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Create A Thinking Classroom

No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.
Voltaire

Look at that fascinating painting…how did the artist ever envision such beauty in their mind’s eye? Gaze at that technical wonder…what mental dispositions enabled that inventor to imagine such a solution for a complex human problem? Read that marvelous fictional passage…what imaginary force did the author tap into to conjure up such a whimsical tale?

Thinking is at once deliberate, creative, rational, intentional, quirky, idiosyncratic, and inseparable from action. What loftier goal can a pre-K-college or career readiness system seek to attain other than fulfilling students’ innate capacity to be creative, curious, and analytical as they interact with the natural and human-made worlds?

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Add to Your Understanding

Add To Your Understanding

Successful Intelligence in the Classroom
This article describes how teaching can balance learning for memory, analytical, creative, and practical thinking. It also provides data supporting the efficacy of this approach.
What is Historical Thinking?
This website identifies resources that introduce and frame the complex set of processes referred to as historical thinking and opportunities to see what historical thinking looks like in real classroom lessons and materials.
Six Thinking Hats
The premise of this approach is that the human brain thinks in a number of distinct ways which can be identified, intentionally accessed, and planned for in a structured way to develop thinking strategies.
Ways of Teaching Thinking
This article introduces four thinking-centered approaches for infusing high-level thinking instruction into a regular curriculum.
How to Improve our Thinking Skills
This website provides a comprehensive and concise overview of general information on the topic of thinking.
Add to Your Instructional Repertoire

Add to Your Instructional Repertoire

The Brain
By connecting information sources visually you can build an essential reference of content and enhance your understanding of key ideas, relationships and issues that foster new levels of insight.
Compendium
This is mind mapping software that enables students to visually present the association of concepts and ideas. It is a great way to get those racing thoughts from your head out where you can see them, organize them, and begin to work with them.
Axon Idea Processor
The AXON Idea Processor provides an environment that supports the thinking processes. It helps you to create, communicate, explore, plan, draw, compose, design and learn.
Assessment Using Concept Mapping
This is a great resource for using concept maps in the classroom.
Appitic
A collection of over 1,800 Apps for education. Click on Bloom's and Get a complete list of Apps for each of 6 levels in the taxonomy.
How can Teachers Promote Thinking and Learning
This resource describes approaches that encourage active learning and promote higher-order thinking.
Promote Independent Thinking with The Kite Runner
This is a curriculum unit for the novel The Kite Runner that connects the English and history classroom and promotes independent thinking.
Five Critical Thinking Activities
Here are some practical ideas for intentionally focusing on student thinking.
Encourage Critical Thinking in Gifted Students
The objective of this lesson is to encourage independent critical thinking through objectivity, open-mindedness, analysis, discerning bias and honesty by a study of commercials.
Interviews and Audio from Edward de Bono
Edward de Bono is regarded as the leading authority in the world in the field of creative thinking and the direct teaching of thinking as a skill.
Creative and Critical Thinking Activities for the Middle or High School Classroom
This resource offers five creative and stimulating activities to use as warm-ups or time-fillers that can energize and stimulate the minds of middle and high school students.
Thinking in the Classroom - Some Strategies to Consider
Developing thinking in the classroom is a challenge. Useful strategies are included along with a discussion of the distinction between embedded and direct approaches.
Critical Thinking Checklist
This website offers a practical formula for analyzing an argument.
Critical Thinking and Practical Strategies to Promote It in the Classroom
These ideas and activities can help elementary school students develop a variety of critical thinking skills.
Daily Dose - Brain Teasers
These are engaging activities that support creative problem solving in the classroom.
Go Mobile With Apps

Go Mobile With Apps

 Appitic
A collection of over 1,800 Apps for education. Click on Bloom's and Get a complete list of Apps for each of 6 levels in the taxonomy.
Price: $0.99
Levers
A beautiful and mesmerizing combination of interactive art and physics simulation. Levers will calm you while it challenges you to keep everything it throws at you in delicate balance.
Price: $2.99
The Incredible Machine
By Disney – Play against your friends or solo. Students create comically engineered contraptions using logical thinking skills and inquiry-based learning to move up the ladder and receive high rankings by classmates and peers.
Price: $1.99
Feed the Head
Feed the Head for iPad is a surrealistic game that offers bizarre and surprising transformations every time you interact with the virtual head.
Price: Free
Idea Sketch
Idea Sketch lets you easily draw a diagram - mind map, concept map, or flow chart - and convert it to a text outline, and vice versa. You can use Idea Sketch for anything, such as brainstorming new ideas, illustrating concepts, making lists and outlines, planning presentations, creating organizational charts, and more!
Hot Apps 4 HOTS
In this interactive resource, readers cycle through nine stations focusing on each level of Bloom's Taxonomy. Each station includes an apptivity with a specific app, example products, and additional resources to support iPad integration into the iClassroom.
Key Words

Key Words for Create A Thinking Classroom