Have you read “Making Thinking Visible”? You should.
Chemistry requires high levels of abstract thought along with applications of quantitative and qualitative concepts. I am a careful planner; I prepare examples and illustrations to guide students towards clear understandings one step at a time. Often though, I find myself wondering, “What is he/she thinking? Where did he/she get that idea?” This book has helped me to uncover student misconceptions and look into their thought processes regularly. A supervisor gave me the book in August, and it sat on my nightstand for several weeks. In my mind, it was going to be another book about visual learners and strategies for using images to increase engagement. I WAS WRONG. This book is different. It is not about visual learning; it focuses on making student thinking visible to the teacher. While still learning to use the visible thinking routines, I really feel more conscious of students’ understandings than ever.