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Thinking or Remembering: Abstract and Concrete

One way to emphasizing Thinking over mere Remembering is to consider the level of abstraction we’re asking students to use. You might think of abstraction as a spectrum from highly specific, concrete details to really big (but vague) ideas.

Empower Students to Think Inductively

When Sherlock Holmes infers Watson’s hometown from just a few details, he’s thinking inductively. We can set up lessons to capitalize on this same method of thinking.

Fuzzy Problems

Fuzzy Problems are, quite simply, the types of problems we face in our regular lives. Issues that have no best answer and no single path to a solution. Problems that are missing information and require best guesses. They’re the kinds of problems we want our students to grapple with.

What Did You (Not) Do During Summer Break?

Ask your students to write about their summer breaks, but remix their activities into a new genre or setting. Perhaps they vacationed at Hogwarts, Mordor, or Tatooine? Not interested in a writing assignment?