The gallery for ideas of the Adanguardie educative movement has enriched with a new proposal for innovation. This is the idea “MLTV – make thinking and learning visible”. An innovative educational model capable of valorising and enhancing not only knowledge, abilities and disciplinary competences but also the development of thought in all its types:  critical, creative, logical-mathematical, reflexive, decisional, systemic. The aim of this idea is to promote a culture of schooling based on building thinking processes and deep understanding.

The idea “MLTV make thinking and learning visible” is based on two Project Zero’s conceptual frameworks adapted to Italian upper secondary school: Making Learning Visible e Visible Thinking (MLTV).

Making Learning Visible focuses on group and individual learning and on the role of democracy in supporting the development of effective group learning in the classes and in schools. Group learning is promoted through 5 interconnected strategies: enhancing students ability to learn together; designing interesting tasks benefiting from a group perspective; form international groups; design an effective synergy of individual, small group and class work. In this framework what is documented is not only the proof of what happened in the class but also an analysis of the learning process that was developed.

Visible thinking  makes use of a cognitive routine guiding the mental processes of the students and encouraging active elaboration. The aim is to make cognitive processed visible and sustain a culture of exploration and critical thinking in schools. The cognitive routines encourage students to engage actively on a subject, to think with and beyond the facts they know by connecting new knowledge to that already possessed. It derives from Harvard university’s long research in the larger area of cognitive sciences aimed to investigate the characteristics of the cognitive abilities of secondary school students in order to create a thinking class.

Why the idea “MLTV make thinking and learning visible”

Globalisation and 21^st century’s economy require specific learning abilities and the capacity to work in group.  The acquisition of knowledge at school is considered more as an individual act than a social and communicative one. “MLTV make thinking and learning visible” is an innovative educational model functional – among other things – to the creation of a community of teachers guided by continuous improvement and encouraging a culture of democratic community characterised by mutual respect, listening to the other and collaboration also in view of their future in the world of work and their adult life.

To know more:

• MLTV project page on Indire’s website
• MLTV project page on Harvard Graduate School of Education website
• MLTV make thinking and learning visible on the website of Avanguardie educative