Making Thinking Visible in the World Language Classroom

When we want to improve education, we often focus on changing the curriculum without paying much attention to how that curriculum is enacted or carried out by teachers and students together.  However, teachers have the power to improve or enhance the learning experience in their classrooms by reflecting on and shifting their practices.  Therefore, we might wonder, which shifts can we make that will truly enhance, or maybe even transform, language learning for our students? In this virtual workshop, we will explore how Making Thinking Visible might shift the culture of our world language classrooms to one that is more student-centered, inquiry-based and responsive.  We will discover how the use of thinking routines, developed by Ron Ritchhart and other PZ researchers can engage our students in meaningful learning opportunities that not only introduce and practice new vocabulary and language patterns but also develop students as thinkers who seek and reach a deeper understanding of language and culture. We will explore how thinking routines can make our students’ thinking visible so that we can perceive what they know and understand, adjusting our teaching accordingly.  This workshop will support teachers of any language, working with elementary, secondary or adult learners at any level, but especially at the advanced beginner (A2) to native speaking level.