Chapters International

Overview:

The use of thinking routines and other Making Thinking Visible practices has gained popularity in classrooms throughout the world. A question that often comes up is “But how do I do this in mathematics?” To even begin to answer this question, we must first explore what the “this” actually is. If the “this” means finding a single particular thinking routine that will revolutionize the teaching of one specific mathematical skill or concept, then frustrations could potentially abound. However there are many avenues to explore and perspectives to consider if the “this” means digging beyond the surface and asking oneself, “Just what kind of thinking do I wish to make routine among my mathematics learners so that they can develop and deepen mathematical understanding?”

This in-person workshop is designed specifically to reflect upon the power of making thinking visible from a mathematics teaching and learning perspective. Though not a “how to teach mathematics” workshop, participants will engage in a number of making thinking visible practices to illustrate where and how their use could be powerful in the teaching and learning of mathematics. During the workshop, participants will examine a number of examples from a wide range of K-12 mathematics contexts that give ideas as to how other teachers of mathematics have come to leverage visible thinking ideas in their mathematics classrooms.

Mark Church, a former mathematics teacher and co-author of Making Thinking Visible and The Power of Making Thinking Visible, will illustrate various visible thinking practices within a mathematics setting – including thinking routines, questioning, listening, and documentation. Participants will consider what difference paying attention to student thinking makes for mathematics learning and how mathematics teachers can plan to use these practices to maximum effect. When used powerfully, thinking routines not only provide teachers with a set of practices to engage students, but help advance a broader goal to create mathematics classrooms where students’ thinking is visible, valued, and actively promoted.

TIME INVOLVED:

This is a two day in-person workshop with Mark Church. Time for reading and reflection between the days will also be a part of this experience.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES:

Participants are required to purchase a copy of The Power of Making Thinking Visible (Jossey-Bass, 2020) as a text for the course. The book is available via e-book or paperback through Amazon, Amazon UK, Amazon SG, ACEL, Fishpond, or Wiley.

POTENTIAL AUDIENCE:

This workshop is designed for educators keenly interested in the ideas of Making Thinking Visible within the context of teaching mathematics and working with learners of all ages from pre-K through secondary school. Mathematics instructional coaches, and school leaders interested in the teaching and learning of mathematics and Making Thinking Visible could also greatly benefit from this workshop.

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW:

Over the two days, participants will:

Develop an understanding of deep learning in the mathematics context
Explore Making Thinking Visible practices that can support such deep learning
Identify powerful thinking moves worth making routine among mathematics learners
Examine a variety of thinking routines useful for promoting deep learning in the mathematics context
Consider what mathematics teaching and learning can be like when making thinking visible is both a set of practices and a goal of one’s instruction
Look at and learn from student thinking in order to enhance formative assessment practices
Observe a number of mathematics examples where other teachers leveraged making thinking visible ideas
Develop and draft next steps to take in order to make student thinking visible in their own instructional context

Throughout the two days, we will engage in a variety of hands-on and interactive learning experiences. There will be plenty of time for participants to discuss, reflect, and share with other like-minded mathematics teachers all keenly interested in what difference mathematics learning could look like when student thinking is visible, valued, and actively promoted.

Mark Church

Mark Church works with schools throughout the world wishing to create cultures of thinking in their classrooms. He believes in the difference teachers can make for students when they strive to make thinking visible, valued, and actively promoted as part of the day-to-day experience of their learners. Mark encourages teachers to become students of their students, and more broadly, students of themselves and the choices they make to leverage the power of making thinking visible. He is currently a consultant with Harvard Project Zero's Making Thinking Visible and Cultures of Thinking initiatives, drawing upon his own classroom teaching experience and from the perspectives he has gained working with educators throughout the world. Together with Ron Ritchhart, Mark is co-author of the book Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners (Jossey-Bass, 2011) and The Power of Making Thinking Visible: Practices to Engage and Empower All Learners (Jossey-Bass, 2020).

Venue:
Anglo American School of Sofia
Address: Панчарево, ul. "Siianie" 1, 1137 Sofia, Bulgaria
Phone: +359 2 923 8810

9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Registration at 8:30 am
on the 16th of March 2024.