Editor’s Note: In this guest post, Virginia Educator, Debbie Tannenbaum shares some of the amazing ideas from her webinar on Using Wixie to Amplify Thinking Routines. You can learn more from Debbie at her website or by following her on Twitter.

Have you tried Project Zero’s Thinking Routines? Thinking Routines take what students have read and asks them to synthesize their thoughts to make their thinking visible. Thinking routines help students reach a desired type of thinking by scaffolding the thinking process through intentional steps to lead to the desired type of thinking. Over time, these routines become patterns of behavior. 

Thinking routines and Wixie are truly the perfect pair. Using these two instructional tools together amplifies student learning. 

How to get started using a thinking routine

• Do you want them to explore something visually?
• Do you want to introduce them to new ideas and begin exploring them?
• Do you want to explore different perspectives?
• Do you want them to synthesize and organize their ideas?

Review the Thinking Routines Toolbox to find a thinking routine that matches the desired type of thinking. For example, if I want to explore something visually, I might choose See, Think, Wonder.

Use the tools in Wixie to create your own thinking routine and assign it to your students. Wixie also has a growing library of thinking routines in their template library so try searching “thinking routine” at your Wixie home page. 

Using a thinking routine with students

My third grade students used See, Think, Wonder to explore artifacts from ancient Egypt as part of their study of Ancient Egypt. They went to a collection on the Smithsonian Learning Lab, were asked to select one artifact and then completed the See, Think Wonder thinking routine. 

First, they were asked to share what they saw looking at this object. What colors did they see? What textures? Etc. Next, they were asked to make inferences - what did they think was the story behind the artifact? Last, they shared what they wondered about the artifact. What questions did they have?

Make the most of thinking routines with Wixie

Give students choice

Wixie allows so many opportunities to share student thinking. Give your learners the option to choose how they respond. Some students may just want to write and use a text box to type, but others will prefer to draw using the paint tools. Some students may want to explain verbally and use the microphone or video tool and others will want to mix and match all of these options!

Collect and share student thinking

Assign a thinking routine as an assignment for each of your students. When they are finished, import their work into one file or use the Showcase feature to share them with the class to promote discussion and additional thinking.

To combine pages into one file, you use the Import Pages feature. At your Wixie home page, start a new project, go to the File menu and choose Import Pages.

To use the Showcase feature, go to your Wixie home page and select Students. Open projects that you want to share and move the toggle over to Showcase. 

Collaborate on thinking routines

Don't forget students can collaborate on a thinking routine also. Once you have found or created the thinking routine you want to use, duplicate it at your Wixie home page. Open and add team members to the file so they can work together. You can also simply add yourself to an individual student's thinking routine so you can easily work one-on-one with the learner to complete it. 

It's time to get started!

Thinking routines are such a powerful way to make student thinking visible. If this strategy is new to you, search "thinking routine" at your home page, and assign a template for an upcoming assignment. See Think, Wonder is a great place to start, but any thinking routine will do.