What are Thinking Gears?

Thinking Gears is the term used at the Think Tank to help students better connect with the idea of thinking dispositions. Thinking Gears provide a concrete way for students and teachers to talk about and assess thinking while working through lessons and activities on a day to day basis.

Why do we call Thinking Dispositions "Thinking Gears?"

Think about thinking dispositions as the attitudes and inclinations that drive productive and powerful thinking. The term Thinking Gears seems to capture that spirit, and the image provides a clear mental model for students. Thinking Gears makes thinking move. We look for kids to employ Thinking Gears as their own self-directed assessment tool (Thinking Gears Handout for Students [Word 97 Format] [PDF Format]).

The Thinking Gears we currently use are:

Adventure Gear
Detective Gear
Explanation Gear
Strategy Gear
Timing Gear
Proving Gear
Metacognitive Gear

How Do Thinking Gears Work?

The term Thinking Gears is full of metaphorical possibilities. Gears are tangible for young students. For example, to concretize the notion of thinking gears, we encourage kids to apply the concept as they work with actual gear projects at the lab, including grade-level curriculum on simple machines. We encourage kids to explore and think about gears in bicycles, building sets, and clocks. We invite kids to make the connection between gears in the real world and the idea of "Thinking Gears." (Making it clear there are not actual gears in our heads.) When asked, "So what could Thinking Gears move?" kids eagerly answer, "Your brain!" At the lab, students are gaining a clear working model of what thinking dispositions are and how "the gears" help them become better learners and problem solvers.

What does a Thinking Gear look like in action?

During lab sessions, thinking dispositions are primarily presented to students in the form of questions. Creative questioning helps students take ownership for their thoughts and insights. The lab specifically frames dispositions in the TfU format of Throughlines. For example, asking students to "seek alternative points of view and perspectives" as an overarching learning goal may be presented to children as the throughline: "How is your thinking like an adventure?" Other examples of key questions that help students engage in "seeking alternative perspectives" might be:

Is there any hidden information?
How might an expert think about this?
What might an opposite approach or idea be?
Is there any missing information?

One might frame key questions and throughlines in terms of "gear questions" for students. There are many ways that engage students to use thinking dispositions. Generating key questions and working with "gears" is one way to help kids identify and then crystallize the thinking process. We try to infuse key questioning in concert with well-orchestrated educational opportunities that provide clear challenges for critical and creative thinking.

• Thinking Gears Handout for Students [Word 97 Format] [PDF Format]
• Parent Handout On How Thinking Gears Drive Thinking at The Think Tank [Word 97 Format] [PDF Format]

Read about the Think Tank's instructional challenges ...

© Jean Sausele Knodt, Kent Gardens Elementary School, Fairfax County Public Schools, Area III Administrative District, 1998.

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