What is See, Think, Wonder Thinking Routine

Purpose: What kind of thinking does this routine encourage?This routine promotes students to observe attentively and make insightful interpretations. It assists the students to stimulate curiosity and sets the stage for inquiry.

Application: When and where can I use it?Use this routine when you want students to consider carefully about why a thing looks the way it does or is the way it is. Use the routine at the start of a new unit to motivate student curiosity or try it with an object that connects to a subject during the unit of study. Consider using the routine with an interesting object near the end of a unit to encourage students to further apply their knowledge and ideas

What is the See, Think, Wonder Thinking Routine?

Ron Ritchhart and the researchers at Project Zero developed the See, Think, Wonder thinking routine to help students focus on and experience the value of careful observation in the learning process. This thinking routine utilizes visual imagery, artifacts, and media to prompt students to observe the various parts and features of objects, ideas, phenomena, etc. The See, Think, Wonder approach occupies students in open exploration of a idea, as opposed to the more traditional teacher-directed delivery of content and knowledge transfer. Creating a substantive aim for close observation and description of a new idea or thought is also the first step toward developing thoughtful explanations and interpretations and distinguishing areas of further inquiry.

Selecting the Content

The first step for a powerful See, Think, Wonder experience is selecting meaningful images, artifacts, or media. Please ensure that you take into account your learning objectives for a lesson or unit.. Once your objectives are distinctly defined, you can search for an image, object, or other media that will naturally capture student interest and curiosity about the content or concept.I find that you can use yourself as a litmus test. What you pick out has a better chance of being gripping to your students if it is truly interesting to you. Ideal Features of See, Think, Wonder Images, Artifacts, or Media:

• Presence of Ambiguity
• Novelty for students
• Multiple visual layers

“See, Think Wonder” Thinking Routine Steps

After you have chosen your content, create an outline of the procedure for your students.. You can sometimes choose to do this as a whole class or in smaller groups. You can have students record their thoughts on chart paper or index cards and then post them around the room.. Whatever your choice, check that your students understand the process. This routine will have the best results if students have the opportunity to build off of the group's thinking as the routine progresses.

Step 1: Start Asking “What Do You See?”

When starting this part of the routine, allow students 2-3 minutes of quiet observation time. When students learn the routine, asking for observations students could physically point to is helpful. This helps students demonstrate and share their observations and will help them to differentiate this part of the routine from the next section, where they will have a chance to make interpretations. This step is essential for evidence collection, as students will use their observations to inform their interpretations.

Useful "See" Prompts:

• What do you notice? "I notice _______."
• How does this make you feel? "It makes me feel _______."
• Why does it make you feel that way?
• "It makes me feel that way because _______."

Step 2: Ask Students “What Do You Think?”

The next step in the routine requires students to respond to the question., “What’s going on here?” or, “What do you think about this?”This offers an excellent opportunity for students to practice reasoning with evidence by using the observations they made in the first section as evidence for their thinking. If students are still adjusting to providing evidence, ask them, “What makes you say that?”

Useful "Think" Prompts:

• What do you think is going on? "I think that_______ because _______."
• What makes you say that?
• Why do you think this is happening? "I think _______ is happening because _______."
• What do you think is responsible for what we’re seeing?
• Tell me more about how that works.
• What do you think is responsible for what we’re feeling? Tell me more about that.
• How might this be related to other things we have seen/experienced/felt
• What is unlikely but possibly happening here?

Step 3: Ask Students “What Do You Wonder?”

The final step is a crucial transition point for the student-centered educator..This approach naturally enables students to recognize the ideas and issues presented by the subject matter. It encourages them to formulate questions and pinpoint areas of inquiry they are eager to explore. However, that is only possible if you make room to follow up on those investigations in your lessons and units. Options for follow-up could include students recording their wonders as discussion seeds for Socratic dialog. Socratic dialog promotes further discovery and an opportunity to improve one's understanding by exploring the ideas and thinking of others.

Useful "Wonder" Prompts:

• What do you think is going on?
• What does it make you wonder? “I wonder if (or I wonder why) _______________________.”
• Where would you look to find out why/if ______?
• If ________ how would that change your wonderings about ______?
• If _________ wasn’t here / didn’t happen would you still wonder ____?

Discover a Student-Centered Approach with See, Think, Wonder

One of the best reasons to integrate the See, Think, Wonder routine in your classroom is that it bring forth student-led inquiry into science phenomena. Instead of the teacher guessing what their students want to learn more about in a lesson, the See, Think, Wonder activity is a student-centered approach that allows them to take the lead in the learning process.

When students encounter a new phenomenon with their thoughts and questions, they connect it to what they already know. When they have a opportunity to ask questions and actively work with their peers to answer them, these students are constructing their personal knowledge to better understand the world around them. Student-centered classroom learning promotes creativity, critical thinking, and active classroom discussion where students feel comfortable sharing their knowledge and experience.

Follow How Student Think

This routine uncovers students' creative thinking. You may be floored by the connections students make that would have never occurred to you. For this reason, be patient. Permit yourself to follow students’ thinking. Sometimes, when a student makes a connection not apparent to us, we might think they are getting off track. We may be tempted to intervene and push them back in the direction of the observations and wonderings that were obvious to us. Question this inclination so you don’t miss a chance to learn from your students and celebrate their deep thinking.

Planning for Further Investigation

This routine is an invaluable tool for aiding students identify areas of further inquiry.However, it can only be successful if you allocate the necessary time for it.. We understand that time is a precious comodity but can assure you the sense of agency your students will feel and the engagement that will result is always worth it.