Ways of Teaching Thinking Thinking through Assessment	Ways of Thinking Contents Introduction Thinking through Thinkpoints     - Big Ideas     - Practical Profile     - Action Guide Thinking through Dispositions     - Big Ideas     - Practical Profile     - Action Guide Thinking through Transfer     - Big Ideas     - Practical Profile     - Action Guide Thinking through Assessment     - Big Ideas     - Practical Profile     - Action Guide
Practical Profile of Thinking through Assessment General Goals and Expectations Thinking through assessment cultivates thinking by setting standards for the thinking performances we want from students. Infusing thinking-centered assessment into your instruction helps communicate to kids what counts as good thinking. Assessment not only gauges the quality of students' thinking, but it can be used to teach good thinking as well. Good Uses To introduce and infuse a wide range of thinking skills into the curriculum To encourage students to become reflective, self-regulated learners To set thinking-centered standards for understanding goals and performances Age Range Works well for elementary ages and up. Special attention needs to be given at K-5 levels. For K-5, students often do not have a clear sense of what thinking-centered criteria might looks like. Thinking-centered rubrics can help make your expectations clear for younger groups. Subject Matters All subject matters. Materials Needed No special materials needed. Preparation Time Needed Teachers will need to familiarize themselves with various types of assessment and their associated vocabulary (authentic vs. portfolio vs. self-assessment vs. on-going assessment, and so on). Also, teachers may need some time getting familiar with the basics of constructing thinking-centered rubrics. Once teachers are familiar with the concepts, very little preparation time is necessary. Classtime Needed Assessing thinking doesn't take any more time than assessing other performances. Constructing rubrics, setting standards with students, and explaining how to self-assess or use a rubric can involve some significant instructional time up front. But once students are up to speed, the amount of class time needed depends on how prominent a role assessment plays in a particular lesson or activity. Homework Uses The thinking-centered standards set in class should by all means carry over to students' homework in some form. Students need to be clear that the standards remain consistent over time and across contexts to encourage transfer. Workability Various thinking-centered assessments insert easily into the regular classroom curriculum. If there is a puzzle to work through when using thinking-centered assessment, it is being clear on the thinking performance you want to assess, and then choosing an assessment that best gauges the thinking performances you want to measure. Overall, infusing thinking-centered assessment is highly workable. In addition, thinking through assessment seems highly accessible to students as an approach to teaching thinking.
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More on Thinking Through Assessment Action Guide for Assessment Ways of Thinking Contents Introduction Thinking through Thinkpoints     - Big Ideas     - Practical Profile     - Action Guide Thinking through Dispositions     - Big Ideas     - Practical Profile     - Action Guide Thinking through Transfer     - Big Ideas     - Practical Profile     - Action Guide Thinking through Assessment     - Big Ideas     - Practical Profile     - Action Guide The Thinking Classroom Quick Menu - select a destination - The Thinking Classroom Home Page Introducing the Thinking Classroom >Ways of Thinking     Thinking through Thinkpoints     Thinking through Dispositions     Thinking through Transfer     Thinking through Assessment >Information & Resources     Pictures of Practice     Articles >Curriculum Design Tools     Design Tools     Classroom Resources >Communication & Community     News Notes     Forum >Reflect & Connect     Reflection Activities     Reflection Journal

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