THE	  “GOOD	  THINKER’S	  TOOL	  KIT”	  and	  ANTI-­‐BIAS	  EDUCATION	
  	  	  Using	  Learner-­‐Centered	  Questioning	  and	  Information	  Gathering	  to	  Overcome	  Superficial	  and	  Oversimplified	  Thinking	  Amber	  Strong	  Makaiau,	  Honolulu	  Hawaii	  	  What	  is	  it?	  The	  Good	  Thinker’s	  Tool	  Kit”	  is	  a	  valuable	  resource	  for	  learning	  how	  to	  think	  critically	  and	  responsibly	  about	  multicultural	  and	  social	  justice	  issues.	  	  It	  is	  made	  up	  of	  seven	  letters,	  each	  of	  which	  represents	
  a	  different	  thinking	  strategy.	  	  

W-­‐	  what	  do	  you	  mean	  by	  that?	  
R-­‐	  what	  are	  the	  reasons?	  
A-­‐	  what	  is	  being	  assumed?	  Or	  what	  can	  I	  assume?	  
I	
  –	  can	  I	  infer	  ____	  from	  _____?	  Or	  where	  are	  there	  inferences	  being	  made?	  
T-­‐	  is	  what	  is	  being	  said	  true	  and	  what	  does	  it	  imply	  if	  it	  is	  true?	  
E	
  –	  are	  there	  any	  examples	  to	  prove	  what	  is	  being	  said?	  
C	
  –	  are	  there	  any	  counter-­‐examples	  to	  disprove	  what	  is	  being	  said?	  	  In	  my	  classroom,	  my	  students	  and	
  I	  use	  the	  Good	  Thinker’s	  Tool	  Kit	  (GTTK)	  to	  generate	  questions,	  dig	  deep	  during	  class	  discussions,	  articulate	  our	  thinking	  in	  writing,	  guide	  our	  research,	  and	  to	  peel	  back	  the	  layers	  of	  complexity	  embedded	  in	  issues	  related	  to	  identity,	  diversity,	  justice	  and	  taking	  action.	  	  	  Why	  do	  it?	  Learning	  how	  to	  think	  in	  critical	  and	  responsible	  ways	  is	  an	  essential	  part	  of	  an	  anti-­‐bias	  education.	  	  	  How	  to	  do	  it?	  There	  are	  many	  ways	  that	  I’ve	  incorporated	  the	  GTTK	  into	  my	  daily	  classroom	  practice.	  One	  example	  is	  from	  the	  high	  school	  ethnic	  studies	  class	  that	
  I	  taught.	  In	  this	  course	  my	  students	  learned	  how	  to	  use	  the	  GTTK	  to	  generate	  questions	  and	  gather	  information	  during	
  a	  self-­‐concept	  research	  project.	  At	  the	  beginning	  of	  the	  project,	
  I	  provided	  my	  students	  with	  direct	  instruction	  about	  the	  GTTK.	  They	  learned	  what	  each	  letter	  stands	  for,	  how	  each	  letter	  can	  be	  used	  to	  generate	
  a	  question	  or	  claim,	  and	  then	  we	  practiced	  using	  the	  tool	  kit	  by	  coming	  up	  with	  example	  questions/claims	  for	  each	  letter.	  
After	  this	  introduction,	
  I	  launched	  the	  self-­‐concept	  research	  project	  by	  proving	  my	  students	  with	  the	  focus	  question	  for	  their	  inquiry,	  “what	  is	  my	  self-­‐concept	  from	  the	  perspective	  of	  ethnic	  studies?	  Then	  I	  gave	  my	  students	
  a	  list	  of	  previously	  learned	  ethnic	  studies	  terms	  (e.g.	  prejudice,	  gender,	  equity,	  migration,	  class,	  bias,	  race,	  etc.)	  and	  definitions,	  and	
  I	  asked	  them	  to	  generate	  15	  GTTK	  questions	  about	  themselves	  that	  related	  to	  the	  terms.	  Next,	
  I	  asked	  my	  students	  to	  respond	  to	  their	  questions	  using	  the	  methods	  of	  introspection,	  interviews	  with	  family	  members	  and	  friends,	  and	  primary	  document	  analysis.	  
I	  also	  asked	  them	  to	  explain	  how	  each	  question	  and	  answer	  related	  to	  the	  inquiry’s	  focus	  question.	
  A	  sample	  of	  this	  note-­‐taking	  format	  is	  included	  on	  the	  following	  page.	  In	  the	  following	  stages	  of	  the	  project,	  my	  students	  analyzed	  their	  notes,	  wrote	  an	  essay,	  shared	  their	  essay,	  and	  reflected	  on	  the	  experience.	  	  How	  does	  it	  connect	  to	  anti-­‐bias	  education?	  	  The	  GTTK	  is	  an	  excellent	  resource	  for	  helping	  students	  and	  teachers	  overcome	  superficial	  and	  oversimplified	  thinking	  as	  they	  engage	  with	  the	  PDA	  Domains	  and	  Standards.	  	  In	  the	  self-­‐concept	  research	  project,	  the	  GTTK	  helped	  me	  create	
  a	  learner-­‐centered/self-­‐study	  approach	  to	  having	  my	  students	  “develop	  language	  and	  historical	  and	  cultural	  knowledge	  that	  affirm	  and	  accurately	  describe	  their	  membership	  in	  multiple	  identity	  groups”	  (Identity	  2),	  and	  “recognize	  that	  peoples’	  multiple	  identities	  interact	  and	  create	  unique	  and	  complex	  individuals”	  (Identity	  3).	  
Evidence	  of	  the	  impact	  of	  having	  the	  students	  generate	  GTTK	  questions	  at	  the	  beginning	  of	  the	  project	  was	  found	  in	  their	  final	  essays.	  	  Sample	  GTTK	  questions	  from	  the	  self-­‐concept	  research	  project:	  Can	  I	  assume	  that	  if	  my	  values	  change,	  so	  will	  my	  self-­‐concept?	  What	  are	  the	  reasons?	  (9th	  grader)	  What	  are	  some	  of	  the	  reasons	  I	  use	  prejudices	  or	  epithets	  to	  be	  funny?	  (9th	  grader)	  What	  does	  it	  mean	  to	  be	  part	  of	  the	  middle	  class?	  Do	  we	  have	  more	  or	  less	  authority?	  (12th	  grader)	  If	  it	  is	  true	  that	
  I	  make	  rude	  remarks	  about	  other	  people’s	  biases,	  then	  does	  that	  imply	  that	
  I	  am	  a	  hypocrite?	  (9th	  grader)	  Is	  it	  reasonable	  to	  assume	  that	  for	  me	  culture,	  race	  and	  ethnicity	  are	  all	  the	  same	  thing?	  (12th	  grader)	  What	  are	  the	  reasons	  my	  parents	  don’t	  treat	  me	  and	  my	  brother	  with	  equity?	  (9th	  grader)	  Is	  it	  reasonable	  to	  assume	  that	  if	  I	  look	  at	  myself	  as	  a	  minority	  that	
  I	  will	  be	  treated	  like	  one?	  (12th	  grader)	  What	  does	  it	  mean	  to	  be	  Hawaiian?	  (12th	  grader)	  Is	  it	  reasonable	  to	  infer	  that	
  I	  need	  to	  be	  treated	  with	  justice	  from	  the	  way	
  I	  try	  to	  find	  justice	  for	  others?	  (9th	  grader)	  What	  does	  it	  mean	  to	  be	  considered	
  a	  biological	  race?	  What	  if	  I	  am	  dark	  skinned,	  and	  mistaken	  for	  an	  African-­‐American,	  but	  I	  consider	  myself	  to	  be	  Hawaiian.	  
What	  does	  that	  make	  me?	  (12th	  grader)	  Is	  it	  reasonable	  to	  assume	  that	  my	  view	  of	  men	  causes	  me	  to	  be	  sexist?	  (9th	  grader)	  Is	  it	  safe	  to	  assume	  that	
  I	  have	  adapted	  to	  my	  community’s	  culture?	  If	  so,	  can	  I	  also	  be	  personally	  diverse?	  (12th	  grader)	  What	  are	  the	  reasons	  I	  don’t	  always	  feel	  empowered?	  (9th	  grader)	  	  Sample	  notes: