Thinking Diagrams: Processing and Connecting Experiences, Facts, and Ideas

Higher-order thinking questions (and their answers) are considered by many to be the holy grail of teaching. Teachers know when students “get it”, but the question remains “How do you teach students to think explicitly and intentionally?” This book uses a series of diagrams to make thinking explicit by using students’ personal experiences as the foundation for their thinking. Thinking Diagrams will help the reader move beyond understanding what metacognition is to teaching students how to understand their thinking in visual form. This book is filled with contemporary and practical insights regarding helping teachers of all levels foster classrooms rich in student thinking, creativity, and learning.

About the Author :
Mickey Kolis is the author of four books, a veteran public school teacher, and currently a university professor. Making learning relevant is his highest professional aspiration. Benjamin Kolis is an actor, director, and theatre-maker based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Review :
First of all I loved this book. It is one the most comprehensive and easy to understand books on thinking ever. I loved all the school-based examples. It is clear that you have done some VERY deep thinking about this topic. All I can say is, “Well done! Teaching is complex and thinking is messy. Combining these two elements presents educators with a difficult challenge to navigate. Educators must consider a multitude of components when thinking through instruction – WHO we teach; WHAT we teach; and HOW we teach (our pedagogy). Embedded in these components, we must also consider how we are teaching students to think – about themselves, the content and the world around them. Are we adequately preparing our students to think beyond our classroom? I would argue that we aren’t. It is obvious change is needed in our current educational model. Our world is ever-changing, and we are preparing our students for the unknown. Teaching more, at a faster pace, will not adequately prepare our students for the demands of our future society. It is apparent, particularly after reading this book, that teaching students to think should be the core of what we do as educators, as thinking will never be outdated. This book will help educators understand the importance and relevancy of explicitly teaching thinking. It will help us move beyond understanding what metacognition is to teaching students how to understand their thinking in visual form. This approach can truly create thinkers – and that should be the core of education. A great read! Be prepared to THINK! The central ideas Dr. Kolis uses in this book expertly blend elements of discovery learning with those of direct instruction; two pedagogical approaches that are typically not found together. Using these elements, the reader is provided with a clear map of how to get students thinking like experts. This can mean conducting research like a scientist to taking on the perspective of a slave during a Civil War reenactment. Through the use of backwards planning and diagrams, it is clear how we can move our students from learning basic facts to a level of independence of thought that is crucial for an ever-changing, dynamic world. Dr. Kolis points out that, ultimately, our time with students is limited; it is up to us to teach the art of thinking so that students are able to continue to re-evaluate their learning and beliefs independently. Ideas, concepts, and philosophies about the teaching and learning experience from both pedagogical and andragogical perspectives are intricately presented in the light of personal reflection and development. With storytelling and exemplar anecdotes punctuating each chapter, Kolis weaves together contemporary and practical insights regarding helping teachers of all levels foster classrooms rich in student thinking, creativity, and learning. This book is timely, relevant, and certainly worth reading. It is a welcomed and thoughtful addition within teacher education communities.