HTAA 24- Visible Historical Thinking - T ELLAM .pdf

Visible Thinking routines are stepped and structured strategies to facilitate active and externalised thinking in the classroom. These strategies provide activities for explicit teaching and learning.
Most of the strategies in the first half of the presentation are from Harvards Project Zero VTR toolbox. Several strategies at the end exemplify the VT process but are not activities associated with Project Zero.


Many images in the presentation contain links to websites, worksheets and articles that may be of use to teachers. These may only be accessible via downloaded version (?)


Presented at the HTAA 2024 National Conference, Sydney.

1. Tara ELLAM
HTAA Conference 2024, Sydney [email protected]
Visible
Thinking
Strategies
for Historical
Thinking
https://www.slideshare.net/msellam

2. “At the core of Visible
Thinking are practices
that help make thinking
visible: Thinking Routines
loosely guide learners'
thought processes and
encourage active
processing.”
.
What are VTR?
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HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills

3. ●Explicit teaching
●Scaffolding
●Modelling
●Formative assessment
●Skill building
Why VTR?
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HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
.

4. “A thinking routine is a set of questionsor a brief sequence of
stepsused to scaffold and support student thinking.PZ
researchers designed thinking routines to deepen students’
thinkingand to help make that thinking “visible.” Thinking
routines help to reveal students’ thinking to the teacher and
alsohelp students themselves to notice and name particular
“thinking moves,” making those moves more available and
useful to them in other contexts.” Project Zero
What are VTR?
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HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
.

5. ●Learning is a consequence of thinking.
Understanding increases when one thinks
through the concepts and content.
●Good thinking is not only a matter of
skills, but also a matter of dispositions.
Thinking routines and education should
promote open mindedness and curiosity.
VTR Principles
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Source
.

6. ●The development of thinking is a social
endeavour.
The classroom should provide a collaborative
interplay of thinking to engage thoughtful and
continual learning.
●Fostering thinking requires making thinking visible.
Thinking should be externalisedthrough oral,
written, illustrative or other methods in order to
develop, reflect on and improve thinking.
VTR Principles
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Source
.

7. ●Classroom culture sets the tone for
learning and shapes what is learned.
The classroom should provide clear
structures, routines, modelling, and
expectations to support ‘thoughtful
learning’ through independent and
collaborative means.
VTR Principles
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HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
Source
.

8. ●Harvard Uni School of Education
research group
●Established 1967 by philosopher
Nelson Goodman
●“Project Zero’s mission is to
understand and nurture human
potentials –such as learning,
thinking, ethics, intelligence and
creativity –in all human beings.”
Project Zero
[email protected]
HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
“Project Zero is a research group at
the Harvard Graduate School of
Education whose mission is to
understand and enhance high-level
thinking and learning across disciplines
and culturesand in a range of
contexts, including schools,
businesses, museums, and digital
environments.”
.

9. VTR Categories
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Click here to a ccess these routines
Click here to access these routines
.

10. VTR Routines
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Click here to a ccess these routines
Click here to access these routines

11. [email protected]
HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
Click here to a ccess these routines
Click here to access these routines

12. Students examine a visual source in order to
note what they see/think/wonder
In History we can adapt as
-See -what objective facts can be
universally agreed upon
-Think-what interpretations can you
deduce, infer, conclude?
-Wonder -what historical questions are
raised?
Pairs well with ZOOM IN STRATEGY
See | Think | Wonder
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VISUAL SOURCE ANALYSIS
-artefacts-photos-posters-political
cartoons-paintings -buildings etc
Click here : S TW I nstructiona l PDF
Click here : STW
Instructional PDF
.

13. See | Think | Wonder
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What do you SEE?
-notice
-factual
-Objective
What do you THINK?
-WWWWWH?
-Interpretations
-Inferences
-Deductions
What do you WONDER?
-Curiosities
-Questions
-Confusion
-Puzzlement
-Historical queries
I M G_9689. jpeg
Click to access
this template
.
Source
Analysis

14. See | Think | Wonder
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.

15. Explanation Game
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Click here : Expla na tion Ga me I nstructiona l PDF
Click here : Explanation
Game Instructional PDF
Effective to build on a See Think Wonder
activity
Requires students to develop their
thoughts and provide explicit reasoning
and reference to the source /visual in
order toestablish their interpretation
??Safe
??Heater
??Radio
??Scales
??Toaster
.
Source Analysis
COMMuNICATIO N

16. Guiding students in detailed analysis
of parts of a visual source
To examine parts of a source piece
by piece rather than holistically at
start
Pairs well with SEE THINK WONDER
STRATEGY
Zoom In
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HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
Lead in to consider what all the parts reveal
about the message, perspective, intended
audience, value etc
.
Source Analysis

17. [email protected]
HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
Zoom In
.

18. [email protected]
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Zoom In
See
Think
Wonder?
Who are they?
How do you know?
What’s the authors
meaning?
.

19. [email protected]
HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
Zoom In
.

20. [email protected]
HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
Zoom In
.

21. [email protected]
HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
Source
AnalysisZoom In
.

22. [email protected]
HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
Zoom In
.

23. Evidence Based Reasoning:
Provide students with an artefact or
source for which they have to
present an explanation or
interpretation.
WMYST prompts students to
describe what they see to justify and
build their argument.
Pair with See Think Wonder or Zoom
In
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What makes you
say that?
Click here : WM YS T I nstructiona l PDF
Click here : WMYST
Instructional PDF
.
Explanation
Source analysis
communication

24. COV is useful for engaging with different
perspectives and interpretations, both
in historical time, or of the historians
(historiography)
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Circle of Viewpoints
Perspective
Interpretation
Empathy
Click here : CO V I nstructiona l PDF
Click here : COV
Instructional PDF
Eg the perspective and experience of a convict on a transportation
ship
Eg the perspective of a peasant in ancient China
Eg the perspective of a Russian worker during the February
Revolution
.

25. [email protected]
HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
Circle of Viewpoints
I M G_9679. jpegI M G_9680. jpeg
Click to access
this template
Click to access
this template
.

26. A strategy to build thought process and
develop collaborative communication
and articulation of ideas , perspectives
Think | Pair | Share
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Comprehension
Communication
Click here : Think Pa ir S ha re I nstructiona l PDF
Click here : Think Pair
Share Instructional PDF
-Diagnostic -what do you know about the
Aztecs?
-What we’re the biggest achievements of
Rameses the Great?
-What were the most important impacts of the
Crusades / Gallipoli/ Cold War for the modern
world…
-What aspects of Stalinist Russia can be
considered totalitarian?
.

27. [email protected]
HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
Think | Pair | Share
I M G_9692. jpeg
Click to access
this template
Here utilised as an essay planner to consider
and deconstruct sample questions individually,
paired and then as a class, to generate multiple
ideas, theses, and approaches
.

28. Students engage with a source, text,
video etc, and then reflect on how it
connects / extends / challenges their
knowledge,understanding of a topic
/question.
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Connect | Extend | Challenge
Click here :CEC I nstructiona l PDF
Click here :
CEC Instructional PDF
.
Comprehension
Critical thinking
communication

29. [email protected]
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Connect | Extend | Challenge
Critical thinking
Communication
-consolidate a lesson
-To bridge a lesson
-exit ticket
-Provide a contrasting source or text that
allowed students to consider deeper or
alternative

30. [email protected]
HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
Connect | Extend | Challenge
I M G_9684. jpeg
I M G_9683. png
Click to access
these templates

31. Useful for students in developing their own
historical interpretation and argument
Can be used in response to a source or area
of debate during or post a section / unit of
work
Evidenced based reasoning –‘Support’
As wellasdevelopingunderstandingof
variantinterpretations=---‘Question’
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Claim | Support | Question
pa sted-mov ie. png
Click here :CS Q I nstructiona l PDF
Click here :
CSQ Instructional PDF
Click to access
this template
Interpretation
Source use
communication

32. [email protected]
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Claim | Support | Question
In the context of studying WW2,
students could be asked to
communicate as CSQ using this
source regarding the Australian
position and perspective in WW2
CSQ can be presented in dot
points, or modelled task is a
method to construct a paragraph
argument / thesis development.

33. [email protected]
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Claim | Support | Question
In the context of studying Romanov
Russia
-CSQ of the value and limitations of
this source
-CSQ of Russian sociopolitical
structure based on this source

34. Present a dilemma or debate
and students present
arguments (tugs) in a
spectrum (the rope).
Useful for engaging with
alternative interpretations and
arguments, as well as
perspectives in History
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Tug of War
Click here : Tug of Wa r I nstructiona l PDF
Click here : Tug of War
Instructional PDF
Perspective
Empathy
Comprehension
interpretations

35. Focuses on the development
of understanding and
empathy of historical
persons, events and issues
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Step Inside
Click here : S tep I nside I nstructiona l PDF
Click here : Step Inside
Instructional PDF
Perspective
Empathy
interpretations

36. [email protected]
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Step Inside
I M G_9691. jpeg
Click to access
this template
-German Jewish perspective on Kristallnacht
-The views of a medieval crusader
-Soldier perspective from the trenches of the
Western Front

37. A useful, minimalist summarising
technique guiding students to identify the
‘big idea’ of an article or section of text.
Provide students with a text, written
source and focus question, and students
extract a key sentence, phrase and word
representing the core of the answer.
Pairs well with ZOOM IN STRATEGY
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Sentence, Phrase, Word
Click here : S PW I nstructiona l PDF
Click here : SPW
Instructional PDF Click to access
this template
Comprehension
Communication
Source analysis

38. Students provided with a topic or a source
upon which they silently write notes on what
they observe or think in relation to the topic
/ question.
Can be paired with Claim Support Question
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Chalk Talk
Click here : Cha lk Ta lk I nstructiona l PDF
Click here : Chalk Talk
Instructional PDF
Communication
Comprehension
Source Analysis

39. [email protected]
HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
Chalk Talk

40. [email protected]
HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
Micro Lab
Knowledge
Comprehension
Interpretations
communication

41. I M G_9728. jpeg

42. I M G_9729. jpeg

43. I M G_9730. jpeg

44. ●Significance Circles
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Click to access
this template
Students consider the significance or impact of a topic or
question and make their own judgement and determination
with the use of this worksheet.
Students identify 6 aspects of significance and write them in the
circles corresponding with degree of significance, and an
explanation of why it is ranked thusly.
Significance
Analysis
Comprehension
Interpretation
causation

45. ●Characteristics Map
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Click to access
this template
Students consider the characteristics and
features of a topic or issue and break it down
into its core characteristics.
Knowledge
Comprehension

46. ●Characteristics Map
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47. ●Debate Brackets
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A debate tournament bracket can be utilised to allow students to compare and assess the relative
significance or importance of people, events or issues in a topic in order todetermine the most
significant.
Significance
Analysis
Interpretation

48. ●Diamond Ranking
Multi faceted application
Ranking importance of individuals, causation factors,
features of an event or period, legacies, impacts etc
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HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
Click to access
this template
Significance
Analysis
Comprehension
interpretation

49. ●Diamond Ranking
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50. ●Fishbone diagram (causation)
Causation charts
Causation
Bubblemaps,flowchartsor
fishbonediagrams
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Click to a ccess this templa te
Click to access
this template
Causation
Significance
Analysis
Comprehension
interpretation

51. These strategies can be embedded as lesson hooks,
substantial activities or lesson closers, to
introduce, develop or consolidate learning of
content and concepts.
Visible thinking strategies can be used to model
and develop explicit critical and creative thinking
in the History classroom.
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HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills

52. ●Further Reading
Tara Ellam
[email protected]
October 2024
HTAA 2024: Visible Thinking Strategies for Historical Thinking Skills
Access this Slideshow at
This slideshow and other resources available via Slideshare
Click hereto access a drive of articles pertaining to VTR
Click hereto access a drive of worksheet templates mentioned in
this presentation.
Selecting a Thinking Routine
Tara Ellam
[email protected]
October 2024
http://www.slideshare.net/msellam