Why Thinking is the Foundation of Engagement
The power of thinking moves lies not only in what they help students do, but in how they shape students’ understanding of what it means to learn. This is especially important in today’s classrooms, where teachers are balancing complex content demands, student engagement, and the need for rigorous outcomes. Research confirms that students perform better when they understand and take ownership of their thinking—when thinking becomes a visible and shared habit, not a hidden process[1].
According to Hess’ Cognitive Rigor Matrix, meaningful learning requires both depth of understanding (Bloom) and the complexity of application (Webb’s Depth of Knowledge)[2]. Thinking moves offer a framework for developing both, especially when embedded in authentic tasks. Similarly, the Pedagogy of Play highlights the importance of agency, wonder, and reflection—all of which are naturally supported by thinking moves that encourage students to question, connect, and reason [3]. And as Ritchhart writes in Creating Cultures of Thinking in Action, thinking moves transform classroom culture by modeling and reinforcing what meaningful intellectual work looks like across the disciplines [4].
What Do Students Think “Thinking” Means?
When teachers ask students to “think,” many students interpret that as “guess,” “memorize,” or “say what the teacher wants.” This misunderstanding is often rooted in classroom routines that favor passive learning:
- Content delivered through slides, video, or teacher lecture
- Tasks that reward recall over reasoning
- Learning that happens in isolation rather than dialogue
Such models limit students’ roles. In contrast, when students are encouraged to think with purpose—to apply specific cognitive actions—they begin to see themselves as active participants in constructing knowledge.
Eight Thinking Moves to Get Students on the Same Page
In KnowAtom classrooms, thinking becomes visible through eight core moves [5]:
- Observing closely and describing what’s there
- Building explanations and interpretations
- Reasoning with evidence
- Making connections
- Considering different perspectives
- Capturing the heart and forming conclusions
- Wondering and asking questions
- Uncovering complexity and going below the surface
These are developmentally accessible habits of mind—appropriate for kindergarteners as much as eighth graders. When integrated into daily routines, they help students develop metacognitive awareness, participate in rigorous tasks, and build agency over their own learning [6].
Works Cited
- Ritchhart, Ron. Creating Cultures of Thinking in Action: 10 Guiding Mindsets That Nurture Every Learner. Jossey-Bass, 2023.
- Hess, Karin K. A Guide for Using the Cognitive Rigor Matrix with Webb’s Depth of Knowledge and Bloom’s Taxonomy. Center for Assessment, 2018.
- Project Zero. The Pedagogy of Play. Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2021.
- Ritchhart, Ron, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison. Making Thinking Visible. Jossey-Bass, 2011.
- Salmon, Angela. “Engaging Young Children in Thinking Routines.” Childhood Education, vol. 86, no. 1, 2010, pp. 132–137.
- Tishman, Shari, and David N. Perkins. “The Thinking Classroom.” Harvard Education Letter, vol. 14, no. 1, 1998.
