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models the language of thinking at all times, being flexible to respect, understand, and evaluate
the process by which each student experiments (Ron Ritchart, 2006).
Thinking routines are not intended to be the stars of a lesson, they are merely tools that,
attached to the lesson plan, help teachers enrich the learning process of their students.
Each routine has a purpose and stimulates different kinds of thinking: either synthesis,
assembling,
creating
connections,
discovering,
observing, or summarizing.
These tools do not need to
be memorized in order for
them to be used in the
classroom, because they are
detailed step to steps in the
thinking book and are clear
and easy to follow, in order
for
the
teacher
to
incorporate them in the day
to day with ease.
It is crucial for teachers to maintain very high expectations on their students when
presenting them with thinking routines. If, on the other hand, expectations are low, the enriching
qualities in the students’ experiences will be limited and their thinking will not be challenged,
and when there is no challenge, the brain is no longer being exercised. If routines are used every
day, children will surprise their teachers with their thinking, ideas, connections, and different
forms of expression. These different forms of expression are experiences with intensity when
working with children. Many people might think that because children cannot even read or write,
making their thinking visible is almost impossible, but at that early age, children are able to do
much more than what adults presume. It is, accordingly, one of the teacher's most important