Using Thinking Task To Build Autonomy In Students
Hello. This week I am going to discuss how we can foster autonomy using hints and extensions in my review of Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl.
Teachers are responsible for everything that happens, and doesn’t happen, in their classroom. This includes the learning or lack thereof. Traditionally, teachers use control over their classroom to make sure students are putting in the work and learning. Defronting a classroom (Thinking Classrooms and Classroom Layouts, 2/25/25) and having students work in randomly assigned groups scattered around the room gives significant control over to students, giving them more responsibility for their learning (The How, The When, The Where of Assigning Thinking Task, 3/5/25). This may feel like an unstructured classroom setting that makes monitoring students’ progress challenging, but what this really creates is autonomy.
Liljedahl found that in classrooms that fostered autonomy in students also had students that were more independent and responsible, in addition to a willingness to share knowledge with other students in the classroom. Groups that got stuck, stopped or finished early could be redirected with hints to check in with another group either to look at how they organized the problem, how they handled a particular question or even how they extended their thinking (pp. 136-137). This practice of encouraging passive and active interactions between groups of students not only reinforced the students’ sense of autonomy and independence, but it also deepened students’ thinking (p. 138). This practice also made it possible for teachers to provide support to those students and groups that needed more (p. 136).
Another benefit of this learning model is that as long as the task or problem that students are working on has clear goals and it provides feedback as they work to solve it, students will work in a flow state, especially if the problem has the right balance of challenge to foundational knowledge, or as Liljedahl states, ability (p.147). However, classrooms are filled with students of differing abilities, needs and strengths. How do you differentiate across groups with randomly assigned students, and how do you keep students in the flow state? Liljedahl proposed using asynchronous activities paired with incremental increases to challenge, what Liljedahl calls thin slicing, and hints that increased students’ ability (pp. 150,155,156).
Let’s review one of Liljedahl’s thinking tasks to see how this works. This task can be found on page 151 in his book.
(x+2)(x+3)=x2+5x+6
(x+ )(x+ )=x2+7x+6
(x+ )(x+ )=x2+7x+12
(x+ )(x+ )=x2+14x+24
(x+ )(x+ )=x2+10x-24
(x+ )(x+ )=x2+4x-12
(x+ )(x+ )=x2-x-12
(x+ )(x+ )=x2-2x-24
(x+ )(x+ )=x2-6x-16
(x+ )(x+ )=x2-0x-16
(x+ )(x+ )=x2-25
(x+ )(x+ )=x2-49
(x+ )(x+ )=x2-10x+24
(x+ )(x+ )=x2-13x+12
This task contains a series of quadratic equations that need to be factored into binomials. The goal is clear, find the binomials. In addition, the task provides consistent, immediate feedback. (The answer either works or it doesn’t work.) This task also provides incremental increases in challenge as it continues to build on the ability, or foundational knowledge, of the students. If groups get stuck, the teacher can use a hint that increases their ability rather than giving them a quick fix that won’t help them solve the other parts of the task. For example, the teacher can ask students how they factored one quadratic equation into two binomials. Once the students explain their process, the teacher can ask them how they could apply that same process to the next problem. This hint builds on the students’ ability to apply what they know to solve these problems (pp. 151-157). If groups finish early, the teacher can extend their thinking by having them justify their answers, explain their answers, teach another group or create a new task for the group they taught. This strategy not only extends students’ thinking but it also keeps them engaged in the learning process (pp. 158,159).
This particular task is for older students, but it is a good example of how teachers can use thinking tasks to build autonomy in students and expand their thinking skills. It could be a useful strategy to support the reluctant student.
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