“Making thinking visible benefits the teacher by providing an important assessment tool. At the same time, it helps to advance students’ understanding (Ritchhart, Church, & Morrison, 2011, p. 28).”

Thinking is a largely invisible process. So how do we make our own thoughts clear to our students? And how do we really know what they are thinking so that we can determine what they understand and what our next instructional move should be? Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero set out to develop a research-based approach to teaching thinking dispositions that would support learners in creating observable representations of their thoughts in ways in which would not only document their ideas, but facilitate further thinking…and thinking routines were born!

Tug of War is a thinking routine that encourages students to consider at a deep level of complexity the various factors that “tug” at either side of a fairness dilemma that may appear black and white on the surface.

To develop a Tug of War, draw a rope (or use a piece of string!) with the midpoint marked.

1. Present an issue or situation that involves ethical questions, two clear viewpoints, or multiple stakeholders. Label each end of the rope with opposing sides. Examples might include censorship, bioethics, universal healthcare, or a question inspired by a novel.
2. Consider the tugs. These are the two sides of the tug of war. Write each on a different sticky note/piece of paper. You may decide to require a minimum number of reasons per side. Questions might include: What are the reasons to support this idea? and What are the reasons to push back against it?
3. Place the tugs. Encourage discussion and debate as students collaborate. Consider the strength of each reason. Place each reason on the rope according to its strength, with the strongest reasons at the far ends of the rope.
4. Discuss. What new ideas emerged by going through this process? What changed in or added to your thinking? How might you summarize the complexity of this issue for a classmate?

The Tug of War may be completed collaboratively or individually, but should always prompt small and/or whole group discussion in order to engage in shared inquiry.

Resources:

• Ritchhart, R., Church, M, & Morrison, K. (2011). Making thinking visible: How to promote engagement, understanding, and independence for all learners. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Ritchhart, R. (2015). Creating cultures of thinking: The 8 forces we must master to truly transform our schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Tishman, S. & Palmer, P. (2005). Visible thinking. Leadership Compass. 2(4), 1-3.
• Visible Thinking Project website
• Visible Thinking Project background, Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero
• Follow Ron Ritchhart on Twitter @RonRitchhart

Contributor:
Sara Tilles, Ed.D.
Center for Teaching and Learning
The Episcopal Academy