A Research-Based Innovation
Karen Amende developed the Picture Me Thinking Model in the classroom, and then researched and refined it in the doctoral program in education/psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
Her field research (Amende Thesis, 2008) showed that diverse students in grades 6 -12 could easily learn to use the model a) to structure their collaborative inquiry, and b) to outline evidence-supported arguments for strong essays.
Average increases in essay scores over 6 weeks were 38%, using a rubric aligned with scoring for standardized tests.
Guiding Vision and Research Influences
Karen's research proposed that students have differing abilities to infer the rules and strategies that experts (teachers) model as they reason (A. Bandura), conceptualize (S. Carey), theorize (A. Gopnick), problem-solve (R. Case), and voice their ideas (L. Delpit), during argumentation (Driver, Newton & Osborne; Toulmin) about how to apply academic concepts (F. Keil).
These differences have a significant impact on the academic performance of students residing in disadvantaged rural, suburban, and urban environments (J. Mahiri), where discourse instruction methods are less common and basic skills are the greater focus of instruction. So, economically disadvantaged students have fewer opportunities to learn reasoning skills.
Students who are not given an explicit and systematic path for cultivating reasoning skills will face delays in cognitive and language development, which will harm their prospects in academics, the workplace, and interpersonal relationships.
Scaffolding that explicitly builds reasoning, conceptualizing, and language skills is critical for educational equity. The PMT tools provide this scaffolding. The PMT course helps teachers across disciplines understand how to use the tools.
Integrated instruction
The Picture Me Thinking Model integrates inquiry and writing instruction. Meta-research on field-based instruction shows that integrating inquiry-based instruction with essay writing instruction is the most effective method for improving students' reasoning and academic writing skills. (Miller, Scott & McTigue (2018); Writing in the Secondary-Level Disciplines)
The graphic/verbal Picture Me Thinking Model is easy for teachers and students to visualize, internalize, and learn to apply, across disciplines and in interdisciplinary inquiry, in grades 5-12. And success boosts motivation! (C. Dweck)
Picture Me Thinking is valuable for all students, from low-performing to gifted, because good structure decreases the cognitive load on working memory required for organizing, integrating, and synthesizing large amounts of information.
