General Information
Thinking Maps are a specific set of graphic organizers used in K-12 classroom settings, or “visual teaching tools that foster and encourage life-long learning,” as well as tools that provide students with the skills to be “successful thinkers, problem solvers, decision makers” (Thinking Maps Inc., Pamphlet). Thinking Maps were founded as,"a good skill for the mind" quoted by Dr. Mark Davidson, scholarly teacher of accelerated classes. What he says is that the “one common instructional thread that binds together all teachers, from prekindergarten through postgraduate, is that they all teach the same thought processes” (Thinking Maps Inc., Pamphlet). For example, the thought process of classification might be taught in kindergarten by sorting or grouping, whereas classification in the upper grades might be taught as categorizing a main idea and details. Although we refer to classifying items, concepts, or ideas in different ways with different aged students, the thought process in its entirety is considered classification.
With this belief that all teachers, no matter the grade level, teach the same thought processes, these common set of visual organizers was created by Dr. David Hyerle as a type of language to be used across grade levels, content areas, and disciplines so that “students could learn more effectively and more efficiently.” Thinking Maps were also created so that these graphic organizers would “become a familiar part of students' education that it would remain an effective learning tool throughout their academic careers – and beyond” (Thinking Maps Inc., Pamphlet).
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