Over the years, I’ve been told to “use a turn and talk” in P.D. almost as many times as I’ve heard teachers complaining about another P.D. that is just telling us to “use a turn and talk.” But if I suspect that if I asked every subscriber on my email list what the second most-taught protocol is, suddenly there would be tons of different answers.
Beyond turn and talks, there are so many great routines that get students engaged and deepen their critical thinking. I cover a few of my favorites in my post about collaborative activities for social studies and a few others in my post about how to effectively teach vocabulary. There’s one protocol in that second post that I was underutilizing. It has become one of my favorite protocols to teach critical thinking because of its effectiveness and because my students love it. What protocol you ask?
Hexagonal Thinking
Hexagonal thinking is not just a vocabulary protocol, or just a social studies protocol. It isn’t just an ELA protocol or just a science protocol. Hexagonal thinking is a real-world preparedness protocol, and it teaches 21st century skills effectively and with high engagement.
Whether you use a hexagonal thinking protocol all the time in your classroom or have never heard of it before, read on to push your thinking and build deeper thinking and engagement in your classroom.
What is Hexagonal Thinking?
In its simplest form, hexagonal thinking uses the many sides and symmetrical nature of hexagons to engage students with making connections between concepts. Students take a set of hexagons with each one representing a concept from a topic they are learning about. Then they place the hexagons so that related tiles share a common edge and explain the connection. Generally, students write explanations on a tag or the background paper to explain those connections.
Hexagonal Thinking Remixes
There are a few approaches you can take depending on your classroom, your content, your students and, if I’m being honest, how much cutting of small hexagons you are willing to do yourself or make time for students to do in class. I have set up templates though to save you some time and you can download them for free!
1. Offer student choice
Provide students with blank hexagons, tell them they must connect at least x (I like 8) and let them come up with the words or phrases. If you don’t think they’ll know where to start, you can have the class generate a communal list to start.
2. Gamify It
Remember the word challenge in Because of Mr. Terupt? This is better. Students get points based on whether they make easy connections for one point or find something more overarching that connects three hexagons for double the points.
3. Make it Digital
The time for cutting getting you down? Hexagonal thinking can be completed in Google slides with drag-able hexagons. Even better? My free templates for hexagon thinking already include a digital option.
4. Have students record their thinking
Obviously explaining connections is a huge part of the protocol, but it doesn’t have to be written. Students can use devices (or their phones) to record a short video clip narrating their connections. For this option, encourage students to communicate with neighboring groups to take turns recording to reduce feedback. You can also have students narrate to you as you circulate, working on an independent assignment, like a writing reflection, while they wait their turn.
5. Make it Creative
Give students the blank hexagons and let them use pictures instead of words. As another creative option, have them tape the hexagons together and then provide string to hang them around the room as reference materials.
I hope you’re getting jazzed about using hexagonal thinking in your classroom. Grab the freebie and let me know how it goes.
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