Created by: Santos Hernandez and Consuelo Mendoza. Career: English major.

Subject: Management of Technological Resources for the Teaching and Administration of the English Language. Topic: Visible thinking. Year: 2012 Introduction: Visible thinking is flexible and systematic approach that enhances the Teaching-Learning process of teachers and professors today. This approach could be old because it was created in Harvard University in 1969 but it is still innovative and challenging. When the classroom becomes boring and tedious for many students, teachers have to look for new methods, techniques and approaches in order to get better result in the students performance. Visible Thinking could be the answer for those who are looking for amazing results because this approach integrates and develops in student critical thinking and content learning across subject matters.

The great points of visible thinking may be the development of thinking skills in students, deepen content learning, and the development of attitudes toward thinking and learning. As professor, we like that our students get interesting in learning more when they are outside the classroom and always add something new for their academic development, and this approach is exactly what it does: create independent learners.

Many teachers are facing a new challenge with their students: How to make autonomous students? This is probably a very common question and very hard to get the answer. First of all, we need to know very well the needs of our students and try to adapt ourselves to their pace of

learning. If go too fast in any subject, some students will get lost in the way. If we go slowly in the development of our topics, we will spend too much time and we wont advance in the learning process. So we need to foster in our students to learn when they are outside the classroom. How we are going to this? By presenting difficult topics such as World War II, criminality, democracy and religion in very interesting and colourful way where professor can ask to students what they know about it and there exists some benefits from it.

Second, the professor can give some tasks like a investigate a topic or a problem that is fresh and can be interesting such as new technologies, what are most popular jobs, what can I do in my community to make it in a better place to live and avoid old-fashioned topic. Furthermore, the teacher can use thinking routines to develop in student curiosity to continue learning in specific topics, create alertness about the subject or content and the teacher has to because in a coaching that encourages and supports the students to continue learning when the teacher is not present. The teacher can use those thinking routines every day and make active students not passive. What does it mean active students? Students that are proactive in learning and asking more about certain situation and the teachers have to reinforce and that action by giving the students that tools to learn.

In the thinking routines we have the core routines that set a stage for deeper inquiry. It means to thinks about the subject in discussion why, how, what. This the start points of the teacher because this routine will leave a sensation of curiosity and the desire in the student to comeback for more knowledge. Then we have creativity routines, it means that will develop more concern of the topic and it will lead to find creative solution for any issue that the student can face in the learning process.

Third, visible thinking will develop in students the concern in students for looking the truth of the things and not just only what the teacher says about a topic or issue. The students will become autonomous when the teacher presents meaningful topics for their life and will add more value to the teacher. In addition, the students are the result of the teacher. If we have teacher with critical thinking, we will have students with the same characteristic: autonomous, independent learners, with the desire to learn more outside the classroom, with creative mind-set.

Conclusion:

Visible thinking is great approach for many teacher and professor because it will open a new world of possibilities of how to teach in a classroom. This approach involves that the teacher has to use any resource available for him to create a better atmosphere in the classroom. And this also develop in the students the desire of learn more in a subject matter because the students become more autonomous and responsible in the learning process but the probably the major responsibility comes from the teacher because he has to apply these routines: core routines, creative routines, fairness routines, truth and understanding routines in the appropriate times taking into account the students needs.