Making Connections

Recently I was introduced to a learning tool called Hexagonal Thinking.  According to English teacher Betsy Potash in Cult of Pedagogy, hexagonal thinking allows students to, ".....see things in new ways as they seek to connect wide-ranging ideas."  I was eager to apply this to our study of the National Park Service in hopes that it would elicit group discussions, thoughtful inquiries, and allow for students to see things through another's perspective, all while exercising their critical thinking skills.  Seemed like an effective way to encourage my students to think in deep and complex ways.

Each group was given a set of hexagons with a phrase or word printed on each one, and together, they were challenged to connect the hexagons in any way that made sense to them.  Essentially, each hexagon could have up to 6 connections, and the students were encouraged to keep moving the hexagons around, debating their placements, until a strong connection was achieved.  Of course, this looks different to everyone, but the students were reminded to keep an open mind while contemplating other ideas.

Prior to this activity, each student chose a national park to research, becoming "experts" on their park.  The Hexagonal Thinking activity allowed the "experts" to apply their specific knowledge and answer classmates' questions about physical features, animals, and activities that may be present in the various parks.  In addition, students used an atlas to determine if the Grand Canyon, located in Arizona, could geographically connect to Yosemite and Death Valley in California or Yellowstone in Wyoming.  Volcanoes were the reason some students chose to connect Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to Mt. Rainier National Park.  It was quickly becoming apparent that some connections were obvious, while some were not.

In order to extend their thinking even further, the students were required to explain their thinking by using specific evidence to support a connection of their choice.  Each group then viewed the others, cementing the idea of how different some of the connections could be. 

We followed up by discussing the importance of collaboration, what it looks like, and how each team member contributes in different ways.  By allowing the students to demonstrate their unique strengths such as brainstorming, organizing, researching, or leading discussions, for example, the activity evolved and came together.  Each student was able to use their individual gifts to contribute to a final product created by the team.  Connections were made to themselves, to each other, AND to the content.  

To learn more about hexagonal thinking, click HERE.