Rhame Avenue School kicked off the new year with an activity aimed at fostering critical thinking, collaboration and goal setting. Each class participated in a "New Year, New Goals, Best Self" thinking map exercise, encouraging students to reflect on their personal aspirations and the concept of their "best self."
Fourth-grade classes enhanced the activity by partnering students from both classes for a collaborative project.
Each student first created a Thinking Map about their own best self. Then, in pairs, they compared their maps and worked together to design a new map that highlighted their shared traits and goals.
Thinking maps, a set of visual patterns linked to specific cognitive processes, are a key teaching tool at Rhame Avenue School. Used throughout the school, these maps support the development of skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and communication.
Rhame Avenue is also supported by a “Thinking Map Team” of trained teachers and administrators who guide colleagues in effectively incorporating the maps into their lessons.