Structural-learning

Ideas in the head stay invisible. Concept Mapping makes them explicit. A learner writes key ideas in boxes, draws lines between related ones, and labels each line to explain the connection. Mitochondrion links to energy production. Energy production links to cell respiration. Cell respiration links to glucose. Step back and the structure of the whole concept is visible. Watch the routine in under a minute.

Some voices never get to speak in a full room. Chalk Talk opens a channel for them. A large piece of paper or board sits in the middle. Everyone writes at the same time, adding ideas, responding to others, asking questions. The loudest person does not dominate. The quietest person gets to write their full thought. It is a silent conversation where every voice counts equally. Watch the routine in under a minute.

A proposal divides people into for and against. Compass Points lets everyone be both. The class examines the idea from four directions. What excites them? What worries them? What do they need to know? What is their overall stance? Four reflections give a balanced response that honour complexity. Watch the routine in under a minute.

An opinion pops out with no support. What Makes You Say That pulls it back. When a learner makes a claim, you simply ask: what makes you say that? They have to find evidence. A painting looks angry. What makes you say that? Look, the colours are dark red and black. Look, the brushstrokes are sharp and aggressive. The routine turns surface opinions into reasoned interpretations. Watch it in under a minute.

A lesson ends and we move on. Connect, Extend, Challenge makes sure it sticks. A learner reflects on how the new idea connects to what they already knew, how it extends their thinking, and what it has opened up that still challenges them. Three reflections, done right, anchor learning deeper than coverage ever does. Watch the routine in under a minute.

Problem-solving goes nowhere when people argue. Six Thinking Hats gives everyone a structure. The group puts on the white hat together and collects facts. Then the red hat and shares feelings. Then the black hat and explores cautions. Then yellow, then green, then blue. By the time everyone has seen the problem through six different lenses, the solution is often obvious. Watch the routine in under a minute.

Learning changes us. I Used to Think makes that change visible. A learner writes what they used to believe, what they believe now, what changed their mind and what they will think next. The sentence frame is simple but it forces reflection on growth. It celebrates that thinking changes. It models that being wrong is the start of being less wrong. Watch the routine in under a minute.

A dilemma looks simple until you map both sides. Tug of War draws the tensions. A rope is drawn down the middle. One side of the argument pulls in one direction, the other side pulls in another. The forces in between show where the real complexity sits. It teaches fair-minded reasoning: both sides matter. Watch the routine in under a minute.

Understanding history, science or literature stays distant until you step inside. Step Inside brings it alive. A learner becomes a character, an object, even a place, and speaks from inside that perspective. I am the ocean floor. I am Florence Nightingale. I am the comma in the sentence. Speaking from inside builds empathy and understanding that reading alone never reaches. Watch the routine in under a minute.

An opinion with no evidence is just assertion. Claim, Support, Question builds reasoning. A learner makes a claim, supports it with evidence, then raises a question about it. That question shows they have thought deeper, spotted a gap or a contradiction. It turns a surface opinion into real reasoning. Watch the routine in under a minute.