What's the best thinking routine to get started with Visible Thinking?

One of the best way to get started with Visible Thinking is by focusing on thinking routines and See-Think-Wonder is by far the best one to begin with.

What are thinking routines?

First up, a bit of revision about thinking routines. As described here, a routine is simply defined as a sequence of actions or pattern of behaviour that is regularly followed or rehearsed. Thinking routines are tools specifically designed to help, support and guide mental processes or thinking. They consist of short, easy to learn and teach steps that get used in a regular fashion.

Thinking routines provide a structure for making meaning and give participants an introduction to the process of thinking slowly and carefully about art and objects. They can be used across a variety of contexts and environments from schools, universities, private institutions and corporations and, of course, museums. They are not subject-specific either – thinking routines have a wide appeal and application across a variety of disciplines including arts, history, maths and science contexts. Visible Thinking Routines range from more observation-based routines such as ‘See-Think-Wonder’, ‘5×2’ and ‘Colour, Shape, Line’ which encourage people to look carefully, to more narrative-focused and creative ones such as ‘Beginning, Middle, End’ and ‘Step Inside’.

Breaking down thinking into simple and engaging steps can build confidence as well as skills in making sense of collections. Thinking routines allow people to contribute and participate in different ways and are flexible and adaptable, making them effective with a variety of audiences within museums. These routines loosely guide the analysis of a wide variety of materials such as artworks, photographs, documents, newspaper articles, museum objects and so on.

See-Think-Wonder

One of the most popular and well-known thinking routines, ‘See-Think-Wonder’ encourages individuals to practice slow-looking and observe, before processing and analysing and then questioning – ‘What do you see?’ ‘What do you think is going on?’ ‘What does it make you wonder?’

It is an excellent thinking routine to use when you are new to Visible Thinking and a good one to use at the beginning of a guided tour or museum programme. The stages of the routine structure the conversation for both the guide and the participant. As a result, everyone knows what to expect.

The first question ‘What do you see?’ gives participants the chance to fully observe and describe the object or artwork in question. Focusing on close looking followed up by careful describing allows participants to see the “whole picture” and to notice parts they would ordinarily have missed.

The second question ‘What do you think is going on?’ usually follows on naturally once the object has been fully described and ask the group for their interpretations of what they think is going on.

The final question ‘What are you wondering about?’ allows participants to ask any additional questions or thoughts. These “wonderings” can also open up new lines of inquiry and allow the guide or educator time to share some specialised knowledge in response to the group’s questions.

If you think about the structure of a well-rounded discussion (which I talk about here), we start with the outer layer, the observation and description, before moving on to the substance, the interpretation before moving on to any questions or puzzles we have. Throughout the discussion we are encouraging reasoning with evidence too (‘What do you see that makes you say that?’). One of the reasons why See-Think-Wonder is a great place to start is because the 3 stages of this routine mirror the stages of a balanced discussion.

Why is it the best routine to use when you’re new to VT?

• It is straightforward and naturally leads towards open-ended inquiry
• It can be used with all age groups & all levels
• It can be used with a huge variety of materials such as artworks, photographs, documents, book covers, newspaper articles, museum objects, the natural world etc.
• Works well individually, in small groups and with whole group sharing.
• Can be used at the beginning of a programme or tour due to its simplicity.
• It’s easy to set up and use – there aren’t any complicated instructions or set-up instructions. Some thinking routines require a little extra thought about how they can be applied in the museum or heritage environment. See-Think-Wonder is pretty much good to go as it is.
• By separating the two questions, 'What do you see?' and 'What do you think is going on?', the routine helps participants distinguish between observations and interpretations. This helps to avoid hasty interpretations. By encouraging individuals to wonder and ask questions, the routine stimulates curiosity and helps students reach for new connections.
• When used repeatedly, participants begin to use in other contexts. I have had school children teaching See-Think-Wonder to their parents after a museum visit where we explored several objects using the routine. I’ve also had a group of IT managers using See-Think-Wonder during a breakfast meeting to structure their thoughts, inspired by the previous evening’s art museum workshop using thinking routines – See-Think-Wonder being the most versatile and memorable!
• It never, EVER fails in any situation, circumstances or environment. Trust the routine. It always works – follow my tips below to get started right away!

Tips for Getting Started

Follow the steps Do the routines as they are initially without trying to change them. See-Think-Wonder as it is and wait to see what you learn from them before you make any changes or adaptations. Once you are happy with how the routine works, you can try the routine in a variety of ways (and there are lots of variations of See-Think-Wonder out there!).

Allow time for looking I frequently hear guides or educators go straight in with a question before the group have even had a chance to properly look at the object or image. Allow at least 20 seconds of looking time before you ask the first question. Let your eyes wander!

Allow thinking time Ask the question and then wait. Give everyone the chance to respond to your question. If necessary, count to 5 in your head before even thinking about saying anything. Be patient and comfortable with the silence. Think of it as thinking time!

See-Think-Wonder is the ‘vehicle’ for exploring the content. Enjoy the process – the routine is not the content itself, it is the way you explore the content. Each object or image has multiple interpretations waiting to be discovered by the participants – the routine gently assists participants with a structure to get there.

Make it participant-centred Your role is to help facilitate or orchestrate the discussion. You are helping participants to discover information for themselves. This is not about providing content and facts.

Model the language and use thinking words  Model the language of thinking (more on this here) and encouraging its use within the group – name participants actions ‘I see you made a connection’ ‘We have a variety of opinions here’. Regular and repeated use of thinking routines has been shown to help build this language of thinking, encourage the use of conditional language (‘might’ ‘could’ etc) and help people to externalise their thoughts more clearly. Over time and with repeated use, you will find yourself (and your participants) adopting the language) ‘I’m wondering…’Over time, students will adopt the language (‘I’m thinking’ ’I’m wondering..’

There are no ‘right’ answers. Routines are based on questions to create discussions, look for connections and expand knowledge. This routine encourages multiple interpretations of the source material.

Expect the best Participants will surprise you with the connections, ideas and thoughts that they make throughout the discussion. You will notice new things that you haven’t seen or thought of yourself before!

Learning is a collaborative process When you incorporate See-Think-Wonder into your practice, you are taking full advantage of the benefits of group work where ideas are explored through group discussion and dialogue. Everyone profits from the ‘distributed intelligence’ of the group as individuals are able to use and build upon other’s experience and interpretations. This way of working, where a group reasons together out loud, puts forward new ideas, responds to and builds on the ideas of others and generates further questions is known variously as collaborative learning, a community of enquiry, ‘collegiality’ as it is termed by Arthur Costa, and also a ‘culture of thinking‘ in Visible Thinking. Ritchhart defines this as a culture where thinking is valued, visible and actively promoted, not just in one department but across the whole organisation. It is this ‘culture of thinking’ that distinguishes this approach from other methods.

There may not be an end-point. You may not arrive at a final, definitive interpretation. That’s OK. Embrace the process of the routine and the rich discussion that follows. The process of thinking is more important than the destination.

AND FINALLY…Trust the routine Trust the routine and give it time, even if you’re unsure of the direction the discussion will go in. Changing to a new method of working takes time and practice, but it is ultimately far more rewarding for you as an educator and for the participants too. 

How did you get started with Visible Thinking? Was it with See-Think-Wonder? I’d love to know in the comments.

Interested in Visible Thinking but not sure where to start? Start with See-Think-Wonder!

Join me on Tuesday 19 May at 16.00 hrs CET for a one hour online class teaching you how to use See-Think-Wonder to create lively discussions about art online and offline. You will learn how it can be used, what artworks it can be used with and tips and techniques to help you lead your own art discussion. We will then spend 30+ minutes looking at and discussing just one artwork using the thinking routine See-Think-Routine. Limited places available!

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