Primary / Elementary School

Supporting Learning in Groups in the Classroom (Ch. 11)

Tools included in this section of Visible Learners: 

- Getting started with Making Learning Visible

- Looking at Learning in Groups: Classroom Discussion Guidelines

- Considerations for FOrming Small Groups

- Entry-Point Charts: Engaging All Members of the Group

- Structures for Giving and Receiving Feedback 

Truth, Beauty, and Goodness Reframed: Educating for the Virtues in the Age of Truthiness..

From ancient times, philosophers, theologians, and artists have attempted to describe and categorize the defining virtues of civilization. In Truth, Beauty, and Goodness Reframed, renowned education authority Howard Gardner explores the meaning of the title's three virtues in an age when vast technological advancement and relativistic attitudes toward human nature have deeply shaken our moral worldview. His incisive examination reveals that although these concepts are changing faster than ever before, they are--and will remain, with our stewardship--cornerstones of our society. Designed to appeal to a wide readership, Truth, Beauty, and Goodness Reframed is an approachable primer on the foundations of ethics in the modern age. ISBN: 978-0465031788

Changing our Skin: Creating Collective Knowledge in American Classrooms

Abstract: In this essay, the author explores the notion that the focus of learning in classrooms and schools extends beyond the learning of individuals to create a collective body of knowledge that is larger than what any one person knows. This idea was examined in a collaboration between Project Zero researchers and educators from the municipal preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy, around understanding, supporting, and documenting individual and group learning. The author draws on the experiences of classroom teachers in Massachusetts to suggest at least four key components in creating collective knowledge: (a) rethinking the nature of the learning task; (b) fostering a pedagogy of relationships; (c) addressing four kinds of learning; and (d) documenting student and teacher learning.

Learning Causality in a Complex World: Understandings of Consequence

What do children's interactions on the playground have to do with foreign policy? How does science understanding in middle school relate to environmental disasters in third world countries? The causal patterns that we detect and how we act upon them pervade every aspect of our lives. These skills will only become more important in the future as our world becomes more global and more interconnected. Yet we aren't very skilled at thinking about causality. Research shows that instead we rely on limiting default assumptions that can lead to poor choices in a complex world. What can we do about it? This book offers ways to become aware of these patterns and to reframe our thinking to become more effective learners and citizens of the world. Through examples and accessible explanations, it offers a causal curriculum to enable more effective learning so that we can put the power of better causal understanding to work for ourselves and the next generation, for today and tomorrow. ISBN: 978-1610488648

Kids Are the Experts! Making Learning Visible in Boston Public Schools

During the 2011-12 school year, 30 Boston Public School early childhood teachers and eight Head Start teachers took a course called Making Learning Visible: Kids are the Experts! The teachers explored how to help children recognize and communicate to others their areas of expertise through words, images, and demonstrations. This short film follows the process of making how-to books and other products in two classrooms at the Gardner Pilot Academy.