Thinking Tools Index

What are Thinking Tools?

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Achieving “Deep Learning” — Teaching How to Think

Thinking Tools are visual diagrams that promote the use of thinking skills such as “comparing,” “classifying,” and “associating.”

They help students visualize their thoughts. By organizing information and ideas with Thinking Tools, it becomes easier to compare and share with others, leading to new insights and ideas.

Incorporating Thinking Tools into student activities enables “deep learning,” where students generate ideas on their own.

The Value of Thinking Tools

When students visually express their thinking, it becomes easier for them to understand and explain their own ideas.

It also clarifies the differences between their thinking and others’, encouraging meaningful dialogue and deepening thought.

By comparing their own thinking with others’, students encounter new ideas, restructure their knowledge and values, and develop new concepts.

This aligns with the goal of “independent, interactive, and deep learning” outlined in the national curriculum guidelines.

Choosing the Right Thinking Tool for the Activity

Thinking Skills

Thinking skills are patterns of mental activity used when thinking, such as “sequencing” and “comparing.”

Generating ideas requires a variety of thinking skills. Thinking Tools are visual representations designed around these skills.

By using a Thinking Tool aligned with the appropriate thinking skill, students can generate ideas more easily.

When used in combination with student activities during class, Thinking Tools help achieve deep learning, where students build ideas on their own.

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How to Use Thinking Tools: The Method of Divergence and Convergence

Lesson Design for Generating Ideas

Divergent and Convergent Thinking

When teaching students how to come up with ideas, we need to understand and use two distinct thinking processes:

Divergent Thinking

This involves students exploring ideas freely and thinking expansively. They can use visual tools like Y-charts, fishbone diagrams, and mind maps to capture and expand their thoughts.

Convergent Thinking

This involves students organizing and refining their scattered thoughts into clear concepts. Step charts, coordinate axes, and pyramid charts can help them structure their thinking logically.

Divergent and Convergent Lesson Design

Students need to repeatedly use both "divergent" and "convergent" thinking as they develop their ideas. Teachers can design lessons that help students come up with their own original ideas by using our Thinking Tool switching feature..

By incorporating both "divergent" and "convergent" stages equally, students can more easily construct their own thoughts.

If the lesson is too focused on "divergent" thinking, students’ ideas may become too broad, making it difficult for them to organize their thoughts. Conversely, if it focuses too much on convergent thinking, creativity can become limited, and new ideas are less likely to emerge.

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1. Generating Ideas

Setting the Topic and Perspective

When using Thinking Tools to generate ideas, start by presenting a discussion topic and establishing a specific perspective for students to consider from.

Having a clear perspective in mind can help students generate ideas more freely, helping them achieve their learning goals.

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Write Down Ideas from the Perspective

Write down ideas based on the established perspective. Using a Shared Note will help groups brainstorm more easily.

Organizing ideas visually will help students see the big picture of their thinking, making it easier for new ideas to emerge.

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Gathering and Organizing Information

For independent problem-solving, it's important to gather information through observation, experiments, and research, then organize and analyze it according to purpose.

Thinking Tools help students understand how to arrange their collected information effectively, making organization and analysis easier.

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Take a Bird's-Eye View

Look at all ideas and information laid out on the Thinking Tools to identify what can help solve the problem.

Examine the connections between ideas and consider what insights and conclusions can be drawn from them.

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2. Sharing Ideas

Case 1: Share via Submission Box and Using Classmates' Ideas

When students share their completed Thinking Tools in the Submission Box, they can learn from each other's ideas and deepen their understanding.

Students can incorporate their classmates’ responses or ideas into their own notes by utilizing the “Use” sharing feature in the Submission box. By combining their own thoughts with others' ideas, they can develop deeper insights and move toward focused conclusions.

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Case 2: Share Ideas Using a Shared Note

Using a Shared Note allows groups to collaboratively edit a single Thinking Tool. Multiple students can simultaneously contribute and organize ideas together.

This eliminates the need for individual idea presentations, making collaborative learning more time-efficient.

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Case 3: Exchange Cards with Friends

When students receive Cards from others, they can incorporate their classmates' ideas into their own Thinking Tool.

Since Cards can be shared effortlessly, students can expand their thinking by considering diverse perspectives.

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3. Building Ideas

Switching Thinking Tools

When students switch between Thinking Tools, they can reorganize their ideas from different angles, leading to new insights.

The same idea can be considered from a new perspective when organized with a different tool, helping students discover new meanings and connections.

Using the tool-switching feature, students can change the background Thinking Tool while preserving their existing ideas. This enables them to efficiently reorganize their thoughts and move between divergent and convergent thinking.

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4. Explaining Ideas

Organizing and Presenting Ideas

Students can create presentations by connecting Cards together.

By linking Cards while organizing their thoughts, they can structure their presentations clearly and effectively.

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Sharing Ideas with Others

When students present to groups or the whole class, they learn from each other's perspectives, promoting collaborative learning.

Since Thinking Tools help visualize and organize ideas, students can explain their thoughts more smoothly and clearly.

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Comparing Ideas

Using the same Thinking Tool to organize different ideas makes comparison easier.

This clarity makes explanation smoother, leading to more active discussion and communication.

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Through visualizing thoughts with Thinking Tools, students can recognize, develop, and create new ideas.

Using Thinking Tools in Different Subjects

This section introduces how to use Thinking Tools based on the characteristics of each subject.

Please click the buttons below to explore.

Why Thinking Tools are Important to Use for CCSS and PISA

Thinking Tools are essential for meeting the requirements set by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). These standards emphasize the need for students to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills across subjects such as English Language Arts and Mathematics. Thinking Tools assist in visualizing complex ideas, structuring arguments, and analyzing textual or numerical data. By enabling students to clearly map out their thoughts and solutions, these tools facilitate deeper understanding and more effective communication of ideas. Furthermore, Thinking Tools promote collaboration among students, enhancing their ability to work together to solve problems and engage in meaningful discussions, aligning perfectly with the collaborative skills highlighted by the CCSS.

Scenarios where Thinking Tools should be utilized for developing the skills required by CCSS

Scenarios where Thinking Tools should be utilized for developing the skills required by OECD PISA.

Thinking Tool Guide Book

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Explore the full potential of Thinking Tools with our comprehensive guidebook! Inside you’ll find step-by-step instructions, classroom-ready examples, and proven strategies to engage students and deepen learning.

Professor at Kansai University’s Faculty of Informatics.

His area of expertise is educational technology, with a focus on the educational use of ICT and broadcast media, curriculum development, and educational assessment.

Drawing from lesson study practices in the U.S. and Australia, he has dedicated over 15 years to promoting and raising awareness of “Thinking Tools” in Japanese education.

He has also served on various advisory committees related to curriculum reform in Japan.

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