Thinking Moves

For the past week, we have been learning about thinking moves. 

Thinking moves, coined by educational researchers at Harvard Graduate School of Education, are thinking dispositions which directly support the development of understanding. 

Becoming aware of how we think and learn helps us plan the types of learning engagements necessary to progress in our units of inquiry. This understanding is important in PYP schools since learners play an active role in shaping the direction of the unit.

In order to help us understand how the thinking moves work, we discussed units of inquiry from the past few years and identified specific learning engagements in which we used each thinking move. 

For example, over the past two years in the Grade 4 class, the book club discussions were centered around questions posed by the learners (thinking move: wondering and asking questions). During such discussions, we often looked at the plot from the lenses of various characters (thinking move: considering different viewpoints). 

This process of reflecting on past lessons and experiences involved a thinking move as well: making connections!

Here are all of the connections we were able to come up with in relation to the eight thinking moves. 

We will continue to add to the list throughout the year!

We also visited an art exhibit at Kobe Fashion Museum where we continued to practice using the thinking moves to appreciate the artwork. 

This year, our electronic portfolio using the Seesaw platform will be organised by thinking moves. 

We are very excited to further develop our thinking skills throughout various areas of the curriculum!