The Think Tank lab is housed in a regular sized classroom with a long row of windows, a few tables, plants, rugs, pillows, shelves of projects, and various project centers spotted throughout the room. Project centers stress process-oriented activity and performance. It's our belief that an enriched, thinking-centered instructional process helps students develop creative and dynamic learning statements or "products."

Lab time starts with students sitting in a circle. After a short discussion, a review of new projects, or divergent group questioning, students are asked where they would like to work. Hands fling up into the air! Once pockets of activity are underway, educators then circulate to facilitate discoveries or engage students with further challenges. On-going comments from kids, such as they love the program "more than recess!" tells us that the lab is truly cherished. It's a place they make their own. The lab is a whirlwind of activity with an orientation towards "having fun, working hard, and thinking well."

"I wish I lived here!"
A Kent Gardens student reflects on his learning experience at the Think Tank.

Read about the central ideas of the Think Tank ...

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

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