A colleague of mine recently went to a workshop called Cultures of Thinking and shared an activity idea with me, which connects with the theme of our class (The Nature and Design of Compelling Experiences.) The educational activity encourages student to think about a subject in an artful way. This activity could be used with any subject ranging from science to social studies to literature. Here is an example. After reading a book, students think of a color that stands out most in their mind that the story reminds them of. Second they think of a symbol that could represent the story. Third they think of an image that stands out in their mind as a result of the story. Students illustrate their color, symbol, and image and write about each explaining their thought process. This process is supposed to give students the feeling that their thinking is of value. It encourages them to think about a topic in a different way and be involved in creating their own thoughts about a subject. I inserted a sample picture of the graphic organizer below:
