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Thinking with Technology On Wednesday I mentioned "thinking routines". These have developed as part of the visible thinking work from a Harvard research projeect led by David Perkins. There are several schools in Melbourne that are using these as a way to engage students in their own learning. "Visible Thinking makes extensive use of learning routines that are thinking rich. These routines are simple structures, for example a set of questions or a short sequence of steps, that can be used across various grade levels and content. What makes them routines, versus merely strategies, is that they get used over and over again in the classroom so that they become part of the fabric of classroom' culture. The routines become the ways in which students go about the process of learning" This link leads to explanations and downloadable pdfs of the routines http://www.pz.harvard.edu/vt/VisibleThinking_html_files/03_ThinkingRoutines/03b_Introduction.html Questioning What is the right balance between open and closed questioning? The balance is determined by what you are trying to achieve through the particular activity that is being undertake. If you are trying to determine understanding you need questions that will probe for students to demonstrate what their understanding is - show how the pieces have been put together. If you are introducing a concept a mix of closed and open questions is OK - knowing what you are trying to achieve really determines the mix.

**Final Day Evaluation** This has been a challenging five days of intensive PD. It has been very interesting thinking about the most effective way to use the thinking tools. I have appreciated the time Anne gave us to play with the tools and to really think about how we would use them. Anne's knowledge of the materials and practical experience has added great depth to what we have done. I feel I did not complete the final assessment module as I should have as time was running short and I used some assessment tools I previously had constructed. I will need to spend some time creating an assessment rubric that ties into the tools more closely. Thank you for your endless patience over these 5 days Anne.