How Thinking Maps Impact the Integration of Knowledge and Ideas within Primary Readers

The research question explored the impact of Thinking Maps on primary readers for integrating knowledge and ideas in texts. It documents one teacher’s recognition of motivation and metacognition as important elements in her teacher practice and discusses the role of Thinking Maps in elementary education from students’ perspectives. The author details observations of thinking in a second-grade reading intervention class and describes the results of student documents, reflection forms, field observations, and reader’s conferences. The results are analyzed for flexibility of thought, ownership of learning, and awareness of thinking. The author concludes that, while there is a continued opportunity to develop awareness of personal experiences that influence reading, Thinking Maps support the development of metacognition within primary readers, a catalyst for the critical thinking that is required to integrate knowledge and ideas