Newsletter #3: "I Used to Think...," "Now I Think..."

“I used to think I worked in isolation; now I think I work in a collaboration.” “I used to think I had to have it all figured out today; now I think I can take steps towards a goal.” “I used to think my work didn’t impact students; now I think I’m changing lives.”

These are just a few of the observations made during a recent professional conference for educators. We were using a thinking routine by Project Zero to reflect on personal growth and how our ideas on education, and specifically how integration and art education have changed during recent years. 

Project Zero, an initiative from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, creates thinking strategies to support student engagement in reflection and introspection. More specifically, it invites the thinker to consider how and why they think the way they do. By using “I Used to Think, Now I Think,” a student (or educator) can “reflect on their thinking about a topic or issue and explore how and why their thinking has changed. It helps them consolidate new learning.” (PZ-Harvard Graduate School of Education)

Use Reflective Activities to Show How Learning Changes

To launch this routine, explain to students that they will be doing a reflective activity to identify how their ideas have changed over time. A possible starting point would be to lead into the discussion:

“When we began our study of _________, you had some ideas and thoughts about it. Take a few minutes to write what ideas you had previously. Complete this sentence ‘I used to think…’

Now, think about how your ideas have changed as a result of learning about __________. Write down what you think now. Write the sentence as, ‘Now I think…’.”

This routine works whenever views, opinions, or thoughts are likely to change as the result of a learning process. This could be introducing an artwork, a science topic, reading a book, viewing a short film, or listening to a piece of music. 

Use this strategy in a group setting at first, to get students in the habit of reflective thinking patterns. Ask questions to get students to explain and support their thinking. Once the routine is established, students can “pair and share” with one another.

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Watch this video example

Here's a great example of a lesson plan from educator Jen Cherry that integrates multiple art forms. Wouldn't it be fun to use

this thinking routine after this lesson plan on the plant life cycle? 

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