Thinking Visibly with Harvard Scholar and Author, Dr. Ron Richhart

Parents and staff from international schools around Singapore attended the  Canadian International School’s “Visible Thinking” evening with visiting Harvard scholar Dr. Ron Ritchhart on 11 October. 

A leading researcher with Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Dr. Ritchhart provided an intriguing walk through his most recent new book, Making Thinking Visible, exploring practical tools designed to enable learners to take their thinking to a deeper level. The strategies he has put together can be implemented both inside and outside of the classroom, making them tremendously valuable for teachers, students and parents alike as they seek and implement a 21st century education.

What is the CIS Visible Thinking Initiative?

The Visible Thinking Initiative is a key focus for the CIS staff for the 2012/2013 school year and beyond.

The initiative considers what it means to be a thinker - examining thought processes and how to improve them at all stages of development. This concept of visible thinking goes beyond mere recording of thought - it is about developing the skills and tools to recognize if one is taking thinking to a higher, more effective and more meaningful level. It has to do with critically analyzing and synthesizing information. The Visible Thinking Initiative consists of evaluating decisions while simultaneously considering and understanding more than one point of view by engaging in metacognition (analyzing one’s own and others’ thought processes, how one thinks and how one learns).

This initiative has already had a meaningful and profound impact on both teaching and learning at CIS since the start of the school year. Teachers will continue to implement additional thinking routines and thinking tools in their classrooms as the academic year progresses. These routines and tools are all specifically crafted to support key 21st century learning skills as identified by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (www.p21.org): critical thinking, communication, and collaboration.