The Power of Making Thinking Visible

The best way to learn a routine is to experience it as a learner!

Drawing from the research presented in The Power of Making Thinking Visible by Ron Ritchhart and Mark Church, you'll use thinking routines to deepen your own learning. Each step of the way, the instructor and study group facilitators will "pull back the curtain" on the thought process that teachers go through to use the routines to maximum effect. 
 

Overview

Learn how to effectively and purposefully use thinking routines for maximum impact by employing the core practices of listening, questioning, and documentation. In this course you will engage in the following learning experiences:

• Explore both the goals and practices associated with making thinking visible, examining six specific ways that thinking routines have "power" for learners and for teachers
• Delve into two of these powers: promoting deep learning and enhancing formative assessment
• Try out core practices (listening, questioning, and documentation) associated with making thinking visible in your own classroom or learning context
• Reflect on how your experimentation with the practices can illuminate their relationship to and interaction with one another
   

Who Should Participate

• Teachers, teacher leaders, and school administrators and leaders
• Museum educators and educators working in informal learning environments
• Facilitators of pre-K to adult learning
   

Time Commitment

Anticipate a workload of 2.5-3 hours per week for four weeks. The course provides 12 total hours of professional learning. During each session: 

• Team Meeting: This 1-hour live, synchronous team meeting happens every week, scheduled and facilitated by the team members with PZ-designed agenda. 
• Reading, Practice, and Assignments: Plan remaining time for reading and individual reflections/assignments. If you are not currently working in a school or educational organization, you will need a classroom context or a consistent group of students with whom you can try out/practice the ideas you are learning throughout the course.
   

Schedule

Each weekly session opens on a Monday and ends on a Sunday. Participants decide when to work on the course material and when to schedule their team meetings within each session.

• Session 1: January 25-January 31, 2027
• Session 2: February 1-February 7, 2027
• Session 3: February 8-February 14, 2027
• Session 4: February 15-February 21, 2027
   

Tuition, Discounts, and Financial Aid

For mini courses (four sessions, four weeks), the tuition is: 

• $355 for educators joining as part of a team (three to six members from the same organization) 
• $385 for educators joining as part of a team of two (from the same organization) who will be placed on a virtual team with other teams of two (as attendance allows) 
• $399 for educators joining as individuals to be placed on a virtual team

Financial aid is limited and awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, and typically covers 50-70% of a course's tuition for eligible educators. Applications must be submitted and accepted prior to registration. Review our financial aid criteria.
 

Questions?

Visit the FAQs page for more information on PZ online courses, or email pzlearn@gse.harvard.edu.