1. THINKING
Based Learning with
Technology

2. Session Goals
• A bit about thinking, learning, brain science
• Some strategies and frameworks to teach
thinking
• Electronic Tools to support thinking
• Ideas – pedagogical and technological - not
how to use a tool

3. Elizabeth Helfant
MICDS
St Louis MO

4. ehelfant
ehelfant@micds.org

5. Partnership for 21st century learning

6. Think Self-Monitor
Learning
http://antonyjohn.net/blog/2012/10/touring-gets-you-thinking/

7. Emerging Brain Research
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jj_judes/346850124/sizes/z/in/photostream/

8. Brain Research
•Importance of metacognition/reflection
•Cultural changes impact how brain gets wired via
activities/uses culture demands/encourages (Rosen)
•We know very little (Judy Willis- Tokuhama-Espinosa)
•Stress can be good and bad (ZPD/Flow)
•Brain is a Garden- Control what you introduce into it
(Willis)
•Every brain is unique and has talents
•Brains are plastic
•Exercise for your brain and your body is good (Ratey)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aussiegall/3203524576/sizes/m/in/photostream

9. • Intelligence is not fixed (Dweck)
• Effort /Motivation is as important as ability
• Deep learning is an active process
• Importance of “chunking” and “closure”
• Teaching Focus
• Learning is Social
Photo Credit: Stockphoto/Vasiliy Yakobchuk )

10. For Learning
• Need to develop metacognitive ability in kids
• Exercise is good
• Distinquish and address Types of Thinking
• Stress – manage it
• Focus – allow for it
• Differentiate
• Provide Feedback
• Change the way we Assess
• Importance of “chunking” and
“closure”

11. KEY IDEA
Sousa
Brain needs information to make sense
and have meaning – of the two,
meaning is more important.
• Creating relevancy –
– Use of multimedia
– Use of Current events
– Explicit statement of Why and What-
Learning Goals
– Establishing Learning Goals

12. Educational Research
John Hattie
Top Factors
• Student Self- Reporting
• Piaget’s Techniques –Student Centered
• Feedback and Formative Assessment
• Microteaching

13. Two Paths to Follow
Brain Science and Learning Research
• to inform curriculum design in a 1-to-1
• to develop brain’s thinking capacity
How can technology help?

14. Perkin’s Thinking Classroom
Dimensions of Culture of Thinking
–Language
– Thinking dispositions
–Mental management
–Strategic spirit
–Higher order thinking
– Transfer (sense and meaning-Sousa)

15. Consider Dispositions and Habits
Perkins Learning Dispositions for Good Thinking
• The Disposition to be curious and questioning
• The Disposition to think broadly and
adventurously
• The Disposition to reason clearly and carefully
• The Disposition to organize one’s thinking
• The Disposition to give time to thinking
– From The Thinking Classroom-Learning and Teaching in a
Culture of Thinking, Perkins, Tishman, Jay

16. Thinking Language
• Terms to share with kids about thinking and
thinking processes
• Typically more specific than what is often used
in classrooms

17. Teacher’s job is to make explicit
that which we had hoped would
be implicit to our students.
Carol Tomlinson

18. “Skillful thinking is the proficient and strategic
application of appropriate thinking skills and
productive habits of mind, as needed, to
develop thoughtful products, such as
decisions, arguments, and other analytical,
creative, or critical products.”
P1
What is Skillful Thinking?
Also includes the ability to
consume, collaborate and
create in a digital world.

19. Skillful Thinking- 3 Parts
THINKING SKILLS
HABITS OF MIND
METACOGNITION
And Struggles
of Mind

20. Habits of Mind

21. Grading
3P – Product, Progress, Process
Standards Based Grades–
• ActiveGrade
• Blue Harvest
• Jupiter Grades
• Canvas

22. Habits of Mind

23. Brown’s Model of Executive Function
And Struggles
of Mind

24. Types of “ Skillful” Thinking in a
Culture of Thinking
• Creative (Design)
• Critical
• Systems
• Strategic/Logical (Problem Solving)
• Empathetic
• Disciplinary
• Reflective
• Ethical

25. Levels of Thinking
Complexity
not Difficulty

26. Complexity Bloom’s Taxonomy

27. Daggett’s
Rigor
Relevance
Framework
SKILLFUL
THINKING
GAP
Frederick Douglas
Global Climate
Change
History Museum
PBL

28. Where are your Questions?
SKILLFUL
THINKING

29. SOLO Thinking Framework

30. SOLO Heirachy

31. How do I teach thinking?
How do I teach student’s to take
responsibility for their learning?

32. BOOM
2012

34. Lumosity

35. Brainology

36. Thinking Routines
Harvard Project Zero
http://goo.gl/HvYUv
Visible Thinking-
Use of the Senses
to “see” thinking

37. Thinking Routines (Teacher Directed)

38. Thinking Routines Matrix
Ritchhart, Ron; Church, Mark; Morrison, Karin (2011-03-25). Making Thinking Visible:
How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners (p. 50).
John Wiley and Sons. Kindle Edition.

41. Engagement

42. Equations for Learning

43. MOTIVATION ACTIVE LEARNING ENGAGEMENT

44. expectancy × value = motivation
Brophy (2004) and Cross (2001) observe that much of
what researchers have found can be organized within
an expectancy × value model. This model holds that the
effort that people are willing to expend on a task is the
product of the degree to which they expect to be able
to perform the task successfully (expectancy) and the
degree to which they value the rewards as well as the
opportunity to engage in performing the task itself
(value).
Barkley, Elizabeth F. (2009-10-06). Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty (Higher
and Adult Education Series) (Kindle Locations 475-478). John Wiley and Sons. Kindle Edition.

45. ATTENTION + MEMORY = LEARNING
ENGAGEMENT  ATTENTION
ENGAGEMENT + MEMORY = LEARNING

46. STUDENT ENGAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
(They encourage Student-Centric practice,
Thinking, Closure)

47. Flash Cards
Formative
Quizzes

48. Focused Reading Notes
Classroom Salon

49. Flash Cards
Brainscape, Quizlet, StudyBlue

50. Standards-Based Formative Assessment
Naiku

51. Flash Cards
Formative
Quizzes

52. Academic Controversy
Classroom Collaborize

53. Flash Cards
Formative
Quizzes

54. Concept Maps
Mindomo/Spiderscribe/Bubbl.us

55. Flash Cards
Formative
Quizzes

56. Think Again – Blog or Docs Prompts

58. Insights, Resources, Applications –
Google Spreadsheets
Reading Assignment
Record on a shared google spreadsheet with
three columns- Insights, Resources, Application
• new perceptions or understandings (Insights)
• a resource they have found that amplifies the
reading’s themes or information (Resources)
• an example from the student’s personal
experience that relates to the reading
(Application).
RESOURCES

60. Circular Response/Fischbowl
TitanPad

62. Learning Logs
Portfolios

64. Formative Quizzes
Learning Catalytics, Socrative, InfuseLearning

65. Where to Document the Thinking

66. RAFTS Blog Prompts

67. Thinkertoys
Electronic Thinkertoys

68. Rethinking the Toolkit

69. Toolkit

70. Teaching Types of Thinking
http://bigthink.com/inside-singularity-university/exponential-thinking

71. Creative

72. Creativity / Design

73. Empathy Map

74. Who Dos
Group DyKnow Panels

75. Jot Not
Keeping it
ELECTRONIC
but not
underestimating
the power of f2f
and traditional
methods!

76. Critical Thinking
Performance Task
CWRA/CLA  Assessing Critical Thinking
http://goo.gl/mA6VO
http://goo.gl/WK2Py

77. STEPS
• IDENTIFY SCENARIO
• Write Problem Statement (Real Life)
• Determine Evidence to use
– 2 Detractors
– 3 Pro position
– 3 Con Position
– 1 tipping the scale
– Student Job is to take evidence and identify a
solution

78. Systems Thinking
with ISEE STELLA

79. Fathom

80. Blogs
Passion and Metacognitive

81. Where to Document the Thinking

82. Toolkit

83. Brain Checklist- CeNTeReD C
Brain Checklist
Is this appropriately chunked? Brain can
manage 4 items in working memory-
Use graphic organizer to facilitate
chunking by helping establish patterns
Is there something Novel?
Is this on brain Time – (20 minute
increment, spaced repetition)
Is there something Relevant- a hook?
Is there Differentiation?
Is there an opportunity for Closure?
(reflective journal, exit cards, think-pair-
share)

87. Background
• Brain Conference
• Reading of Brain Rules
• Brain Research and
Learning Area in Library
• Learning Groups -The
CABAL
• PD Report Back
A Reading List

88. Tech Tools for Differentiation and
Feedback, Changing Assessment
• Conditional Activities
– LAMS
– Moodle 2
– Canvas
• Portfolio Assessment (focus on progress and
process)
– Chalk and Wire

89. Tony Wagner
• Rigor Redefined
• Seven Survival Skills

90. Habits of Mind
How do you assess these?
3P Grading
Grading for Product
Grading for Process (Habits of Mind)
Grading for Progress (Skills Development)

91. Portfolio Assessment

92. iDSRP
Distinctions, systems, relationships, and
perspectives
iDSRP
Distinctions Systems Relationships Perspectives
Thinking Organization
DEREK CABRERA

94. Blog or Portfolio Prompts
Google Forms
DyKnow
Formative Assessment Prompts

95. Reflective
Thinking
What kind of
thinking did I
use?

96. Learning Journals
• Portfolios
• Blogs
• Google Docs (shared)
• OneNote Shared notebooks

97. Thinkertoys
Electronic Thinkertoys

98. Lumosity

99. Stella

100. Fathom

101. vPython

102. Jibe

103. Thinking Worlds
“Thinking Worlds is a tool that puts people with creative
ideas, not just programmers, fully in control of high-
impact immersive design.”

104. Going Forward
• Introduce portfolio as assessment tool
– Shift conversation to improving and growth over
grades (3P –process, progress, product)
• Use portfolio for reflection about learning
(provide a model)
• Put concept of Habits of Mind in front of kids
• Put growth mindset in front of kids
• Thinking Strategies
• Thinkertoys – Advisory Activities
• Brain Owner’s Manual

105. The "How People Learn" Framework
The "How People Learn" (HPL) framework takes the form of four overlapping lenses (see Figure
1) that can be used to analyze and enhance any learning situation (Bransford et al., 1999).
Harris, Bransford, and Brophy (2002) describe the following dimensions of HPL learning
environments:
1. Learner centeredness. Instruction is tailored, based on a consideration of learners' prior
knowledge as well as their prior experiences, misconceptions, and preconceptions about an
instructional topic.
2. Knowledge centeredness. Issues related to what learners need to know are emphasized, along
with how knowledge is structured and applied in various contexts. (This lens has implications for
how instruction should be sequenced to support comprehension and use of this knowledge in
new situations.)
3. Assessment centeredness. Frequent
opportunities to monitor students' progress
toward the learning goals are provided.
Results are fed back to both instructors and
learners.
4. Community centeredness. This HPL lens
recognizes that students are members of
multiple communities, including their
classrooms, their departments, and their
future professions. Opportunities encourage
students and instructors to share and learn
from each other.

106. • Lumosity
• Brainology
• BOOM
• Visual Thinking – Infographics- tie to research
• Hot Spot Videos
Games – Fathom- VPYTHON
Engagement strategies
Cognitive toolkit

108. Cubing with Blooms/Daggett
(Differentiation)

109. Cubing with Blooms
(Differentiation)
Dice Maker

110. http://daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com/file/view/nagc_cubing_
_think_dots.pdf