Making Thinking Visible
MTV is when teachers give students control and empowerment over their thinking. This approach encourages students to share their thoughts and how they came to those thoughts to gain a deeper understanding. They are actively listening and learning through collaboration.
- One of the main goals behind MTV is for students to develop thinking dispositions by making personal connections with the world. This allows them to think critically and value their unique perspectives. Implementing this in the classroom fosters deep learning. This involves integrating mastery, identity, and creativity to encourage students to think at a higher and deeper level.
- With MTV, the teacher role has changed a bit. They should change to focus on observing, listening, and engaging with students rather than just lecturing. This shift can help create a culture of continuous learning and critical thinking. By implementing MTV in the classroom, the learning environment will empower students’ thinking by creating a culture of thinking where they feel safe to say their thoughts.
- Check out this article to learn more about MTV. https://www.edutopia.org/article/visible-thinking-strategies-student-engagement/
MTV in Third-Grade Math
- I utilized MTV’s “Give One, Get One” strategy in my classroom. This strategy allowed all the students to participate and exchange ideas while reviewing multiplication. My math coach recommended using math opening engagers to start the students’ thought processes. With Give One, Get One, there are no wrong answers, which allowed my students to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and listening to others. Each student used their personal whiteboard to write down their ideas based on the picture I displayed on the viewboard. I explained that they should write “I noticed…” and gave them 5 minutes. Afterward, I set a 5-minute timer on the viewboard, and the students shared their thoughts around the room. Once the timer went off, I asked for any volunteers who wanted to share their ideas with the class to wrap up the activity.
How did my students respond to this activity?
My students were excited to do something outside the regular curriculum during this activity. Before the activity, I made it clear that there were no wrong answers and that I just wanted to see what they were thinking. They were happy to learn that there were no wrong answers and that they could move around and share their ideas with others in the room. Although they were familiar with the setup of an opening engager, it was different this time as it was our first time doing it together. At the end of the lesson, many of my students wanted to share their ideas with the entire class and were glad to do so.
Success and challenges
- The outcome of this activity exceeded my expectations. I was pleasantly surprised by some of my students’ ideas, which I had not anticipated (see pictures below). The students were kind and considerate in sharing their ideas and listening to others. I did not anticipate that some students would be very literal, stating that they noticed that the picture was of Legos or a specific color. Although I did not account for this, I was okay with them writing it down on their whiteboards as they were thinking, and I’m glad they shared it with the rest of the class. Next time, I would make changes to encourage more diverse and creative student responses. I might provide additional prompts or examples to inspire different perspectives and interpretations.
TCE Thresholds
Both Teachers and Students have empowerment/agency.
- I am dedicated to implementing MTV (Modeling, Thinking, and Verbalizing) strategies to empower my students and cultivate a sense of agency in their learning. These strategies prompt students to take charge of their learning, becoming experts in the classroom. In my classroom, students understand the importance of active listening when others are speaking, and they are encouraged to practice this skill. Additionally, students are motivated to develop their critical thinking abilities, which can be applied to real-world scenarios. In my classroom, students understand that their ideas are valued and respected. I recognize the need to empower them further to take an active role in their learning. Check out this link about student empowerment in the classroom https://spencerauthor.com/empowerment-shifts/
The curriculum is more than standards, textbooks, and courses of study.
- We need standards and a curriculum that provides the learning target of the lesson/activity and a guide into what students “need” to know by the end of the year. However, it cannot be the only thing we focus on. MTV creates a classroom environment that encourages thinking in any manner, not just correct thinking or answering questions. MTV also suggests students must go beyond the text and apply their knowledge to real-life learning. For example, with my third-grade students, a considerable focus is learning how to multiply and divide numbers. This applies to the real world by needing to figure out the perimeter of their fence, how many tiles they need for their floor, or how much money is divided among friends.
I think using the Give One, Get One strategy is great, and I love the fact that you told students that were no wrong answers. There are many ways to use this that I can think of and I’m very excited to try it myself. My big question involves the time you gave to think and write. Did 5 minutes seem like too much time, or not enough? With third grade students, I really have no idea what the appropriate amount of time is. Also what was the overarching goal? I am no expert with elementary students, but I think by posing the question as “in the terms of math class, what do you notice?” it may cut down on some of those unexpected answers. I hope this helps!
Hi, thank you for your comment. I found that 5 minutes was a bit too long for most of my students to write their thoughts. I would probably shorten it to a minute or two, but not too short as some of my students tend to take a little longer to solve problems. The main goal was to encourage their thought process and allow them to practice their multiplication skills on something other than the problem set in our curriculum.
I really enjoyed reading your post on the “Give One, Get One” strategy for math! It’s fantastic to hear that the students responded so well and felt comfortable knowing there were no wrong answers. Creating an environment where students can freely share ideas without fear of being wrong is so crucial for their learning and confidence.
I’m curious, did you use a timer for this activity? I’m considering trying this strategy in my own classroom and wonder if having a set time helps keep the activity focused and efficient.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Hi! I did use a timer for this activity. I used a timer that was programmed into the viewboard when students went around and shared their thoughts with others. I would recommend this strategy. You could use it as an opening engaged for your students.
Rachel, congratulations on implementing the Give One, Get One strategy! It seems like it went really well. I find it so interesting how the same thing can be viewed completely differently depending on the person. I love that you made sure to stress there were no right or wrong answers. I’m sure that helped encourage all the responses you received. How do you think the strategy influenced their overall understanding of multiplication? Would you try something similar with other math topics?
Hi! I believe this strategy helped the students solidify their knowledge and demonstrate what they have learned. We had been practicing multiplication for over a month, which provided them with a new way for me to check their understanding in a real-world situation. I plan to use this approach with other topics because I think this lesson was successful and my students responded very well to it.