Ron Ritchhart’s Eight Thinking Continua

Eight thinking continua, By Ron Ritchhart. Cultures of Thinking Project. Harvard Project Zero, 2008. This is a great tool to assess deep thinking. I find it particularly useful for the assessment of essays and written work. I have created a rubric based on Ron Ritchhart’s continua in a Word Doc.

Download the file: Thinking Continua Assessment_Ron Ritchhart

• I would like to recommend reading James Wilson’s post on ‘Making Thinking Visible‘. James reviews the book and explains some classroom applications.
• Extensive thinking routines on the Harvard Project Zero “Visible Thinking” website here.
• Download the file: Thinking Continua Assessment_Ron Ritchhart

• Continuum 1: Considering Viewpoints
  • One Sided   <>   Multi Dimensional
• Continuum 2: Describing What’s There
  • Obvious & General  <>  Detailed & Elaborated
• Continuum 3: Reasoning With Evidence
  • Baseless    <>  Supported
• Continuum 4: Building Explantions
  • Simple & Fixed    <>  Multifacted &  Evolving
• Continuum 5: Making Connections
  • Cursory & Trivial    <>  Thorough & Insightful
• Continuum 6: Capturing The Heart And Forming Conclusions
  • Tangential    <>   Core
• Continuum 7: Wondering
  • Narrow & Closed    <>  Broad & Generative
• Continuum 8: Uncovering Complexity
  • Superficial   <>  Deep