The Friends School of Atlanta

Bringing forward more than 329 years of excellence in Quaker Education

Thinking Caps

This year in fifth grade Bridges class, we used the book Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman to learn about our own learning. The story, which is set in a run-down neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio, is told in pieces by 13 different characters. Each character is from a unique background and has a different perspective on the events taking place in the community, all of which center around the creation of a community garden. The garden, the neighborhood, and the people are gradually transformed as the story takes root and the members of the community begin to have more reasons to interact with and care about each other.

As we made our way through each new chapter (and character), we practiced noticing which kinds of thinking we were doing in order to fully understand the story. We began with three Thinking Skills, gradually introducing new ones until we were working with eight specific skills. Over time, students began to notice that they used these kinds of thinking everywhere.

Main Idea: We are separating essential information from extraneous details almost anytime we take in information, even in conversations. We also use it when we share information, when we make decisions about which thoughts or other pieces of information are the most relevant to include.

Visualizing: Very often, we make pictures in our minds as we listen, think, talk, or read. Sometimes, we can try to do this in an intentional way to build stronger associations or memories.

Sequencing: Any time we put events, materials, or information in order or perceive a sequence or order, we are using this type of thinking. Schedules, timelines, math operations, story structure, recipes, instructions, portfolios, and many other situations call on our sequencing skills all the time.

Perspective: At times, it can be difficult to imagine things from a perspective different from our own. It can also be incredibly useful to practice doing this, and to consider what makes our perspectives different. We use this skill when reading, watching movies or TV shows, interpreting history and current events, interacting with others, and in order to better understand ourselves.  

Making Connections: When we notice the ways our experiences and thoughts are connected across different parts of our lives, we are building bridges of understanding. For example, we might hear a news story about a wildfire producing lots of smoke that reminds us of our studies of air quality in Science class. When we notice ourselves making those connections, we can start to look for them in less obvious places, where they may actually be hiding out in abundance!

Figurative Language: We use language in almost all areas of life, and understanding and using that language effectively often requires us to discern (and use) nonliteral (or figurative) language. Noticing when and how we interpret language strengthens our metalinguistic abilities (our awareness and interpretation of how and why we use language) as well as our metacognition, comprehension, and expression skills.

Making Inferences: In order to understand much of what goes on around us, we piece together information and fill in any missing pieces with our own prior knowledge. Much of our real-world and academic knowledge may come to us through inference, rather than relying on every single piece of information to be directly stated in full detail. We also depend on others to make inferences on our behalf, to read our cues. We do it so much that it can be difficult to notice!

Predicting: We make predictions in order to plan ahead. We might also find ourselves predicting the outcome of a choice or behavior, the winner of a game, the ending of a book or movie. Thinking in this way, and noticing ourselves doing it, and doing it on purpose, can help us be more engaged with information and more anticipatory or strategic in our thinking.

Not only did students notice themselves using these skills in multiple settings, they also began to notice that they often use multiple types of thinking simultaneously. This was especially evident when we were reading together from Seedfolks. As each new Thinking Skill was introduced, students made a visual representation of that skill on an index card. As we read the book, they would hold up the cards that represented the Thinking Skills they noticed themselves using throughout the chapter. As you’ll see from the photos, they were using many of them in a constant way, so they got creative with how they displayed them. By the end of the school year, they literally had their thinking caps on!  

We began to document some of the ways we were using our thinking skills both in and out of the classroom, and to keep a tally. This way, we could set challenges to notice the ones that weren’t as easy or as obvious, like making inferences. In doing this with the class, I realized my own metacognitive routines could use some reinforcement, and I am now watching out for my own inferences. I look forward to reporting one back to the class soon!

Which Thinking Skills do you notice yourself using more often? Which ones are the hardest to notice? How do you know when you are making an inference, or using another skill? Even thinking about that question is great metacognitive practice. If you need some pointers on metacognition, let the fifth (soon to be sixth) grade lead the way!

By Kerrie Lynn, Middle School Learning Specialist and general learning enthusiast.

All Sides of the Picture

photo drivingNancy Bent knows about seeing the world with open eyes. Her father moved the family down south in the 1950s to work as a UPI photographer. He saw it all—the race riots, the protests, the fear, and the strong yet peaceful tenacity of those who stand up for their beliefs.

He spent years as a photojournalist and a television producer in Atlanta, and his experience taught Nancy to see the world in a specific way. You have one picture of reality with two (or more) sides. You see it all, unfiltered, and, with knowledge and empathy, move forward with conviction to do what’s right.

That conviction eventually brought her to The Friends School of Atlanta, first as a mother, then as a board member, and, starting seven years ago, as a school administrator. She’s now FSA’s Director of Advancement and Admissions.  Serving all three roles has given her unique perspective.

It can be summed up in an experience Nancy had as an FSA parent, looking at a child’s drawing posted among many others in the school hallway. The school project had to do with human and civil rights, and the stick-figure sketch was of a little girl holding hands with two moms. At first Nancy thought that her daughter—who, after all, has two moms— had drawn it. This was the mid-1990s, and having two moms or two dads wasn’t viewed quite like it is today.

But her daughter hadn’t drawn it. It was a girl who the year before had teased her, saying, “You can’t have two moms. That’s illegal.”

Teachers and administrators intervened and got the children and parents together. Turns out the girl’s parents didn’t believe what their daughter had said. “Bottom line, the girl was just being mean,” Nancy recalled. “She was 8; it can be tough age. I got it. I wasn’t upset with anybody, and it was all handled respectfully.”

The next year, when the teacher asked children to draw something that showed a human or civil right, that same girl thought of her classmate and friend. Next to the drawing she wrote, “Everyone has the right to have a family.”

The girl learned all sides of the picture, moved forward with conviction, followed her heart, and did what she thought was right.

That, in a nutshell, is a Friends School of Atlanta education.

By Tim Heston

Tim Heston has written for business magazines since 1996. He’s won some awards here and there, but his greatest achievement is being the proud parent of an FSA fourth grader.

The Learning Groove

By Fatimah Hinds, Middle School Teacher

We are well into the groove of the school year. Students have routines and procedures, which they follow without much prompting. Once all of the organizational stuff of the new year was done, we were able to get down to the business of learning.  

I have the pleasure of teaching two different subjects to two different grades which means my days have varied content, objectives, and activities. We fill their days with learning, reading, laughing, outside time, and technology. There’s never a dull moment around here.

In 7th grade Astronomy we have used a combination of hands-on activities, our textbook, classical music and a sprinkle of Curious George to introduce the students to the universe in which we live. The students use technology to research topics, to word process, and to create presentations; all skills that will be of use as they continue their educational journey and into their working lives. These various resources and opportunities to interact with the material has prompted some great discussions about the future of the planet (What happens if the sun explodes?!), questions about how scientific discoveries change what we learn and consider to be fact (Why is Pluto a dwarf planet now?), and what’s next for space exploration (How and when can we visit Mars?).  The kids are thoughtful, funny, and engaged.

In my section of 7th grade Algebra we began with learning the history of math. We do so much with math and numbers in our everyday life that it made sense to do a deep investigation of where it all began. This lesson was a great opportunity to connect with other subjects. Students got to combine their knowledge of culture from social studies and map reading from geography with various math advances from around the world.

We began with the simple act of counting, to how numbers were written, and continued on to when the addition sign was first used (around 1600 CE in case you are wondering). We got to see how math is a competition for some cultures, the basis for most business endeavors, how numbers were not always universal and how that impacts us today, and even how math can be translated into beautiful works of art. The students have seen math in a new light and that was amazing to watch.

Lastly, in my section of 8th grade Algebra we like to have fun!  There are so many ways to convey the same information and we’ve taken this time to explore several of them.  Students put their critical thinking skills to work by solving complex algebra puzzles where they must find the value of pictures based on their arrangement in an equation.

Afterwards they created colorful puzzles of their own which we shared with the other math teachers. From there we’ve used graphing, modeling, and tables to solve real world problems like ‘How much will it cost to make fruit salad based on the different prices of the fruits?’ and ‘How many months will it take a small business to turn a profit after all of it’s start up costs are paid?’ These questions give the students space to be creative but also to connect their school work to their everyday lives and their families lives. I love to hear what they come up with and see how they think outside the box.

My goal when I am teaching is help students learn to approach a problem with the concept of ‘right or wrong’ being secondary. After getting to know each other we’ve built trust such that we are a community of learners who exchange ideas and theories. My classroom is a space to make mistakes (me too), ask questions, and do our best work.  All of these experiences lead to a robust discourse and deeper understanding of the world around us.

Making Learning Visible

By Laura James, Head of Middle School

It’s amazing how much I learn about our students when they aren’t even here. Certainly, it’s when I watch them work and play that I see their spirit and energy and character. When I view NetClassroom, I see their growth and progress. But when I am alone wandering the hallways, there is a different kind of knowing: I see what our kids are thinking. Their learning is visible.

Making Learning Visible is a popular topic among progressive educators today, and my own experiences confirm how powerfully the practice of demonstrating understanding supports a rich culture of thinking. Harvard’s Project Zero has published research about the connections created by shared learning. The idea is that learning is actually a consequence of thinking, and getting our thinking out of our heads and into the world not only offers opportunity for others to learn from our work, it also requires us to attach language to our thoughts, to spend time with our ideas and to revise our work, which ultimately enhances our thinking.

Because the development of thinking skills is truly a social endeavor, it makes sense that displaying understanding deepens the experience of the community. In classrooms, there is a constant dynamic between the individual and the group. Collective learning happens through engagement with each other. Whether it’s in a skit, a poster, a poem, a video, a painting or an edible model of the solar system, the process of making learning visible illustrates the value we place on every person’s thoughts and provides evidence of authentic intellectual work.

While I do love the exciting pace of movement and industry that flows through our hallways, I highly value those times when I can take a moment to absorb the work on the walls. It looks nice because it is pretty and colorful, but at the heart, it is so much more than that.