Thinkers' Keys

Although Tony Ryan introduced Thinkers’ Keys in the 1980s, they are still effective approaches for explicitly unpacking creative and critical thinking strategies in the classroom. With a focus on creative thinking, the Thinkers Keys create a balance between intellectually challenging ideas and the fun of creating new ways to consider information.

Implementation

1. The versatile Thinkers Keys strategy can be applied in a variety of situations including homework, journal writing, enrichment tasks and with small and large groups.
2. Thinkers Keys Cards include 20 strategies for generating intellectual rigor in routine classroom contexts.

· Cards are divided into two groups: 10 Critical/Organizational (purple) and 10 Creative/Innovative (orange cards).

· Online cards can be downloaded for free.

Classroom Management

1. Provide students with a list of all the keys with an explanation of the kind of thinking each key represents.

2. Model how to answer the question(s) with the whole group.

3. Provide students with sufficient background information on the topic to be investigated so that they can pose questions and consider the different topic perspectives based on whichever key they are assigned.

4. Provide each small group of students with a key to use for unlocking their ideas.