Thinking dispositions have added a new dimension to the inquiry process by structuring more reflective dialog with students while they work on projects. Questioning has helped kids examine where else, other than in the lab, they may have employed or developed a particular disposition. Students want to put a name on their thinking, they want to understand its abstract and sometimes elusive nature. They have taken on a challenge, displayed perseverance, and in the process of sorting things out, are getting a picture of what it took to get results. Gaining more time with students in order to better employ the pedagogy, remains a challenge.
Students currently visit the lab every other week for forty-five minutes.
Optimal would be three times that amount. Working through this issue has set us thinking beyond the lab, resulting in the development of a cart program, and the establishment of the lab as a school resource center and center for parental involvement. Overall, the challenge is bringing new ideas for growth. But also, as the Think Tank is being designed and refined, more lab time seems to surface for students as we go along. The Think Tank has built-in freedom to pursue different strategies for teaching thinking, which is perhaps why it has been so successful.