think, Wonder’ is a perfect tool for this.  I did this in a two-step process.  First, the students watched a video about a ‘road trip’ to Florida Keys.  In all honesty, I purposely showed them this tourist-trap view as this is what most of the students knew from their visits.  The students took notes during the video, and then I modeled ‘See, Think, Wonder’ with them.

Next, the students watched a video about the ecosystem of Florida Keys.  Again, the students took notes, but then they became the teachers in the classroom using ‘See, Think, Wonder”.  This conversation opened such a rich dialogue about the precarious nature of the coral reefs and the overfishing of the Upper Keys; and all the students were engaged in their learning!

In addition, this two-step process provided wonderful scaffolding of information and skills for my students.  It has prepared them for the next step of my project-based learning activities on the environmental concerns in this habitat, and I really see the value of VTR!  What type of visible thinking can I do next?