1. THINKING TOOLS: Differentiating the Content
Nanci Cole, Michelle Wikle, and Sacha Bennett - TOSAs
Sandi Ishii, Supervisor of Gifted Education
Based on training by: S. Kaplan, USC, 2008

2. What is Academic Rigor?
Rigor is the goal of helping students develop the capacity to understand content that is complex, ambiguous, provocative, and personally or emotionally challenging.
Taking rigorous courses open the doors!
Source: Teaching What Matters Most; Standards and Strategies for Raising Student Achievement by Strong, Silver, and Perini, ASCD, 2001

3. Objectives:
Provide an introduction to the academic language thinking tools of Depth & Complexity and Content Imperatives.
Provide time to understand and practice application of Tools to your content in order to increase the level of inquiry in the classroom.

4. Agenda Welcome/Overview Introduction- Theory
Introduction to Depth & Complexity and Content Imperatives
Differentiated Rotations
Quick share/Reflection/Closing

5. Depth and Complexity Thinking Tools
Recognizes individual diversity among learners
Teaches toward highest level of knowing
Builds expertise
All thinking tools integrated into lesson design and student products add depth and complexity to your overall objective. Thinking tools are designed to help students acquire the ability to think about content in an increasingly sophisticated manner.

6. Depth and Complexity Thinking Tools
Strengthens critical thinking skills
Makes something abstract more concrete
Allows students to “jump” into the content and make sense of it
Builds in inquiry and academic language

7. How do you know if someone is an expert?
Novice
Expert
Conversations
More sophisticated understanding
How much do cell phones cost?
What are some new trends in cell phones?

8. Single Thinking Tools One at a time Depth Complexity To dig deeper
Greater breadth of understanding
The thinking tool is like a magnifying glass. It gives greater dimension to what is studied.

9. Single Thinking Tool
To understand RULES, you can study the patterns, details, and ethics
Patterns
Details
Rules
One part of a whole
This is a way of uncovering
Promotes great conversations
Ethics
Part to whole thinking

10. THINKING PAIRS Two thinking tools together joined with the word “AND”
What are the details AND trends of the Revolutionary War?
2 Thinking Tools = equation of knowing
Changes the intellectual demand
The intellectual work is rigorous

11. How do we know if students know it?
A good answer must include:
Define what they are talking about
Give another example
Cite or reference what stimulated their ideas (evidence)
We want to create intellectuals
Not to just give back the right answer
Not to just pass the CAHSEE

12. Allow individuals to move on
Students get tired of learning the same way using the same thinking.
It is like staying on the same land without moving or cultivating it.
Develop intellectualism
Not just to get the right answers
Nurture beyond where they currently are
The children are not the inhibitors of this thinking. Teachers need to encourage it. Don’t allow students to get stuck on what you know. You must allow the students to transcend it.
Not just to pass the CAHSEE

13. Research says… (GRR) Teacher directed To… Student Centered
Independent Thinkers

14. At some point during the lesson…
Teacher dominate
“Ladies and gentlemen, today we are going to look for…”
Student dominate
“Ladies and gentlemen, what and how are you going to look for…?”

15. Creating Independent Thinkers
You can do this by using these strategies:
Create inquiry to get the information
Create a task defining what to do
Do Independent Research

16. Allow students to be independent thinkers of the task by increasing responsibility
Here are the details in the Revolutionary War
I want you to find the details in the Revolutionary War.
Investigate and research the significant details in the Revolutionary War.

17. Moral Imperative
Educators need to go beyond their own level of thinking.
Educators need to transcend their own thinking because they need to open the doors into a student’s mind. It maybe the key to their success.

18. Students need to know:
The flexibility of the language of depth and complexity
Patterns
This is a prerequisite to go further into the scope and sequence of the thinking tools.
Cyclical
Predictive
Sequence
Repetitive
Students need to know all the synomams of the thinking prompts so they can be used instead of the prompts if needed. Depending on content, curriculum, and instruction- be flexible

19. Do you know the icons?
Draw the appropriate icon next to the definition on the chart.
Compare your answers with your neighbor.
Start brainstorming ways you can bring depth and complexity into your classroom instruction and discussion.

20. Details
Elements
Factors
Facts
Features
Specifics
Traits

21. Unanswered Questions Dilemma Doubtful Unclear Unknown Unproved
Unsolved

22. Language of the Discipline
Jargon
Terms
Terminology
Lingo
Phrasing
Lexicon

23. Patterns Cyclical Predictive Systematic Repetitive Sequential
Structural

24. Big Idea
Global Idea
Principle
Tenet
Theme
Theory
Thesis

25. Multiple Perspectives
Careers
Experts
Fields
Points of View
Roles
Disciplines

26. Ethics
Conflicts
Dilemmas
Positions
Principles
Standards
Values

27. Trends
Direction
Force
Influence
Mode
Style
Tendency

28. Rules
Code
Method
Order
Protocol
Structure
Theorem

29. Across the Disciplines
Associate
Connect
Correlate
Integrate
Intersect
Link

30. Change Over Time Compare past & present Note change across time
Study past, present, future

31. The affect or impact one person or event has on others.
Contribution
The affect or impact one person or event has on others.

32. The beginning, root, foundation, source, or basis for something.
Origin
The beginning, root, foundation, source, or basis for something.

33. How something is similar, matching, comparable, or analogous.
Parallel
How something is similar, matching, comparable, or analogous.

34. Things that are opposite, contradictory, ironic or illogical.
Paradox
Things that are opposite, contradictory, ironic or illogical.

35. How ideas or events meet, intersect, concur, merge, join or unite.
Convergence
How ideas or events meet, intersect, concur, merge, join or unite.

36. How can I integrate the thinking tools into Cornell notes?
Teacher generates questions and student matches appropriate thinking tool and answer.
Teacher chooses thinking tool and student generates question and answer.
Student generates question, identifies thinking tool, and answers question.

37. Other ideas for Cornells & Thinking Tools…
Use TE to help write high level questions.
Create iconic statements (combination of thinking tools).
Differentiate Cornells to fit the needs of your students.
Write summary/reflection prompts using thinking tools.
Combine Costa’s (and/or the Keys) with thinking tools.
Connect Thinking Tools to Thinking Maps .
Layer Thinking Tools with Classics, Think Like a Disciplinarian, Current Events, Technology, and Metacognition.

38. Reflection Why would this be important to you?
Why would this be important to a school?
Why would this be important to the world?