In design, too much white space is a bad thing. It makes things look empty and unbalanced; or you could look at is a blank slate waiting for inspiration.

Our classrooms were recently redesigned with white boards added to every available wall, plus a SMART Board in the center. The goal was to create learning walls around the room to provide opportunity for students to share more of their thinking.

Now that there is no “front” of the room, how can you effectively and efficiently inspire student learning? Some teachers chose to use the extra space for inspirational posters and quotes, some posted student project work. Here is a different perspective – a thinking wall. The concept behind a thinking wall is that is an open space with a single question for students to contemplate. One that challenges the best and the brightest, even the teacher will not know the answer. Most likely, as with all good questions, there is not one right answer.

A question is posed related to the current topic of study for the month, semester, or year. Throughout the defined time period the students contribute their thoughts to the wall in forms of writing, articles, pictures, drawings, equations, experiments, etc. Each idea feeding off of another one so there is complex web of critical thinking. The goal of this is a primitive form of crowd sourcing or systems thinking. In other words, you get multiple individuals to provide their input into solving a complex question. The group develops a solution independently and collaboratively.

Thinking walls should not be an “assignment” to be graded on a weekly basis, or have distinct time devoted in class. Rather, it should be an organic and natural extension of what is going on in class. When inspiration hits, the idea gets added then and there, by the author of the thought. There is no pass or fail and the question may never truly get answered.

Take a risk, give it a try, and see what transpires.

“Life is a journey, not a destination.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Special thanks to the Tweets from @stumpteacher and @AngelaMaiers for the inspiration.

Day one of the “Thinking Wall” is up and running. Kids loving it. pic.twitter.com/BwM5zu8tWV

— Josh Stumpenhorst (@stumpteacher) December 5, 2013