The See-Think-Wonder routine might be as ubiquitous as “turn and talk” in the beginning of teacher preparation programs, but somehow, like many up and coming starlets, this bell ringer often gets pushed to the periphery of classrooms.
The routine ends up shifting down to the bottom of the metaphorical toolbox. Is it because it feels too basic? Because identifying images and sources to provide to students is too tedious? Because somehow it got lost in the ABC’s of acronyms with KWL and SWBAT? Maybe people pushed it to the side when Harvard tried to claim it as their own. Ok, that last one may have some merit from the eyes of my undergraduate alma mater.
Why has See/Think/Wonder gone out of fashion as a bell ringer in upper grades?
An Under-appreciated Bell Ringer- See-Think-Wonder
I’m here to plead the routine’s case.
My first exposure to See/Think/Wonder was working in an International High School. The routine, and its predictability, gave emergent bilinguals an entry point into critical thinking. The first question is so innocuous, students may not trust it at first. But once they realize it is that simple, it is so easy for them to get started. Having been successful with the first question, students build speed going through the think and the wonder.
If students only record their answers and then the class moves on, the protocol has not been done justice. More critical is the sharing. Hearing what others observed, thought and wondered has three important benefits:
Students sharpen one another’s thinking. Hearing what others picked up on that they didn’t allows students to take a wider view in the future, to consider differently in the future.
Students develop a deeper understanding of the concept of different perspectives. Hearing and recognizing that what people draw from the subject is so intimately influenced by their own life experiences provides a reference point in other discussions about perspective. This helps students develop empathy and to consider multiple points of view.
Vocabulary in context. Good subjects for see/think/wonder spark inquiry because they are not entirely familiar. As students are sharing what they observe, think and wonder, new vocabulary comes into the room. This becomes an authentic opportunity to add to your class word wall.
The beauty of this routine is not just in the simplicity, but in the repetition. Pushed by one another and gaining additional confidence, students make increasingly astute observations and confident inferences. They begin to wonder about different perspectives, and they begin to express themselves with more precise, domain specific language.
In my classroom, I use the See/Think/Wonder as a weekly bell ringer with my multilingual learners, and I’m sharing some of what we use in my store.
I also use See/Think/Wonder when introducing a new unit. I loved the various responses I found on Google Classroom when my students were given a picture of a “hippo roller” to respond to while they were with a sub one day to launch our inquiry into innovative design and practice with problem/solution writing. I may have even laughed out loud and outed myself as multi-tasking during the P.D. I was in. . . whoops!
I encourage you, take this protocol out of your toolbox, dust it off, and give it a chance anew. I am confident you, and your students, will enjoy the experience.
