PORTABLEKNOWLEDGE

AVISIBLETHINKINGBUNDLETOFOSTERTRANSFEROFCONTENTAND21STCENTURYSKILLS

DEVELOPERSOFTHEPORTABLEKNOWLEDGEBUNDLE:

FLOSSIECHUA,KARINMORRISON,DAVIDPERKINS,SHARITISHMAN

ThesematerialswereproducedatProjectZero,HarvardGraduateSchoolofEducation,aspartofitsVisibleThinkinginitiative.TheyweredevelopedwiththegeneroussupportofIndependentSchoolsVictoria,VictoriaState,Australia.PleaseseetheAcknowledgments

sectionformoredetails.

ThisProjectZeroworkislicensedundertheCreativeCommonsAttribution-NonCommercial4.0InternationalLicense.Toviewacopyofthislicense,visithttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-

nc/4.0/orsendalettertoCreativeCommons,POBox1866,MountainView,CA94042,USA.

CONTENTS

ANINTRODUCTIONTOPORTABLEKNOWLEDGE............................................................1

Goal1.FRAMINGTHELEARNINGAGENDAFORPORTABLEKNOWLEDGEFROMTHEBEGINNINGOFATOPICORUNIT...................................................................................3

IntroducingaTopicwithExpansiveFraming...........................................................................4

ThreeCircles:AnExpansiveFramingRoutinetolaunchatopic...............................................6

Goal2.WEAVINGMULTIPLECONNECTION-MAKINGACTIVITIESINTOTHELEARNINGPROCESS......................................................................................................................................8

ThinkingExpeditions...............................................................................................................9

Goal3.FOSTERINGSTRONGIDENTITIESASTHINKERSANDLEARNERS.........................13OurIdentityasThinkers........................................................................................................14

THINKINGROUTINESFORTHINKINGEXPEDITIONS.......................................................16IntroductiontoThinkingRoutineforThinkingExpeditions...................................................17

PortableSurprise..................................................................................................................18

ProjectingAcrossDistance....................................................................................................20

ProjectingAcrossTime.........................................................................................................22

WalktheWeek.....................................................................................................................24

See|Wonder|Connectx2..................................................................................................26

PasstheParcel......................................................................................................................28

Outside-In:ConnectingPersonalIntereststoTopicsinSchool..............................................31

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSANDBACKGROUND.................................................................34

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ANINTRODUCTIONTOPORTABLEKNOWLEDGEWhenweteachsomething,weaspiretowhatmightbecalledportableknowledge.We'rehoping

thatlearnerswon'tjustbestoringupknowledgefortheunittestoressay.They'llconnectwhattheylearntootherstudiesandtotheirlivesnowandlaterintheirrolesasfamilymembers,citizens,andworkers.

We'dlikethemtoconnectideasfromhistorytocontemporaryconflictsandpolicyissues.We'dlikethemtoconnect18th-centuryliteratureorfolktalestomodesofexpressionthrivingtodayandtoabidinghumanproblems.We'dliketoseefundamentalsofmathandsciencethey'vestudiedhelpthemmake sense of the everydayworld and to readnewspaper ormagazine articles orwatch asciencedocumentarywithmoreorientationandinsight.We'dlikethemtodrawontheirexperienceand insights in learning one language toward learning another. We very much want not justknowledgefornow,forthisunit,forthistest,forthisessay,butportableknowledge.

Educatorsandcognitivescientistsrefertothischallengeastransferoflearning.Wewantstudentstotransferandapplywhattheylearnhereandtodayfarandwideintheirlives.Wewantknowledgethattravels,notknowledgethatstaysathome.

Thegoodnews:typicalcurriculainanydisciplinearerichwithideas,themes,andmethodswithhighpotentialfortransfer–withportabilityinprinciple.Tobesure,typicalcurriculaalsohavemorespecializedtechnicalaspectsthatdon'tnecessarilyinvitebroadtransfer.Butthere'splentythatdoes!

The bad news: portability in principle isn't portability in practice. You might think that if astudenthad learnedX foraparticularunit, thestudentwouldapplyX farandwide.Afterall, thestudentknowsX.Oddly,knowingXisn'tenough.Researchgoingbackmorethanacenturyshowsthatcommonlystudentsdonotconnectwhattheyarelearningfarandwide.Whattheyarelearningtendstogetstuckinsteadoftraveling.

Howdoesknowledgegetstuckintheplaceandtimeitwaslearned?Partoftheproblemissimplyforgetting,butthemainbottleneckisnotforgetting–it'sactivating.

Whenthemesstudentshavestudiedconnect inprinciple toaparticularnewspaperheadlineorafamilyconversationorathemeinanotheracademicsubjectentirely,forthemostpartstudentsjustdonotnoticetherelationships.Whenstudentsfacepersonaldecisionsthatmightbeinformedbyatopictheyhavestudiedformally,commonlytherelevancenevercomestomind.Theknowledgeisportableinprinciplebutnotportableinpractice.

HOWTOGETPORTABLEKNOWLEDGE

Thewayforwardreflectsasimplefundamentalofhumanlearning:Whatyoulearniswhatyoudo.Whenclassroomandassignmentactivitiesfocusjustonthetopic,thenstudentslearntheinsandoutsofthetopicasanisolatedtopic...andthat'sthatforthemostpart!

Eveniftheactivitiesguidestudentstodigintothetopicinsomedepthwithrealunderstanding,still,basicallytheyarelearningtothinkaboutthetopic...notlearningtothinkwiththetopicaboutotherthings.Sotheknowledgetendstogetsstuck.Thestudentsmayenjoytheirstudiesanddowellontestsoressays,buttheyreallyhaven'tunderstoodthetopicbroadlyorgottenthemostoutofitastheygoforwardinlifetootherstudiesandpracticalsituations.

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Tobesure,somestudentsadoptabroaderstancetowardlearning.Andsomecircumstancescancueconnectionmaking.Sotransferoccurshereandtherefromtimetotime.However,"businessasusual"intheclassroomusuallydoesnotgetusnearlyasmuchportabilityaswewouldlike.

Thebasicsolutionisassimpleasthebasicproblem.Ifwhatyoulearniswhatyoudo,let'sbesurethatstudentsexpectanddoagooddealofconnectionmakingaroundtopics.Thenthatwillbecomepartofwhattheylearn,bringingthemtoabroaderunderstandingandtoknowledgethatcanplayamorerichandactiveroleintheirlives.Theywillhavetrulyportableknowledge!

Togetpracticalaboutthis,studentswillacquiremuchmoreportableknowledgeifweattendtothesethreethingsinourteaching:

1. Framingthelearningagendaforportableknowledgefromthebeginning.Makeitclearthatwhat'sbeinglearnedappliesfarandwideandencouragestudentstothinkaboutitthatway.

2. Weavingmultipleconnection-makingexperiencesintothelearningprocess.Remember,whatyoulearn is what you do. Students who do considerable connection making with what they arelearningaremuchmorelikelytocontinuethatconnectionmakinglater.

3. Fosteringstrongidentitiesasthinkersandlearners.Thiswillencouragetransferingeneralandhelpspecificallywithtransferofthinkingskillsandother21stcenturyskills.

ISPORTABLEKNOWLEDGEWORTHTHEINVESTMENT?

Butwait...whatare the trade-offsofspending timeonportableknowledge?This is thesortofquestionthatanyeducatorhastotakeseriously.Aninvestmentinframingforportableknowledge,weavinginmultipleconnection-makingexperiences,andfosteringidentitiesasthinkersandlearnerswillcertainlytakesometime–notnecessarilyahugeamountoftime,butsometime–awayfromdiggingintothedetailsofthetopic.

Isthatworthwhile?Let'sconsidertheplusesandminuses.Ontheminusside,aninformation-orientedtestattheendofthetopicmightshowthatlearners

haveafewfewerdetails"intheirheads."However,thosedetailswillalmostcertainlygetforgotteninafewdaysanyway.

Also,nowandthenonefindswhat'scallednegativetransfer,whenlearninginoneareacausesmistakesinanother.Forinstance,peopleusedtodrivingononesideoftheroadinonecountryneedtowatchoutfornegativetransferofhabitswhentheydriveinacountrywithadifferentconvention.However, negative transfer is a minor phenomenon compared to positive transfer. Most peoplequicklylearntheirwaypastthemistakes.

Nowfortheplusside:Attentiontoportableknowledgewillalmostcertainlymotivatelearnersby making the learning more meaningful, build a deeper and broader understanding, help theknowledgestickforalongtimebecauseithasmoreassociations,provideabetterbasisforreturningto the same topic later in other contexts, and enable the learners to apply someofwhat they'velearnedbroadlyintheirlives.That'saprettygooddeal!

Therestofthisdocumentsharesaflexiblesystematicpracticalapproachtoattainingthethreegoalsofframingforportableknowledge,weavinginmultipleconnection-makingexperiences,andfosteringidentitiesasthinkersandlearners.

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GOAL1.

FRAMINGTHELEARNINGAGENDAFORPORTABLEKNOWLEDGE

FROMTHEBEGINNINGOFATOPICORUNIT

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INTRODUCINGATOPICWITHEXPANSIVEFRAMING

Thistopicgivesoursubjectmatter

moremeaningforbotheverydaylifeandfurtherstudy.

Thistopichasbeenastandardpartofthesubjectmatterformanyyears.

We'llwrapupthistopicnextweekwithatest.

We'remakingagoodstartonarichtopic;there'smuchmoretoexplorelater.

Embrace

EXPANSIVEFRAMING

Avoid

NARROWFRAMING

You'llneedtoknowthisforthenextunit.

Here'showthistopichelpsustounderstandour

world.

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Q&A:INTRODUCINGATOPICWITHEXPANSIVEFRAMING

What'sthebasic ideaofexpansiveframingversusnarrowframing?Studiesofclassroomsandtextsshowthatsometimestopicsareintroducedinwaysthatsuggest"we'restudyingthishereandnow;let'smasteritandmoveon."That'snarrowframing.Incontrast,sometimestopicsareintroducedinwaysthatsuggest"we'restudyingthisbecauseitconnectswidelyandimportantlytootherpartsofthe subjectmatter, later studies in other areas, and understanding ourworld." That's expansiveframing.

Whyisexpansiveframingimportant?Itsendsthemessagethatwhatwe'restudyingtodayisn'tjustfortoday;it'sformultipleimportantoccasionsinthenearandfarfuture.Expansiveframingcreatesin students amindset of expecting portable knowledge, i.e. transfer of learning. Not only is thismotivatingbutitalsoturnsstudents'attentiontopossibleconnectionsastheystudythetopic.

Why begin expansive framing at the beginning of a topic?Because it establishes expectations forportableknowledgefromthefirst,eventhoughthestudentsprobablyhavetolearnsomeaboutthetopicbeforetheycanbegintoseeconnectionsforthemselves.Ofcourse,expansiveframingshouldcontinueastheclassadvancesthroughthetopic.

AfterIintroduceatopicwithexpansiveframing,willthatstickordoIneedtokeepframingthingsthatway?Youwanttokeepframingthingsthatwayfromtimetotime,remindingstudentsofthebroaderrelevance of what they are learning. That said, the beginning is particularly important.So is the end,when you arewrappingup a topic. For instance, youmight lead a conversationprovokingtheleanerstowonderaboutthetopicandwhereitmightgonext.

Isexpansiveframingentirelyuptotheteacher?Studentscanparticipateintheprocessthroughakindofbrainstorming.Thenextstrategygivesonewaytodothis.However,theveryfirstwordsyousayaboutatopicbegintoestablishstudents'expectations.Accordingly,it'sagoodideatobeginwithatleastsomeofyourownexpansiveframing.

Where does the idea of expansive framing versus narrow framing come from? It's the product ofresearchontransferoflearningconductedbyProf.RandiEngleandcolleaguesattheUniversityofCaliforniaBerkeleyGraduateSchoolofEducation.Foronesource,seeEngle,R.A.,Lam,D.P.,Meyer,X. S., & Nix, S. E. (2012). How does expansive framing promote transfer? Several proposedexplanationsandaresearchagendaforinvestigatingthem.EducationalPsychologist47(3),215-231

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THREECIRCLES:ANEXPANSIVEFRAMINGROUTINETOLAUNCHATOPIC

THINKINGABOUTthecorethemesandideas

ofthistopic

THINKINGWITHthesethemesandideas

aboutotherthingsinothersubjects,dailylife,etc.

THINKINGBEYONDthemoreobviousexamples,makingroughcomparisons,analogies,etc.,to

unusualareas

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Q&A:THREECIRCLES

What'sthebasicideaoftheThreeCircles?It'saninvitationforstudents,withyourhelp,tomapthebroad relevance of the topic for understanding theworld and for further studies, in the spirit ofexpansive framing.Also,youcanusethethreecirclesinplanning,tothinkinadvanceaboutthebroadrelevanceofatopicyouteachandanticipatewherestudentsmighttakeit.Someteachersdothiswithcolleagues,coordinatingtheirteaching.

Someideaswithinalargetopicseemtoofferalotmoreportabilitythanothers.WhatdoIdoaboutthat?FortheThreeCirclesandtransferingeneral,focusontheopportunities!Pickideaswithinthetopicthatofferthemoststretch.

Howdothethreecirclesfittogether?Theinnercircle,thinkingabout,invitesidentifyingafewcorethemesand ideas, thekindsofheadlinesthatmightbementioned inan introductiontothetopic.Thenextcircle,thinkingwith,invitesidentifyingpossibleapplicationsbeyondstandardexamplesusedintheinstruction.Forinstance,ifstudentsarestudyingfoodwebs,apossibleapplicationwouldbetoexplorehowhumanbeingstodayfit intoafoodweb,howpetsfit intoa foodweb,andhowprehistorichumanbeingsfitintoafoodweb(adistinctlydifferentpicturethanpeopletoday!).

Theoutercircle,thinkingbeyond,invitesanalogicalthinkingaboutothersituationsthatmightinsomewaybelikethetopic.Forinstance, ifstudentsarestudyingfoodwebs,howistheminingofmineralslikeandunlikeafoodweb?Howarecompanies'promotionandsalesofproductslikeandunlikeafoodweb?

There'snotthatmuchroominthosethreecircles!–Whatifmystudentshavelotsofideas?Feelfreetoimprovise a different layout, for instance using lines to connect items into the circles, or simplyhavingthreecolumns–whateverworksforyou!Justtrytokeepthespiritofpushingfurtherandfurtheroutward,fromthinkingabouttothinkingwithtothinkingbeyond.

Atthebeginningofthetopic,howcanstudentsknowwhatideasforthinkingabout,thinkingwith,andthinkingbeyondmightbefruitful?Theycan'tknowwithconfidence.However,inintroducingthetopicyou'vetoldthemalittlebitaboutit,especiallyhelpingtofillinthecenter,andsomeofthemprobablyknowalittlebitaboutthetopicalready.Theycanspeculate.Andyoucanhelp.

Whatifsomestudentsmentionareasofthinkingabout,thinkingwith,orthinkingbeyondthatdon'treallyfitverywell?Nobigdeal!Justquietlyaccepttheideas.Youcanloopbacklaterinthetopicandaskwhichideasseemtobeworkingoutbest.Atthebeginning,theaimistoenergizetheexplorationofthetopicbygeneratingcuriosity.

Whathappens to theThreeCircles chart?Keep itaround!Make thechartonnewsprint.Or takeadigitalphotographofachartthatyoucanprojectlater.Asthestudentslearnmoreaboutthetopic,engage them in exploring someof the ideas for thinkingwith and thinkingbeyond.The thinkingroutinesfromthenextsectionwillhelpwiththis!

AndofcourseyoucanaddnewideastotheThreeCirclesatanytime.

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GOAL2.

WEAVINGMULTIPLECONNECTION-MAKINGACTIVITIESINTOTHELEARNINGPROCESS

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THINKINGEXPEDITIONSThinking expeditions are conversational thinking activities that explore how a topic connects tobroader applications and themes, beyond the immediate straightforwardexamples thatmightbeusedinstandardinstruction.

Ideally,thinkingexpeditionsoccurseveraltimesduringthetreatmentofatopic.Theyhelpstudentsbuild portable knowledge by active connectionmaking, following through on the principle fromearlierthatwhatwelearniswhatwedo.

In this way, thinking expeditions reinforce the broad relevance of the topic, helping to sustainmotivation, curiosity, and engagement. In other words, thinking expeditions help to maintainexpansiveframingthroughoutthetopic.Theyexercisethinkingwithandthinkingbeyond,asintheThreeCircleschart.

Therearemanydifferentwaystostructurethinkingexpeditions.Perhapsit'smostusefultobeginwithaquickexampleandgeneralizefromthere.ThisexampleusesathinkingroutinecalledPortableSurprise.ThedetailsofPortableSurpriseandseveralotherthinkingroutinesusefulfororganizingthinkingexpeditionsappearlater.Also,teacherssometimesmakeuptheirownroutines!

ASAMPLETHINKINGEXPEDITIONUSINGPORTABLESURPRISE

Theteacherandstudentsinaparticularclasshavebeenexploringglobalwarming.Fromthebeginning,thetopichasbeenframedexpansively.

Todaytheteacherannounces,"Globalwarmingisveryinterestingasacontroversy.It'snottheonlytimetherehavebeenbigcontroversiesaboutwhat'shappeningintheworldandwhatweshoulddoaboutit.Nowthatwehaveahandleonglobalwarming,let'sexploresomeofthedifferencesandparallelsinvariousways."

The teacher casually introduces a thinking routine called Portable Surprise. "When we learn about acomplicatedthemelikeglobalwarming,oftentherearesomesurprises,thingswedidn'treallyexpect,thingsthatarealarmingorhelpful.Thesecanbedifferent frompersontoperson.Let'saskthis:Whatbigpatternaboutthesituationanditscontroversiessurprisedyou?Andthenask:whereelseintheworlddoyouormightyoufindthatkindofsurprise?"

PortableSurprise inviteswhatwe'vecalledthinkingbeyond–exploringanalogiesbetweenthecurrenttopicandothersituationsthatmightconcernverydifferentmatters.

Studentsworkingroupstodiscussportablesurprisesandthensharetheirthoughts.Astudentfromonegroupsays,"Wewerereallysurprisedbyhowconfusingitallis.Somepeoplesaythis,somepeoplesaythat.Originally,therewasalotofdebateamongthescientists.Andnowthereisakindofaconsensusbutittookareallylongtimeandthere'salotmoreagreementaboutwhetherthereisaproblemthanabouthowtofixit."

Another student from the group continues, "We were thinking where else that happens. We wererememberingthatawhileagoitwasreallycontroversialwhethercigarettescausecancer,andthatlastedforalongtime."

Theteacherasks,"Whydoyouthinkittooksolongtosortthatout?"Astudentsuggests,"Well,foronethinglotsofthingsjusttakealongtimetofigureout.ImeanIguessthat's

partofthereality.Youcan'tdoasingleexperimentandnailit."Anotherstudentsuggests,"Andontopofthat,therearepeoplewhoreallycareonewayoranotherand

theywant topushtheircaseandthatcanevenconfusethings– like thecigarettecompaniesor,say,aswe

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learned about globalwarming, industries that don'twant tomake adjustments because itwould be reallyexpensivesotheydon'twanttobelieveinglobalwarminganddon'twantotherstobelieve."

Anothergroup identifiesadifferentcontemporarycontroversy:geneticallyengineeredcrops.Theclassdiscusses this for a while and posts stickies comparing and contrasting the controversies around globalwarmingandgeneticallyengineeredcrops.

Theteacherpromptsthemfurther:,"Let'snot justputupbigthings,alsomorelocalthings,aroundourcommunityhereforinstance."

Thestudentsaddideaslike:HardtotellwhetherMorriswouldmakeagoodmayor;whattodoabouttheoldtowndump;whetherthereisreallyalotofprejudicehereaboutimmigrantsbecausesomesayyesbutsomesayit'snothing.

Attheteachersprompting,thestudentsmarkwhichcasesseemmostliketheglobalwarningcaseintheuncertaintiesanddebatesandspeculateonwhat'sbehindthedifficulties.Theyalsodiscusshowsuchsituationsmightbehandledbetter.

THEBROADORGANIZATIONOFTHINKINGEXPEDITIONS

There'splentyofroomforvariation,butherearesomestepsyoucouldconsider.

1.INADVANCE,EXPLORETHEPOSSIBLETHINKINGANDLEARNINGGOALS

Whatseemtoyouthemostimportantconnectionsthatmightbedrawnfromtheparticulartopic,inthespiritofthinkingwithandthinkingbeyond?Forinstance,iftheclasshasbeenstudyingglobalwarming,perhapsitseemsespeciallyimportanttomakeconnectionstothelocalenvironment.Orperhaps itseems important tomakeconnections to thegeneralnatureofcontroversies,as in theaboveexample.Orboth,atdifferentmoments.Therearemanypossibilities!

Youcandecide,oryoumightwanttoengageyourstudentsindiscussingwhattherichestconnectionsmightbe,forinstancewiththehelpofaThreeCircleschartfromthebeginningofthetopic.

2.INADVANCE,CONSIDERHOWTOORGANIZETHETHINKINGEXPEDITION

It'sgenerallyhelpfultouseathinkingroutine,suchasPortableSurprise.Severalpossibleroutinesappear at the end of this document, and sometimes teachersmake up their own. There are twoadvantagestousingthesethinkingroutines:(1)theyarestructureddeliberatelytogetatthinkingwithand/orthinkingbeyond;(2)afterstudentsusearoutineafewtimes,studentsgetfamiliarwithit,developskillsaroundit,andincorporateitintotheirgeneralthinkingrepertoireasausefultool.

3.LAUNCHTHETHINKINGEXPEDITION

Announcethatwe'regoingtoundertakeathinkingexpedition.Or,ifyoudon'tlikethetermthinkingexpedition,youcansayconnectionexpeditionorconnectionsafariormakeupyourownlabel.Thepoint is to frametheactivityasadeliberateexpeditionbeyondthetopic takenstraightforwardly.Thisispartofexpansiveframing.

ItmaybeusefultohaveaThreeCircleschartinview,asasourceofideas.Theconversationmayevenleadtoaddingtothechart.

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4.ENGAGETHECLASSINTHETHINKINGROUTINE

Thinkingroutinesdonothavetobefollowedinexactlythesamewayeachtime.Infact,varietyisenergizing. Sometimes there might be small group discussions leading to a class discussion,sometimesjustageneralclassdiscussion.Sometimesstudentsmightpreparealittleashomework,sometimesnot.Etc.

Q&A:THINKINGEXPEDITIONS

Thesamplethinkingexpeditionforglobalwarminglooksasthoughitcouldtakeaclassperiodormore.Withmyscheduleabitjammed,dothinkingexpeditionshavetobethatlong?Notatall!Muchdependsonyourcontext.Typically,the"same"expeditionfromthestandpointoftheroutineusedcanbedonein shorteror longer form, simplyby adjusting thenumberof items consideredand the lengthofdiscussions.Ashortthinkingexpeditionisgenerallyabetterchoicethannothinkingexpedition.

AsmystudentsandIadvancethroughatopic,whenshouldwestartthinkingexpeditions?Trytomakea fairly early start, at least with a small-scale thinking expedition. There's a temptation to pushthinkingexpeditionstowardtheendofatopic,afterthecorehasbeencovered.However,toensurethelearningofportableknowledge,you'llwanttostartearly.Also,mattersplannedfortheendoftenfallofftheend,astimerunsout.

HowmanythinkingexpeditionsshouldmystudentsandIundertakeforatopic?Ofcourse,"topic"isaverylooseterm;thetreatmentofthetopicmightrangefromacoupleofclassperiodstoacoupleofweeksormore.Forashorttopic,asinglethinkingexpeditionmightmakesense.Foratopicthattakesweeks,severalthinkingexpeditionskeepextendingportableknowledge.

Someideaswithinalargetopicseemtoofferalotmoreportabilitythanothers.WhatdoIdoaboutthat?Wetookthisquestionupearlier,withtheThreeCircles,andtheideaisthesamehere.Focusontheopportunities!Pickideaswithinthetopicthatofferthemoststretch.

What if a student suggests a transfer that is superficial or even mistaken? Treat such responsesrespectfully, as you would a less-than-ideal response about anything. You might want to invitediscussionbytheclassofthatandotherproposedtransfers–"Whichoftheseconnectionsseemsstrongestandwhy?"Trytoavoiddirectlycorrectingstudents'responsesalot,becausethatdrainsconversationalenergy...butoccasionallyifthepointisimportantyoumayneedtodoso.

HowdoIchoosethe"right" thinkingroutine fora thinkingexpedition?Consideryourthinkingandlearninggoalsas in#1above:which routines seem to serve thosegoals?Usually there isnoone"right" routine; more than one routine can serve pretty well the same goal.It'sgenerallyagoodideatotryoutacandidatethinkingroutineforatopicyourselfbeforeusingitwithstudents.Doestheroutineprovegenerative?Doesitgetatwhatyouwantto?Doyourstudentsseemlikelytoknowenoughalreadyfromgeneralknowledgeorwhatthey'vestudiedaboutthetopicsofartousetheroutineproductively,atleastinagroupcontextwheretheycanpoolresponses?Orsometimesroutinesfocusonidentifyingquestionsandpossibilities,sostudentsdonotneedtoknowalotinthefirstplace.

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Should I try to use all the thinking routines in the course of a longer topic?For themost part, no.Studentsbenefitfrombecomingfamiliarwithasmallnumberofroutines.Manyteachers,afteralittleexperience, focus on some favorite routines they find particularly useful for their content, theirpersonalstyle,andtheirstudents.

HowdoIgetmystudentsandmyselfstartedonathinkingroutinewehaven'tusedbefore?Goodnewshere:thinkingroutinesaredesignedforeasylaunch.Theyaredesignedtoworkreasonablywelleventhe very first time you and your students try them (and of course further fluency developswithpractice).Theyarealsodesignedso that theydonotneedextensiveupfrontexplanation.Aquickpreview("here'sacoupleofsentencesaboutwhatwe'regoingtodo...")andthenjustgettingintoitworksfine!

Should I use the "official" thinking routines includedwith this package?These routines have beenchosenandrefinedforthepurpose,sotheyaregoodchoices.However,fromtimetotimeteachersmakeuptheirownthinkingroutines.Also,therearemanyotherthinkingroutinesnotparticularlydesignedforportableknowledgebutthatcanbeturnedtothatpurpose,aspartofthegeneralVisibleThinkingapproach(seetheappendix).Sobyallmeansproceedflexibly.Justkeepinmindthebasicideaof thinkingroutines: twoorthreeor four fairlysimplesteps,worksreasonablywell thefirsttime,getsatwhatyouwanttogetat.Thinkingroutinesshouldfeeleasytoremember,easytouse,andimmediatelyproductive.

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GOAL3.

FOSTERINGSTRONGIDENTITIESASTHINKERSANDLEARNERS

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Aswethinkpersonallyorinconversation,let'stakeamomenttoremindourselves...

—WEGIVETHINKINGTIME—

Wequietourimpulsetohurry,tappingenergyto...⦁gatherideasandevidencefirstandthendecide⦁thinkitthroughpartbypart⦁talkitoverwithfriendsoranadvisor⦁thinkaboutitforawhile,setitaside,comebacktoitlater⦁sleeponit...

—WEMAKEOURTHINKINGBROADANDADVENTUROUS—

Wereachbeyondtheordinary,findingthespiritto...⦁exploreunusualpointsofview⦁brainstormverydifferentideas⦁droptypicalassumptionsatleasttemporarily⦁thinkfarawayfromtheusualapproach⦁ask"whatifnot?"⦁exchangeideaswithothers⦁ lookforconnectionsfarandwide,inothertopicsandareasoflife⦁listentoourintuitionswithoutnecessarilytakingthemasfinal⦁keepopenandalerttotheworldofthingsandideasandopportunitiesaroundus...

—WEMAKEOURTHINKINGCLEARANDDEEP—

Wegetbeyondthesurface,digginginto…⦁getclearaboutwhatthingsmean⦁ lookforpartsandpurposes,howthingsfittogether,howtheyaredesigned⦁mapthelargersystemaroundwhatwe'relookingatandinvestigatehowthingsworkunderneath⦁lookforevidence,lookonbothsides,thinkabout the reliability of our sources ⦁ take different perspectives ⦁ test our ideas throughconversationswithothers⦁expresscautionswithconclusions:howsureisitreasonabletobe,doesthisreallymakesense?⦁thinkwhatfurtherpointstoinvestigate...

—WEKEEPOURTHINKINGORGANIZED—

Weavoidmuddlingthrough,gettingsharpto...⦁beclearaboutourgoals:whatarewetryingtofigureout? ⦁ use various thinkingmoves (like those above) and thinking routines ⦁ think on paper (orcomputer, etc.) tohelpourselveskeep track⦁ think togetherwithothers,helpingoneanother tomoveforward⦁pauseandaskwhetherwe'remakinggoodprogressand,ifnot,tryadifferentpath...

OURIDENTITYAS

THINKERS

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Q&A:OURIDENTITYASTHINKERS

What's Our Identity As Thinkers for? It's a routine for broad self-monitoring of our thinking andcultivationofstrongthinkingpractices.

WhatdoesOurIdentityAsThinkershavetodowithportableknowledge/transferoflearning?Itfostersthebroaduse(i.e.transfer)ofgoodthinkingpractices.Inparticular,itfostersthetransferofthinkingroutines,whicharereferredtoinOurIdentityAsThinkersaswaysoforganizingthinking.

Our Identity As Thinkers looksmore complicated thatmost thinking routines.How's it supposed towork?It'sactuallyaquickawayofremindingourselveswhattopayattentionto!Thedetailsundereachheadingareforbrowsing,notforplowingthrougheverysingleelement.

HowcanImakeOurIdentityAsThinkersavailabletostudents?Youcanmakealargeversionofittohangintheclassroomasaconstantreminder...youcouldusejustthemainheadings.Youcanprojectit.Oryoucancopyanddistributeit.

WhenmightIuseOurIdentityAsThinkers?Inclassdiscussionsaroundanycomplicatedissue.Youcanturntotheposteratanytime,asking"Arewedoingthis?"And"Whereshouldweinvestinmoreattention–givingtime,broadandadventurous,etc.?"

Iseehowthatwouldworkfordiscussinghistoryorliterature,butisOurIdentityAsThinkersrelevanttodisciplineslikemathandscience?Yesitis.Forinstance,oftenstudentsrushthroughmathproblemsrather thangiving thinking time.Often inmathor science, studentsmayskimponargumentandevidence–let'sremindthemaboutclearanddeepthinking.Insolvingproblemsinmathematicsandscience,it'simportanttomanageyourthinkingsystematically–makethinkingorganized!

Why"Identity"?Theaimistoencouragestudentstotaketohearttheideaofbeingagoodthinker,tomakethecommitmentpartofwhotheyare,andtoapplygoodthinkingfarandwideinschoolandbeyond.

Why"Our"?Basicallythesameidea–toencouragestudentstodevelopthesocialexpectationthattheyandotherstogetherwillbethoughtful.

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THINKINGROUTINESFORTHINKINGEXPEDITIONS

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INTRODUCTIONTOTHINKINGROUTINEFORTHINKINGEXPEDITIONS

ThefollowingroutinesaredesignedtobeusedwiththeThinkingExpeditionsprocessdiscussedinPart2ofthisguide.Part2introducedThinkingExpeditions,illustratingthepracticewiththetopicofglobalwarmingandtheroutinePortableSurprise,thefirstonebelow.

Alltheroutinesbelowcanalsobeusedforgeneralpurposes,notjustforThinkingExpeditions.Also,forthosewhoarealreadyfamiliarwithotherVisibleThinkingroutinesorwhosimplywanttolookfurther,anumberofthinkingroutinesnotincludedinthisbundlecanserveThinkingExpeditions.ByallmeansexperimentandpleaseseetheAcknowledgmentssectiontofindfurtherresources.

That said, the routines here are specifically designed to emphasize portable knowledge, that is,transferoflearning.

Thefirstroutinesbelowcanbeusedtoexplorehowatopicconnectstootherdisciplinesandaspectsoflifeingeneral.

Thelaterroutinesincludeelementsthatspecificallyaskstudentstomakepersonalconnections,toencouragelinkingclassroomlearningtolessacademicaspectsoflife.

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PORTABLESURPRISE

Athinkingroutineforfindingpatternsinatopicandsimilarpatternsinverydifferentsituations

(pattern=anygeneralizedrelationshipacrossmanycases,oftenwithvariations,e.g.goodguy/badguyinliterature,transformativeinventionsinhistory,foodwebsinecologies)

1.Brainstormafewbiggeneralpatternsthatshowedupinthetopic.Pointtoonesthatsurprisedyou,likearabbitpoppingoutofamagician'shat.Pickonetofocusonthatseemsespeciallyinteresting.

2.Brainstormafewothersituations,verydifferent,wherethesamepatternmightshowup.Pickonetofocusonthatseemsespeciallyinteresting.

3.Compareandcontrastthepatternintheinitialtopicwiththepatterninthenewsituation.Whatarekeysimilarities?Differences?Whatsimilaritiesanddifferencesseemmostimportant?

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Q&A:PORTABLESURPRISE

Whatkindsofthinkingdoesportablesurpriseelicit?Abstractingimportantsurprisingpatternsfromatopicandalsofindingsomewhatsimilarpatternsinverydifferentsituationsandcomparing.

Howdoesthishelpbuildportableknowledge?Thethinkingroutinemakesmoreportablesomeoftheideas about the topic itself. And also, the thinking routine cultivates the general habit of seekingportableknowledge.

Whataresomeexamples?Turningtoexamplesmentionedearlier,onecanseeinglobalwarmingapatternofconfusingcontroversythatalsoshoweduparoundcigarettesandtodayaroundgeneticallyengineeredcrops.Onecanextendtheconceptoffoodwebsinanaturalecologytoaskaboutthefoodwebsofhumanstodayinourcomplexsocieties,orprehistorically,orthefoodwebsofpets,oreventhe"foodwebs"inananalogicalsenseinpatternsofconsumptionaroundproductmarketingandsales.Or,foranewexample,ifstudentsarestudyingnuclearweapons,onecanaskwhatwerethe"gamechanger"weaponsofothereras,forinstancethebowandarrow,andhowweretheimpactsthe sameanddifferent in abroad sense.Or, to generalize even further, one could explore "gamechanger"products(liketheiPhone)orideas(likedemocracy)inthesamespirit.Howisthepatternof"gamechanging"similaranddifferenttothatofweapons?

What if studentshave trouble extractingpatterns?Emphasize the ideaof surprise.Draw from thestudentswhatsurprisedsomeofthem,atleastalittlebit.Thenwhatpatternmadeitsurprising?Helpandhintalittleasyouneedto.

Whatifthestudentshavetroublefindingothersituationsthatmightbesimilar?Again,helpandhintalittleasyouneedto.

What if studentswant tocompareandcontrastwithanewsituationthatactually isn'taverygoodanalogy? It doesn't have to be a really good analogy. Remember, step 3 invites similarities anddifferencesandanassessmentoftheirimportance.Youcaneasilyaskattheend:Asitturnsout,isthis a really good analogy or only a so-so analogy?Even so-so analogies canbe illuminating, thecontrastsasrevealingasthesimilarities!

Canwediscussmorethanonepatternandconnection?Byallmeans,iftimeallows.OnewaytogetmoreideasinplayistohavestudentsapplyPortableSurpriseinsmallgroups,eachgrouppickingafavoriteanalogytodevelop.Attheend,thegroupsshareafewheadlinesabouttheirdiscoveries.

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PROJECTINGACROSSDISTANCEThis thinking routine invites learners to consider how a topic, event, or issue

impacts not only their own community and country, but also other communities

and countries far away.

Pick a topic, event, or issue that might be approached differently in different parts of the world or even your own country, such as food security, population growth, or marriage practices. Then, consider it from the following perspectives.

How is the topic, event, or issue playing out or viewed in...

• your community?

• another city or town in your country?

• a country east or west of your country, where people may think differently about the theme, event, or issue?

• a country north or south of your country, where people may think differently about the theme, event, or issue?

What might account for the similarities and/or differences between and within the communities and countries?

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Q&A: PROJECTING ACROSS DISTANCE

Whatkindofthinkingdoesthisroutineencourage?Thisroutineencourageslearnerstotakeabroader,multi-perspectivalviewofatopic,event,orissue.Whilethereareotherthinkingroutinesthatalsoencouragelearnerstotakediverseperspectives,thisroutinedifferentiatesitselfbyinvitinglearnerstospecificallycompareandcontrastperspectiveswithfirstlyanothercommunityintheircountry,followedbycountriesthataregeographicallydifferentfromtheirowncountry.Indoingso,learnerscometounderstandthat:

• Not everyone in the same country or even in the same city, holds the same views, and even if they hold broadly similar views, it’s the shades of differences that may be of greatest interest.

• People in countries that seem to be like theirs may not always think the same way, and that in fact it could be the case that people who are most geographically distant that may share similar views as them.

• It is important to gather a diversity of perspectives on a topic, event, or issue if one is to try to understand it as fully as possible, or to try to walk in someone else’s shoes for a day.

Whataresometipsforstartingthisroutine?Animportantthingtokeepinmindisthatlearnersmaynotbeabletoimmediatelyidentifycommunitiesandcountrieswheretheselectedtopic,event,orissueisapproacheddifferently.Inthatcase,youmaywanttodoanyofthefollowing:

• Have ready a set of communities and countries that you put forward for learners to explore. • Invite students to pool what they already happen to know, taking advantage of the diversity

among them. Then, assign them to research (e.g. conduct Internet searches; interview adults like parents) some points from the pool of knowledge and bring back their findings.

Whataresomethingstowatchoutfor?Asthisroutineinvolvesdiscussingdifferentcommunitiesandcountries, itwillbe importanttokeepa lookoutfor learnerswhomakesweepingassumptionsorbroad generalizations about other cultures, peoples, and places. This could lead tomisunderstandings and stereotyping of other cultures, peoples, and places, which need to beaddressedquickly.Somewaystodosoaretofollowupwith"Whatmakesyousaythat,"introduceacounterexampletohighlightthediscrepancyintheirthinking,etc.,oraskthequestion:doyouthinkeveryoneinthatcountry/communityislikelytothinkthesameway?Atalltimes,it’scrucialnottoletthemisunderstandingorstereotypetakeroot.

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PROJECTINGACROSSTIME

This thinking routine invites learners to understand a topic (e.g. ideas, phenomena,

problems) across a broad span of time reaching backward into the past, and forward

into the future.

Pick a topic (e.g. tourism; computers; global migration patterns). Then, consider it using the following prompts:

Map what you think or already know. What do you know about the topic?

Reach back in time. How has the topic played out in different forms / contexts / places over the last 10 years? The last 100 years? The last 1000 years?

Reach forward in time. How do you think the topic will play out 10 years into the future? 100 years? 1000 years?

Map how your thinking about the topic has changed. How do you view the topic now?

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Q&A: PROJECTING ACROSS TIME

Whatkindofthinkingdoesthisroutineencourage?Thisroutineencourageslearnerstoviewtopics(e.g.ideas,phenomenaandproblems)fromthevantageofabroadertimescale,thanwhattheyhavelearned from themedia, or experienced in their own lifetime. Often, ideas (e.g. childhood; debt;happiness),phenomena(e.g.theInternet;migration),orproblems(e.g.lackofaccesstocleanwater;terrorism),canlookverydifferentdependingonhowfarbackinhistoryorhowfarforwardintothefuturewelook.Forinstance,theideaof"childhood"canseemrelativelyunproblematicwhenlearnersexploreitthroughtheirown livedexperience,orevenbygoing twoor threegenerationsbacktohowtheirparentsorgrandparentsexperienced it. Imagine inviting themtogoeven fartherback in time, tobeforethe17thcenturywhen"childhood"asanideadidnotexistandchildrenworkedinthefieldsfromayoungage.Howwouldthatimpactthewaylearnersunderstandwhatbeingachildmeans?Similarly,invitinglearnerstoprojectforwardintimetounderstandtheideaof"childhood"requiresthemtoconsidertheconditionsthatmake"childhood"possibleorevenviable,aswellashowwhattheyhavecometoacceptas"childhood"maychangedramatically.

Whataresometipsforthestep"Mapwhatyouthinkoralreadyknow?"Thisstepisintendedtoinvitelearnerstomakevisiblewhattheythinkaboutthetopic.Agoodwaytobegintheroutineistohavelearnersmapthissteponalargechart inonecolor,andtheneachofthenextstepsinadifferentcolor.Thatway,ataglance,theycanseehowtheirthinkingdevelopswitheachstep.

Whataresometipsforthestep"Reachbackintime?"Here,itmaybenecessarytocircumscribetheproblem space for your learners: how far back do you want them to go? Is there a particularcontext(s)youwantthemtopayattentionto?Ifso,youmaywanttoprovideresourcesthatwillhelpthemexplorethetopic,e.g.acarefullycuratedsetofwebsites,articles,books,etc.Wherefeasible,thisstepalsoofferstheopportunitytoteachlearnersabouthistoricalunderstandingandevidence,e.g.howdoweknowwhatweknowaboutthepast?Whosepastisit,andwhodecides?Whatevidencehasbeenofferedfortheconclusions?

Whataresometipsforthestep"Reachforwardintime?"Thisstepshouldencourageacertainamountofimaginationandfantasy(especiallythefartherintothefutureonereachesfor),butnotfantasticalimaginingsthataresimplymeanttobeoutrageous.Agoodfollow-upis"Whatmakesyousaythat?"to prompt learners to provide thoughtful reasons to support their responses. Also, learnersmaychoosetohedgeintheirresponse-"MaybeX,maybeY,depending"–whichisperfectlyreasonable.

What about some other time frames? It’s important that the routine is adapted for your learners,context,andpurpose,soifthetimeframeof10/100/1000doesnotworkwell(e.g.10yearsistooshortforanyobservablechange),feelfreetochooseothertimeframeslike20/100/1000oreven20/200/2000.

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WALKTHEWEEKLog,Connect,Apply

WalktheWeekisaimedatheighteningsensitivityofthemanyconnectionsthereareinoureverydayliveswiththetopicswearestudyingatschool,broadenourunderstandingofthesetopicsandthinkbeyond,andfarbeyondthembeingonlyschoolsubjects.

Itbeginswithkeepingalogthisweekwithatargetoffiveorsoinstanceswheretheseideascomeupinyoureverydaylife–TV,thenewspaper,conversationswithfamilyorfriendsaboutothermatters….

Focusonatopicyouarelearningabout.

Logsomeinstancesasideasaboutthistopiccameupthisweek.

Howdotheseideasconnectwithwhatyouarelearningaboutthistopic?

Howcanyouapplywhatyouhavelearnedinthistopictootherpartsofyourlife?

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Q&A:WALKTHEWEEK

WhatisthepurposeofWalktheWeek?Toooften,subjectsandtopicsarelearnedatschooltomeetcurriculumandassessmentrequirementsandwhathappensoutsideofschoolisanotherpartoflife.Whenstudentscanseeconnectionsbetweenwhattheyarelearningatschoolwiththeworldoutsideofschoolandviceversa,itcanfosterintrinsicmotivationinunderstandingwhatthey’relearning.

HowcouldIhelpmystudentsseehowthisthinkingroutinecanbeofvaluetothem?Choosingsomethingthat students can immediately relate to andmodeling how it has helped can provide a concreteexample.For example, consider the science topicEnergy, discussedas apropertyof objects that canbetransferredtootherobjects,withexplorationsoftheenergyweusetokeepwarmorcool,readatnightoronacloudyday.Duringtheweek,whatcouldstudentsnoticethatconnectstothis?Coulditbesomethingtodowiththenewsleekwindmillsinfieldsjustoutsideoftown?Onthenews,therewas talk about hydroelectricity. On the bus, I heard someone talking about solar energy.LookingatMumturningupthethermostat,Ithoughtaboutouroldlogfirethatwecouldwatchaswewarmedupinfrontofit.Advertisementsinshopwindowsshowedpicturesofdifferentfoods,describingthemasenergyfoods.Thebasketballcoachtalksaboutbuildingupourenergy.Howdoallthesedifferentthingsconnecttowhatwearelearning?Maybethinkingmoreaboutthiswillhelpmebefit,energeticandcomfortabledespitetheweather.

WhyistheLogstepincludedaspartofthestructureofthisroutine?Awayfromschool,it'seasytomissthingsthatconnecttoacurrentschooltopic.Therequestto"log"someconnectionsbringsthetopicto the forefront of the mind and heightens sensitivity.Whenthishappensmorethanoncewiththesametopic,butthroughdifferentsources,whatmayat first seem tobeanovel experience evolves towardan instinctive routine: looking forpossibleconnections.Logging,whether inanotebookordigitaldevice,as the ideascometomindorsoonafter,alsobuildsavisualmemoryofsomethingnoticedthatcanberetainedandreferredto.

Whentheweekisover?Invitestudentstosharetheinstancestheyloggedandtheconnectionstheymadeandhowtheyhaveorcouldapplywhattheylearned.Afterobservationsandexperiencesaresharedanddiscussed,enabletimeforreflectionsonthetopic,perhapsincorporatingthethinkingroutine"Iusedtothink...AndnowIthink..."

Whatisthebroaderimpactofwalktheweek?Intoday’sbusyworld,theweekisoftenneatlyparsedintoseparateparts.Schooldaysareusuallystructuredaroundthetimetable.After-schooltimegetsshaped around family commitments, homework and extracurricular activities, weekends aroundfamilymatters,socialengagements,timeandsportingorclubmeetingsorpractices.Gettingintothehabitofholdingonto current school topicswhile goingabout the restof yourweek canbroadenunderstandingsandsurfaceexamplesofhowwhat'sbeinglearnedappliestodaytodayliving.

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SEE|WONDER|CONNECTX2Explore an image, object, or work of art

1. Lookclosely:Whatdoyounotice?Makemanyobservations.

2. Whatquestionsdoyouhave?Whatdoyouwonderabout?

3. Howcouldthisconnecttosubjectsyoustudyinschool?

4. Howcouldthisconnecttoyourpersonalinterestsorhobbies?

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Q&A: SEE | WONDER | CONNECT X 2

Whatisthepurposeofthisroutine?Thegoaloftheroutineistohelpstudentsappreciatehowlookingclosely at something can expandone’s understandingof it,which in turn canprovide a basis formaking connections to other things. The routine encourages students to explore theinterconnectednessofknowledge,andtounderstandthatiftheyintentionallylookforconnections,theycanfindthem.Andbecausethisroutineissupposedtobeused‘routinely,’theeventualgoalisforstudentstointernalizethehabitoflookingforconnections.

Whenshouldtheroutinebeused?Itworkswelltowardthebeginningofatopicofstudybecauseitbeginsbydrawingonvisualinformationstudentscanreadilysee,andthustendstobeimmediatelyengaging.Also,usingtheroutineearlyinatopicofstudyencouragesstudentstoframetheirlearningas transfer-oriented from the outset. That said, the routine is a variation of the Visible Thinkingroutine,See|Wonder|Connect,whichisahighlyversatileroutinethatcanbeusedatvirtuallyanypointinalearningtrajectory.

Whatkindofimageorobjectshouldtheroutinebeusedwith?Theroutineencouragesstudentstolookdeeplyandgobeyondtheobvious,soitworkswithawidevarietyofimagesandobjects--evenitemswhosesurfaceappearanceisplain.Everydayobjects,imagesinthemedia,bookcovers,worksofart,allworkwell.Oftenteacherschooseaphysicalobjectorimagethatdirectlyrelatestoatopic—aruler,amap,a leaf,aportrait,ahistoricalartifactorphotograph.Butdon’tbeafraidtoexperiment:Letyourselfbesurprisedbywhatstudentswillbeabletouncover,evenwhenyoucan’tenvisionaheadoftimewherestudents’observationswillleadthem.

Are there specificways to encourage the ‘See’ step?Themain thing is toprovidea timeframe thatencouragesstudentstoprolongtheirlooking,butdoesn’tfeeltoolong.Forexample,givestudentsafullminutetolookquietly,noticingasmanydetailsastheycan,beforeaskingstudentstosharetheirobservations. Also, encourage students to elaborate by asking them to describe a particularobservation inmore detail. It also helps to simply prompt them to keep looking by periodicallyasking,"whatelsedoyousee?

Aretherespecificwaystoencouragestudentsthe‘Wonder’step?Oneimportantthingyoucandoistoencouragestudentstoaskdifferentkindsofquestions.Forexample,theymightaskquestionsaboutwhatanitemismadeof,howitismade,whomadeitorhowitcametobe,whoitisimportantto,howitbedifferent,andwhatroletheitemplaysinlargersystems.

Are there specificways to encourage the ‘Connect’ steps?There is no getting around the fact thatmakingconnectionscanbe challenging.Don’tbeafraid toencourage students to stretch tomakeconnections: Does the object or image visually resemble something else they have seen? Is itstructurallysimilartootherthingstheyknowabout?Isitspurposesimilar?Wasitmadeinawaythatremindsthemofotherthings?Doesitconnecttoeventstheyknowaboutorcanimagine?Doesithaveahistorythatconnectstootherthings?Arethereideasorassumptionsbehindtheobjectthatconnecttoothercontexts?Isitpartofalargersystemthatconnectstootherthings?

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PASSTHEPARCEL

A thinking routine for fostering intrinsic motivation for deep learning and understanding both in and out of school

Invitestudentstothinkaboutagoaltheyhaveandimagineitasatreasureinsideaparcelthatiswrappedinmanylayers.Witheachlayertheyunwrap,theygetclosertotheirtreasure:

As you REFLECT on what has been learned about… (current or past topics), think about connections with (this topic) … and your goal. With these connections, you have unwrapped the first layer of the parcel.

IDENTIFY significant connections that you would like to explore further and think about why they are significant to you. With each significant connection you identify, you unwrap another layer.

EXPLORE all ways you can to understand what it is about these connections that can help you unwrap the parcel and reach the prize. Each exploration removes another layer.

What will you do to ACT on all you have learned, so the last wrapping paper will come loose and your treasure is in reach?

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Q&A:PASSTHEPARCEL

Whatisthepurposeofthisthinkingroutine?Toheightenawarenessthatwhatislearnedinandoutofschoolareoftenconnectedwitheachother.Theseconnectionscanenablemovingforwardtoachievegoals.Thisfostersintrinsicmotivation.Itprovokescuriosity,wonderanddelightinfindingtheunexpected.Exploringtheconnectionscanbroadenanddeepenunderstanding.

Whatismeantbygoals?Shorttermgoals,careergoals,healthandwellbeing,sporting,social.Seeexamplesonthefollowingpage.

Why Pass the Parcel? Pass the Parcel is a children’s party game where, through a process ofunwrappinglayerafterlayerofpaper,thechildwhounwrapsthelastlayerreceivestheprizehiddendeepinside.Theexactformvaries,includingpassingtheparcelaroundacircleofchildrenasmusicis playing, and, when the music stops, the child holding the parcel unwraps a layer, and so itcontinues.ThisthinkingroutineusesPasstheParcelasametaphor.Aslearningandunderstandingbroadenanddeepen,thelayersareremoved;coreknowledge,understandingandconstructivewaysforward,aretheprize.Ifstudentsdonotknowthegame,youcanexplainitbriefly.

HowcouldParceltheParcelbeusedinaclassroom?Aparcelisn’tnecessary.Teacherscanselecttopicsdirectlyfromthecurriculum,currentevents,orconceptssuchasfreedom,democracy,peace,measurementetc.(seenextpage).Studentscanalsosuggesttopics.Studentscommenceprogressionthroughthestepsquietlywithreflection,thenwithdiscussionsandrecordingtheresponseseitherindividually,inagroup,orasawholeclass,sharingwhattheythinktheyknowaboutthetopicandconnectionstheyaremaking.

Afterthis,encouragestudentstocontinuetheirexplorationsanywaystheythinkwillbeparticularlyhelpfule.g. time in the library forresearch,drawingconceptmapsordiagramsofhowthingsareconnectedoreffecteachother,listquestionsyouwouldliketoask,placesyoucouldgotofindoutmore…Atalaterstageinvitestudentstoshareexperiencesrelatedtothetopicandwhattheyhaveexplored.Thelaststepcanbecomposedofdiscussionsandformulatingactionplanstoreachgoals.

Howandwhyinvitestudentstosuggestsomethingtheywouldliketoexplore?Whenstudentssuggesttopics,thereisimmediateengagementandsharedownershipofthelearninganditcanevokeintrinsicmotivationtowardseeinghowthesetopicsconnecttothecurriculum.

Howmightyoufollowupthisthinkingroutinetomaximizetheportabilityofknowledge?Whenstudentshavehadtimetoexplorethetopicusingtheirowngoalsasafocusintheirexplorations,perhapstheycouldadoptthemoretraditionalversionofPasstheParceltosharetheirnewlearningaboutthetopic.Theymightlistkeypointstheyhavefoundoutaboutthetopicandwrapthelistupasa‘treasure’,providingabriefoverviewoftheirfindings;andcontinuewrappingupthistreasure,oneachlayerpastingaquestionthattheyhadbeenaskingontheirlearningjourney;andtheninviteotherstudentsintheclasstoplaythegame.Theluckystudentunwrappingthatfinal layerwouldinstantlyhavetheresultsofthisexplorationofthetopic.Thiswayindividualsorsmallgroupscouldshare their experiences andnewknowledgeof the topic seen throughdifferentperspectives andbuildontheirlearningandexperiences.

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HOWPASSTHEPARCELCANFOSTERBIGLEARNINGS

Followingaresomeexamplesoffosteringtransferbetweentopics,learninginandoutofschool,andstudentgoals.

‘AncientRome,’ahistorysubject

SomestudentswereimaginingthemselvesasengineersorarchitectsandhadshowngreatinterestintheaqueductsofAncientRome.WhenaskedtoReflectonconnectionsbetweentheirgoalsandthetopic,theywereveryengagedwithlookingatthebuildingsandotherdesignsofAncientRome.

ThesignificantconnectionstheyIdentifiedandexploredfurtherwerethenumberofarchestheysawinpicturesofancientbuildings,somanyroads,nottracks,andfountainsalso.Whentheylookedatrecent photos of Rome in current books and travel brochures, theywere surprisedmany of theancientconstructionsarestillaround.Theywonderedwhytheseconstructionsarestillstanding.

TherewassomuchtheywantedtoExplore.Inthelibraryandontheinternet,theyfoundoutthatarcheswereafeatureofwalkwaysandhighways,notjustaqueductsandtheColosseum.Also,whattheancientRomanshadinventedwaslateradoptedasawayofsupportingstructureswithoutusingsupportbeams.TheyalsofoundoutthattheconcretethatRomansdevelopedinancienttimeswasmuchlaterstudiedbyscientistswhofounditscompositionsuperiortomoderndayconcrete.Thestudentsthenwalkedaroundtheircity,lookingatbridgesandbigbuildings.Theyarrangedtomeetoneoftheirclassmate’sfatherwhowasanarchitect,takingwiththemalistofquestions,imagesanddrawingstheyhadmade.

Fromthattimeonthissmallgroupofstudentsbecameveryinterestedandengagedinphysicsandmathclasses.Theywerekeentolearnandunderstandmore.Sometimestheysattogethertakingonthe roles of engineers and architects and discussed different challenges they were interested inresolving.

Thethemeof'water'

Typical treatment of a theme like 'water' in school might focus on one or more of the following: TheWaterCycle.Water is healthier to drink than soda.Water is composed of two elements, hydrogen andoxygenH2O.Ourbodiesaremademostlyofwater.

Possible personal goals: Fitness and wellbeing, looking after our planet.

Connections that could be made to matters outside school: • On hot days, you drink more water • During very hot summers, sometimes there's not enough water for the ways it's usually used. • On the news, water and sustainability are grouped together. • Water isn’t always what you think it is. In some places chemicals are added to water. Fluoride can

be put in water to protect people’s teeth. • Countries measure the capacity of water being held in dams.

Some ways of acting on what's been learned: If it’s very hot for a long time, we can try for shorter showers. Let's make sure we drink plenty of water. Let's drink filtered water when we can.

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OUTSIDE-IN:CONNECTINGPERSONALINTERESTSTOTOPICSINSCHOOL

Listsomeofyourhobbiesorinterestshere…....&........Listsomeofyourschooltopicsorsubjectshere 1.

Connectalinebetweenoneofyourhobbies/interestsandaschooltopic.Alongtheline,writedownapossible connection between the two.Do the same thing againwith another interest and topic (theinterestcanconnecttothesametopic,oradifferentone).

2.

Imaginewhatyoucoulddotoinvestigateorexpandeachoftheconnectionsfurther. 3.

CONNECTINGPERSONALINTERESTSTOTOPICSINSCHOOL OUTSIDE IN

______________

______________

______________

______________

______________

______________

______________

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Connection#1:PossibleInvestigationorexpansion

__________________________________________________

Connection#2:PossibleInvestigationorexpansion

__________________________________________________

Q&A:OUTSIDE-INCONNECTINGPERSONALINTERESTSTOTOPICSINSCHOOL

HowcanIhelpstudentsmakeoutside-inconnections(andshouldIworryiftheconnectionsseemsuperficial)?Atthebroadestlevel,aconnectionisanytypeofrelationshiporassociationbetweentwoormorethings.There isplentyofroomforcreativity,becauseconnectionscanbemetaphoricalaswellasliteral.Onewaytohelpstudentsfindconnectionsistosuggestthattheylookforcertaintypesofconnections.Forexample,theycanlookforconnectionsrelatedtoform(e.g.,howthingsareshapedphysicallyorconceptually,whattheylooklike,whatthingsaremadeoutoforwhatmaterialstheyuseorinvolve);structure(e.g.,howthingsareorganized,howtheyworkasasystem),stories(e.g.,thestoriesthingstelloraretoldaboutthem,orhowthingsevolvedovertime,);definingideas(e.g.,mainthemes,definitions,keyconcepts);learning(e.g.,howpeoplelearnaboutthem,thelearningchallengestheyinvolve);andculture(e.g.,thecustomsandtraditionspeople associate with them, the significance they have for groups of people). Don’t worry ifstudents make connections that at first seem broad or superficial. Most connections get moreinterestingonceyouspendsometimethinkingaboutthem,andthe‘imagine’stepoftheroutinegivesstudentsanopportunitytodigintoaconnectionandexploreitsdepth.Forexample,astudentmightmakea connectionbetweenherdance lessons and science class in schoolby saying thatdanceinvolvesthehumanbodyandthehumanbodyisatopicinscience.Onthefaceofit,thismayseemlikequiteabroadconnection.But,astheanswertothenextquestionillustrates,withabitofexpansionitcanbecomequiteinteresting

HowcanIhelpstudentsimaginehowtoinvestigatetheconnectionstheymake?Agoodwayto start is to encourage students to brainstorm several questions about their connections. Forinstance,tocontinuewiththeforegoingexampleaboutdance,science,andthehumanbody,herearesomefurtherquestionsstudentscouldask.Howaredifferentsystemsofthebodyinvolvedindance—forinstancethemuscularsystemortheskeletalsystem?Howisdanceitself likeabodysystem?Whatwoulditbeliketocreateadanceinspiredbythefiringofneuronsinthebrain,orbythecirculatorysystem?Howdoesdanceaffecthumanhealth?

Whatshouldstudentsdoaftertheyusetheroutine?Shouldtheyfollowupontheirideas?Therearetwopossibleoptions.Oneofcourseistoencouragestudentstocontinuetoinvestigatethe ideas they cameupwith. They could do this as a special project, or as part of the regularcurriculum.Butevenifthere’snofollow-up,justhavingstudentsseekandexpandonconnectionsisworthwhile in itself.Why?Because knowledge likes to be activated, and studentswill find itinterestingsimplytoreachforconnections.Also,usingtheroutineregularlyhelpsstudentsgetinthehabitofmakingconnections.RecalltheprinciplementionedintheintroductiontothePortableKnowledgematerials:Whatyoulearniswhatyoudo.Studentswhomakeconnectionsfrequentlyaspart of the learningprocess aremuchmore likely to continue that connectionmaking lateron.Moreover,sometimesschool-based learning isseenasunconnectedtostudents’ livesoutsideofschool.Butlearninghappenseverywhere.Bygettinginthehabitofmakingconnections‘outside-in,’studentsbegintoseelearningaswhatittrulyis—alifelong,lifewideendeavor.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSANDFURTHERRESOURCES

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ACKNOWLEDGINGGENEROUSSUPPORT

This bundle on transfer of learning is one of four related Visible Thinking bundles, allproduced with the generous support of Independent Schools Victoria of Victoria State,Australia, Chief Executive Michelle Green. Warm thanks to Michelle and to IndependentSchoolsVictoriaformakingpossiblethedevelopmentofthesematerials.

FOURVISIBLETHINKINGBUNDLES

Thefourbundlesinclude:

• ExploringComplexity,whichoffersthinkingroutinesforinvestigatingcomplexobjects,systems,perspectives,controversiesandmore,acrossthedisciplines.

• Global Thinking, which offers thinking routines fostering understanding andappreciationoftoday'scomplexglobalizedworld.

• PathwaystoUnderstanding:DevelopingStudents'Memory&NoteTakingSkills,whichleverages contemporary understandings of how memory works to advance bothmemoryforandunderstandingofcontent.

• PortableKnowledge,thisbundle.

VISIBLETHINKINGINGENERAL

This bundle of thinking routines reflects the Project Zero Visible Thinking Approach.Visible Thinking provides a research-based method to integrate the teaching of thinkingflexibly into content learning, amethod thatbothdeepens content learningand fosters thedevelopment of thinking skills and dispositions. The approach has been developed over anumber of years at Project Zero of the Harvard Graduate School of Education by severalresearchers including the present authors, with the participation of several schools andfunding frommultiple sources.Researchers and educators bothwithin andbeyondProjectZero have taken this general approach in several fertile directions while maintaining thegeneralspiritandstructure.

Besidesthebundlesreferredtohere,VisibleThinkingoffersmanyotherthinkingroutinesandideasaddressingvariousaspectsofthinkingandlearning.Therearetwowebsites:

http://www.visiblethinkingpz.org/VisibleThinking_html_files/VisibleThinking1.htmlandhttp://pzartfulthinking.org/.Two books by Ron Ritchhart and colleagues present a version of Visible Thinking that

emphasizesculturesofthinking:MakingThinkingVisibleandCreatingCulturesofThinking.Online courses from the Harvard Graduate School of Education offer an introduction:

Visible Thinking and Creating Cultures of Thinking – seehttps://www.gse.harvard.edu/ppe/programs/online.

Independent Schools Victoria from time to time offers a three session general onlineintroductiontoVisibleThinking,calledVisibleThinking.

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FURTHERROUTINESFORPORTABLEKNOWLEDGEFROMVISIBLETHINKING

ConcerningPortableKnowledgespecifically,besides the routinesoffered in thepackageseveralroutinesfromthegeneralVisibleThinkingrepertoirecanfostertransferoflearning.Theseinclude, justforasample,CircleofViewpoints,whichengageslearnersinlookingatasituationfrommultipleviewpoints,andStepInside,whichasksstudentstotakeonaviewpointandexaminethesituationfromthatviewpoint.Wehavecomposedthispackageoutoffairlynewroutines,butcertainlyeducatorsarewelcometoreachforothersfromVisibleThinkingorindeedtomakeuptheirown,whichteachersoftendo.

TRANSFEROFLEARNING

Transfer of learning is a theme and a challenge of long standing in education andeducational research. As noted in the introduction, investigations beginning more than acenturyagohaveexaminedwhetherandhowreadilylearnerstransfertoothercontextswhattheyarelearninginonecontext.Inmanycircumstances,minimaltransferhasbeenfound,asadconclusionfortheimpactofeducation.Thestancetakenhereissimple:transferisnota"freelunch."Togetabundanttransfer,weneedtoteachfortransfer.Thispackageoffersonewaytogoaboutthat.

A review of the literature on transfer is far beyond the scope of this document. Thatacknowledged,hereareafewentriesintothatliterature.

ThispackagehasdrawnonaconceptofestablishingexpectationsfortransferdevelopedbyRandi Engle and colleagues, "expansive framing."One source is: Engle, R.A., Lam,D. P.,Meyer, X. S., & Nix, S. E. How does expansive framing promote transfer? Several proposedquestionsandaresearchagendaforinvestigatingthem.EducationalPsychologist,47(3),215-231.

Ithasalsodrawnonwritingandthinkingbyoneoftheauthorsovertheyearsaboutthenatureoftransfer.See:Salomon,G.,&Perkins,D.N.(1989).Rockyroadstotransfer:Rethinkingmechanisms of a neglected phenomenon. Educational Psychologist, 24(2), 113-142. AndPerkins,D.N.,&Salomon,G.(2012).Knowledgetogo:Amotivationalanddispositionalviewoftransfer.EducationalPsychologist,47(3),248-258.

AspecialissueofEducationalPsychologisteditedbyRobertL.GoldstoneandSamuelB.Dayoffers perspectives on transfer from several different authors, including those above:EducationalPsychologist,47(3),2012.