Picture Me Thinking

Explicit Structure for the Inquiry-to-Writing Process

An online course for Middle School and High School Educators

Picture Me Thinking is a research-based, online course on "How to Integrate Inquiry-Based Instruction (IBI) and Argumentative Essay Writing Instruction." Teaching inquiry and argumentative essay writing skills are high-priority goals of the Career and College Readiness Standards, and critical for success across subjects in high school.

The PMT Model scaffolds the inquiry dialogue, guides collaborative research, fosters argumentation, and teaches students how to build evidence-supported arguments for essays and presentations. Research shows that blending inquiry and writing instruction improves writing and promotes a deeper understanding of academic ideas.

This course provides a framework for educator collaboration and for interdisciplinary lesson planning in Professional Learning Communities. The six-level, short-video format fits into staff meetings, department meetings, and teacher prep periods.

Each of the six levels is $15 for Individual Educators or $90 for the course.

Whole School presentations cost $80 per level or $480 for the full course.

WATCH THE 1.5-MINUTE INTRO VIDEO

Thinking is a Pre-Skill for

Inquiry and Writing!

Our Mission

To help students structure their thinking by providing teachers with research-based tools and methods for including ALL students in inquiry-based instruction. Further, to foster students' self-regulation skills for collaborative problem-solving, argumentation, and essay-writing, in line with Career and College Readiness goals and 21st-century skills.

The Challenge

When middle school students enter high school, they must be skilled at writing essays about academic content across subjects. Those who struggle to organize their thinking and build evidence-supported arguments are at a high risk of failing in grade nine and dropping out of high school by grade ten.

The Solution

The Picture Me Thinking Model provides a consistent path for the inquiry-to-writing process so that it can be brought into a social space where both teachers and peers can model the cognitive processes. Students quickly memorize the PMT Model and use it to guide their inquiry and writing across subjects.

The Outcomes

Meta-Research* on field-based instruction in grades six through twelve shows that combining inquiry-based instruction with essay writing instruction, across subjects, is the best way to teach students the reasoning and writing skills they need to succeed in high school and graduate with options.

* Miller, Scott & Mc Tigue (2018); Writing in the Secondary-Level Disciplines: A systematic review of Context, Cognition, and Content; Educational Psychology Review, v30 n1 p83-120 March 2018.

SHOW ME THE RESEARCH!

Additional Benefits

Accelerate Cognitive Development

When teachers and students use the PMT Model to guide the inquiry-to-writing process it reduces the cognitive load required and frees up working memory for learning new academic concepts.

Develop Social-Emotional Skills

During collaborative inquiry, students develop problem-solving and self-advocacy skills. As their ideas are taken up and refined through respectful argumentation with peers, students discover their own voices and write with more power.

Build Communicative Competence

During dialogue-based instruction scaffolded by the PMT Thinking Scripts and Connecting Vocabulary, students build strong oral and written language skills. This leads to greater confidence and motivation.

Integrate Multi-Media and AI Content

Multi-media resources often make core academic concepts more accessible, especially for struggling readers. Further, as adolescents become adults, they need to be skilled at finding and evaluating information that helps them make decisions about their lives, including how to find a job and get medical services. The PMT Model gives students a dependable process for organizing and analyzing web-based content and using it to solve problems.

START ME WITH LEVEL ONE FOR $15!

Watch the Intro Video Below

Then go to the PMT Store to add LEVEL ONE to your Video Library!