A Different Kind Of Engagement Strategy
In the never-ending quest to engage our students, teachers are tasked with trying unique and engaging ways to get them to think on a deeper level. Whether they’re doodling to increase comprehension or using storyboards to demonstrate understanding, there’s always something new to try. Enter the world of hexagonal thinking- a unique approach to deepen student understanding that can be used in K-12 classrooms.
If you have never heard about hexagonal thinking, it has origins in the business world as a way to map out ideas and connect the dots between related concepts. The strategy has been adapted for use in the classroom and, when used correctly, can profoundly impact student understanding.
Table of Contents
- A Different Kind Of Engagement Strategy
- How Does It Work?
- Benefits Of Using Hexagonal Thinking In Classrooms
- How To Structure Hexagonal Thinking In Your Classroom
- Examples Of Hexagonal Thinking
- Consider Using Hexagonal Thinking In Your Classroom
- Hexagonal Thinking FAQs
How Does It Work?
Hexagonal thinking is based on the principle of connecting ideas together to form a larger picture. It essentially involves a creative way to map out concepts and collaborate with classmates to develop more significant ideas about topics. As the name suggests, students would be given a hexagon tile with an idea written in the center. Their task would be to arrange the tiles with related ideas around the central concept to create a “hexagon of knowledge.”
For example, if students are learning about the Revolutionary War, their hexagon tile may have “Battles” written in the middle. Then, they would connect other tiles with related concepts such as “Continental Army,” “13 Colonies,” “George Washington,” and more. Forming connections between hexagons requires critical thinking skills that students can develop either independently or in a group setting.
Benefits Of Using Hexagonal Thinking In Classrooms
Hexagonal thinking will benefit the classroom setting in several ways while ensuring the content you provide them is engaging and relevant.
Encourage Problem Solving
As teachers, we’re always trying to encourage our students to think critically and solve problems on their own. Hexagonal thinking will help them do just that by requiring them to think deeply about how different concepts are related. They’ll need to use their problem-solving skills to figure out how to connect the hexagons in a way that makes sense.
Develop Collaboration Skills
Another important aspect of hexagonal thinking is the collaboration needed between students. For example, if you’re discussing a unit on habitats of the ocean, students need to work together to figure out which animals go where and how they’re all connected. This is a great opportunity to develop teamwork and communication skills in your students.
More Involvement With Introverted Students
Do you find it challenging to get responses from all students during the class discussion? If so, hexagonal thinking may help you get more involvement from introverted students. This activity will require them to process the information and form their own connections, which they can then share with the class. This will give them a chance to think about it on a deeper level. Also, they might feel more inclined to take risks if they know it’s okay to have opinions on what they’re doing.
Different Ways To Present Material
Research suggests that students should have multiple ways to have information presented to them. You’ll also have more likelihood of better interaction with students. Think about it. If you were a middle school student, would you rather take notes or be able to move around and talk with classmates about the material? Good teachers make assignments engaging and interesting rather than a chore.
How To Structure Hexagonal Thinking In Your Classroom
Now that we understand a little more about why hexagonal thinking is beneficial, the next important component is how to do it. Here are some key points to keep in mind when using this strategy in your classroom.
Choose Your Key Ideas Carefully
The whole purpose of hexagonal thinking is to connect different ideas together to form a larger picture. This means you need to choose the central ideas for each hexagon carefully. Remember, work in broad terms because you’ll be connecting different concepts together. If you’re teaching a math unit on quadrilaterals, for example, your key ideas could be “sides,” “angles,” and “diagonals.”
Online generators
Sometimes it can be difficult to come up with key terms on your own, especially if you’re relatively new to trying this activity. There are plenty of free resources that will generate terms for you to help get you started. Over time, you’ll also become better at coming up with your own ideas.
Explicitly model how to make connections
The teacher should take time to explain how to connect concepts with hexagonal thinking. There should be plenty of metacognition, or thinking about thinking, to explain why the connections are being made. This is a process that requires practice, so be patient with your students as they learn how to do it. You’ll want to show them that some cards might only connect to one or it could be six others- it depends.
Use A Gallery Walk
One way to have students gauge each other’s thinking is to have them do a gallery walk. This means you post the hexagons around the room and students move from station to station to look at other students’ work. They can make comments or ask questions about what they see and come up with some deductions on their own.
Examples Of Hexagonal Thinking
One of the beautiful aspects of hexagonal thinking is that it can be used with any content and any grade level. This means there’s a lot of room for creativity when designing your lesson.
Below are just a few ways how teachers could easily incorporate it into their plans
Summative Assessment At End Of Units
Seeing if our students understand the material presented to them doesn’t always need to happen through a paper and pencil test. A hexagon project could be a fun way for students to show what they know more creatively. If we go back to the geometry example again, there are many vocabulary terms students need to know. Hexagonal thinking provides a way for them to become more familiar with the terms while also having to use them in sentences.
Student-Created Word Wall Mural
What could be more empowering for students than to have them create their own word wall with their hexagonal thinking? This activity is very useful for high-school literature because you could see the different ways students make connections between characters, symbols, and themes in a text. It also gets peers used to appreciate the thinking of their classmates and how they perceive the material.
Encouraging A Friendly Debate
One creative approach for hexagonal thinking is to use it as a way to start a friendly debate in the classroom. This activity works well with current events or even with a science experiment that went wrong. After students have had time to make their connections, they can then be placed into groups where they must defend their hexagon. Again, the teacher can see which students are grasping the material and which ones need more clarification.
Deepen Vocabulary
Have you heard of “shades of meaning” before? It’s a way for students to see subtle differences between words that are often used interchangeably. This activity can be used with any grade level, but it’s especially useful for ELL students and those who are still acquiring English. The teacher could provide a list of words with different shades of meaning and have students create a hexagon to show the relationships.
Frontload A Unit
Frontloading a unit of study means giving students the background knowledge they need before diving into a topic. This could be done with a KWL chart, but hexagonal thinking provides a way for students to make even more connections. It works well with science lessons. One example could be a unit on the water cycle. The class could together create a map with key terms related to the water cycle that could be referenced throughout the unit and make further connections as necessary.
Consider Using Hexagonal Thinking In Your Classroom
Hexagonal thinking is a powerful tool that can be used in many different ways in the classroom. It’s a great way to encourage critical thinking, collaboration, and student engagement. If you’re looking for a way to mix up your usual lesson plans, consider using this fun technique in your classroom.
Hexagonal Thinking FAQs
Hexagonal thinking can challenge middle school and high school students to think deeper about complex subjects. However, elementary students can use the strategy to deepen their vocabulary and learn about new concepts.
Hexagonal thinking allows students to make connections between ideas and see different perspectives on a topic. This helps their understanding and helps them develop critical thinking skills. Many students respond better when they are engaged in hands-on activities. Hexagonal thinking gives them the opportunity to explore their interests and learn new information in a way that is active and fun.
Hexagonal thinking works well when students are already familiar with the basic concepts of a topic. This way, they can build on their existing knowledge and make connections to new ideas.
Consider modeling the strategy as an entire class first to give students more confidence. After more practice, you can then have students work in groups, pairs, or even independently.
