Visible Thinking involves several practices and resources. In our classroom, we use a number of "thinking routines" -- simple protocols for exploring ideas -- around whatever topics are important, say "What is a Scientist?" We used a routine called *Generate*Sort*Connect* to organize our thinking. This is a routine for organizing our understanding of a topic through concept mapping.
What is a Scientist?
*Generate a list of ideas and initial thoughts that come to mind when you think about this particular topic.
*Sort your ideas according to how central or tangential they are. Place central ideas near the center and more tangential ideas toward the outside of the page.
*Connect your ideas by drawing connecting lines between ideas that have something in common. Explain and write in a short sentence how the ideas are connected.