Digital Toolkit - thinking Strategies

Taking some solid teaching tools and making them digital for teachers using Google Drive. 

Get thinking strategies for the inquiry classroom

Get thinking tools for the inquiry classroom

You know when you read or work with someone and what they do and how they do it just makes sense? And it makes your classroom practice a whole lot better? I have had a professional awe of Darryn Kruse as he is a pretty rad guy for a few years now. And I have finally done something about it. 

As he is a bit of a legend, he has published at least 2 books - the two I am focussing on centre around thinking tools and strategies that promote inquiry in the classroom. This sits nicely with the middle years and with IB schools. In short he outlines a whole host of thinking strategies and provides examples of them in action - clever dude! That way even if you don't quite get the idea behind the tool as he explains it, you can read on and find out how you can actually do it in a class environment. 

So to celebrate Darryn's awesomeness, I have taken some of the ideas from his strategies book and developed them into collaborative templates in Google Drive. The best thing? All the teachers using Google Apps for Ed at a school can copy them and use them with their students! This not only saves time for the teachers, but adds a whole new online, collaborative dimension to the learner's experience. And this in turn can move the learning beyond the physical classroom, into shared online spaces around the school,  state, country and the world!  Students can work together to share ideas with ease, can share these learnings on their blogs or class learning management systems and can revisit ideas and refine them with ease. And Google Apps for Ed is free. Brilliant. 

Explore the toolkit here (view only)

Developed already

Tuning In - alphabetogoires, diamond ranking, KWL

Finding Out - data chart, expert jigsaw, read & retell, think pair share 

Sorting Out  - 3 level guide, dinner for 6, values line up 

Developing Soon 

Making Conclusions
Going Further
Reflecting and Taking Action