Keep Looking

We live in a fast world. We have the answer to most factual questions in our pocket, in the form of smart phones. We text each other and expect quick replies. We love Twitter, with its fast, 140 character limit and we adore Snapchat, where our pictures disappear just as quickly.

With the missed hurricane days, we are all trying to move at warp speed, too.

But sometimes, a slowdown can be a speed-up at the same time.

Like this strategy, called, “Looking 10x2” from Harvard Project Zero: Artful Thinking.

If you do it well, you actually get farther by slowing down.

You will use this strategy with an image -- a painting, a photograph, a political cartoon, a picture of an artifact. If you’re not sure where to start, try your textbook or curriculum materials.

Here’s how the strategy works. It’s pretty simple.

1. Instruct the students to look at the image quietly for at least 30 seconds. Have them let their eyes wander.
2. Ask them to list 10 words or phrases about any aspect of the image.
3. Repeat steps 1 & 2. Have the students look at the same image again and try to list ten more words or phrases to your list.

This thinking routine encourages students to slow down and make careful, detailed observations by encouraging them to push beyond first impressions and obvious features.

How often do we (AND our students) look at a visual for 3 seconds or less before moving on? Before looking at our phones? Before assuming that we’ve “got it” and speeding along?

But there are a billion powerful images to use to teach content in our classes. Try it yourself with images like this ...

.

Or this...

Or this ...

Think about the time involved. If you put up the image in front of your students and then explain it TO them, it will take you several minutes.

I’m long winded. I could easily spend 5 whole minutes on one of these images.

But if you put it up, ask them to look for 30 seconds, jot down ten things they notice, look again, and jot down ten MORE things -- then you have four clear benefits.

1. The kids are doing the thinking (and you have proof!)
2. It takes 2-3 minutes (as opposed to my five minutes of talking and another minute or two to answer the question from that one kid who always has a question.
3. The kids “own” their learning and it will therefore “stick” better in their brains.
4. The kids are examining the image more carefully and more deeply and therefore will have deeper understanding of the image and the topic.

You can also use it with non-art images or objects as well, although I would start with art to teach the strategy.

I think you can slow down with “Looking 10x2” and cover images more thoroughly, which means you actually speed up.

Practice it yourself, so you can experience the struggle of finding a SECOND set of observations before you ask your kids to try it.

Have you used this before? Are you going to try it? As always, I love to hear about it! Email me at newmantr@pcsb.org