Of all the things we say about Thinking Generators, here are the two most important things you need to think about as you plan them:
1.) You must first know exactly the thinking you are trying to generate as well as how it will lead to new understanding relating to the target learning objective
2.) The TG is written so that there exist no alternative option for students but to think about what you intended
Why? Because we can’t learn by listening to a teacher talk or explain; we need to think about ideas to learn them. If you disagree, tell me how much you’ve learned about non-commutable variables after a teacher lectures and tells you to copy this idea in your graphic organizer:
“A function of noncommuting variables is a function defined on tuples of matrices of all sizes that satisfies certain compatibility conditions as we vary the size of matrices: it respects direct sums and simultaneous similarities, or equivalently, simultaneous intertwinings.”
Right.
Likewise, for some 6th grade students, the following “knowledge” can be as confusing as the prior example was to you:
“To clearly defines how a word or complex term is being used in a reading, both denotative and connotative meanings should be considered. Because of subtle differences in both denotative and connotative meaning, a reader’s misinterpretation of the author’s intent may undermine their ability to navigate the nuances of the text.”
So how can we use a Thinking Generator to help students really learn connotation? Let’s use Mr. Goldin’s class as a case study for aTG mini how-to guide.
THINKING GENERATOR HOW-TO: 6th Grade ELA:
(V)TG: To help his students appreciation the purpose of connotation and learn how to use it, first-year teacher uses the following vocabulary Thinking Generator: “How old does an artifact need to be in order to be considered ancient? How old does it need to be to be considered prehistoric?”
By asking students to consider the many degrees of “old”, he allows his students to internalize through a thinking experience that words with similar meanings are not interchangeable because of their implied intensity. This is an effective thinking generator that does its job to help students think to learn.
Thinking Generators are effective when they are specific: teachers should be able to explain in great clarity exactly what they intend their students should cognitively wrestle with for each and every TG. In this example, Mr. Goldin wanted the students to recognize connotation as a tool for communicating varying degrees of a definition. However, to fully appreciate connotation, he also needs to teach his students that connotation is not just about degrees of intensity: one of the most common mistakes students make as they build their writing vocabulary is using words with inaccurate or unintended positive or negative connotations.
If Mr. Goldin’s target objective for the lesson is for students to consider connotation in their writing, he should pre-emptively address this misconception with the following THINKING GENERATOR:
TG 1: “Mr. Ko is childish” and “Mr.Ko is youthlike”. Which one would make him more angry?”
To differentiate and/or extend the TG:
TG 2: “Find at least 3 more pairs of words that shows the same difference between childish/youthlike”
To differentiate even more by adding a subtext of social studies:
TG 3: “Some people who live abroad are referred to as “expats” or expatriates. Some are called immigrants. How do we determine who to call which? Does it matter?”
With each of these examples, the teacher did none of the thinking for students. However, the teacher knows exactly students should and would think about. TGs cannot possibly be effective without this level of specificity because impactful lessons leave nothing to chance.
HIGHLIGHTS:
From Ms. Mulé: Without solving, how can you tell that 7x= 3x +4x will have multiple solutions? This question leads students to consider more than simply solving the problem in a traditional way. Students have to determine what possible solutions are to the problem before they come up with the answer.
From Mr. Borelli: Part of being a skillful reader is adapting to different styles of writing and an article presents a host of challenges: more hyphenated words, charts and graphs placed in the middle of a text that do not always align with the paragraph, and cryptic subheadings. Thinking about the style of writing and what challenges lay ahead can prepare a reader for a stronger understanding of the text. Ms. Buiyan’s TG “Does the layout of an article have an effect on the reader, how?” does exactly that.
From Ms. Mintiens: I had the pleasure of visiting a few Kindergarten classes this week. In Nancy Hafkin’s class the students were learning how to add those tricky vowels to words in their writing, in order to make their writing easier for readers to read. She used a piece of her own writing and made the Exersize interactive asking students to help her. She also brought out her word study vowel chart. These small moves subtly show students how what they’re learning in one part of their day seemlessly helps them in another. Kindergarten students writing is soaring in part to strong practices such as these.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Progress Reports: See this parent-facing memo for more info on Progress reports. With the exception of grades K and 1, all reports should go home by the end of January. NOTE: The purpose of these progress reports is to spark parental involvement: be ready for it.
Mid-Winter Intensive: Teachers who are interested in teaching 2 days, 4 hours each day, should email me to confirm. We are keeping the exact dates flexible, and will confirm once we have a core group of teachers.
Inquiry Groups Check In Tomorrow: Tomorrow we’ll get back to our inquiry work to prepare for our Showcase on 2/6. DO NOT OVER-PLAN for the presentation: Each group will have 10 minutes to describe their work, its implications, as well as take comments and questions. Groups will be able to schedule professional workshops for their colleagues at a later date; this Showcase is simply about sharing what you are working on, and what they can expect from you should there be a follow up workshop.
THINKING GENERATOR WALKTHROUGH: We’ll have our 4th TG walkthrough this week. We are getting better at delivering feedback, and we found that feedback is meaningless unless it is anchored to a shared learning objective. From now on we’ll note the IO in addition to the TG as we walk.
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