🌿 The Creativity of Thinking: Why Students Need Space to Wonder

vanessa speigle
Oct 27
4 min read

Supporting blog for the Rekla Deep Dive video: 🎥 Teaching Thinking – From Questions to Confidence

An illustrated poster showing a large tree labeled Developmental Stages of Thinking. Each branch represents a stage of cognitive growth across grade levels.

Wonder & Discovery (Grades 1–2): Concrete explorers who learn through play and stories, asking “What did you notice?” and “How does it feel?”

Patterns & Connections (Grades 3–4): Early organizers who group ideas, asking “What’s the same or different?”

Cause & Effect Thinkers (Grades 5–6): Emerging logicians who test ideas and ask, “Why do you think that happened?”

Abstract Builders (Grades 7–8): Flexible thinkers who consider multiple viewpoints and alternatives.

Independent Interpreters (Grades 9–10): Critical connectors who analyze and evaluate meaning.

Visionary Thinkers (Grades 11–12): Innovators who synthesize knowledge and anticipate outcomes.
Children are shown walking along a sunny path at the bottom, symbolizing growth and learning through all stages.

⚡ If your students answer faster than they think you might be teaching performance, not confidence.

The best classrooms aren’t the loudest or the fastest. They’re the ones where silence isn’t a gap, it’s an opportunity for thinking.

Because when students are trusted to pause, wonder, and think before speaking, they stop performing and start learning. Thinking takes time and when teachers protect that time, curiosity can breathe.

🌿 The Rekla Lens: Space as Strategy

In Finnish-inspired classrooms, silence is part of the learning rhythm. Teachers don’t rush to fill the air after asking a question, they let students wrestle with the moment. It’s an intentional pause that communicates trust.

This approach mirrors Finland’s calm, student-centered rhythm and aligns with Kenya’s CBC philosophy, which emphasizes process over pace. When teachers allow students to think before responding, they shift from testing memory to cultivating reasoning.

Silence becomes structure. Patience becomes pedagogy.

Educational practitioner image of John Dewey

💬 Why Wait Time Matters

Educational philosopher John Dewey wrote that reflection happens during learning, not after it.

“Give the mind a chance to see what it is about.” — John Dewey

That “chance” is what psychologists now call wait time...........the intentional pause after asking a question before expecting an answer.

Research shows:

Extending wait time by just 3–5 seconds increases both the quality and length of student responses.
Students begin asking more questions themselves.
Teachers shift from lecturing to listening.

As Lev Vygotsky explained through social constructivism, learning first happens between people, then within them. If teachers rush students through that social moment; the space to hear, think, and respond, they interrupt real learning.

And as Carol Dweck’s research on growth mindset shows, students who are given time to think develop resilience and confidence because they see that effort and reflection matter more than speed.

🌱 Practical Rekla Implementation Tools: Giving Thinking Space a Structure

Creating space for thought doesn’t mean doing more, it means designing routines that give thinking form.

In Rekla classrooms, thinking is not an invisible process happening in students’ heads; it’s a visible, shared practice shaped through structure, trust, and time.

Here are four Rekla-approved strategies to help teachers slow the rhythm and deepen student engagement, each one discussed in the 🎥 Teaching Thinking – From Questions to Confidence video:

🧩 1. Think–Puzzle–Explore (Grades 1–2)

This early-primary routine builds curiosity through gentle questioning.After introducing a concept — like “shadows” or “patterns” — ask:

What do you think you know?
What puzzles you?
How can we explore it together?

💡 Rekla Tip: Display student answers visually (sticky notes or chalkboard). Revisiting them later shows visible growth, proof that thinking evolves through time, not speed.

🌱 2. Compass Points (Grades 3–5)

This routine helps students slow down before making decisions.Use the compass as a guide:

E — Excites: What draws your interest?
W — Worries: What concerns or confuses you?
N — Need to Know: What information is missing?
S — Steps Forward: What should we try next?

💡 Rekla Tip: Post the compass on the wall or use floor markers for each direction. Let students walk to their choice, turning thinking into motion.

💭 3. Tug of War (Grades 6–9)

Designed for middle learners who crave fairness and perspective.Present a statement for example, “Homework helps learning.”Students place themselves along a line from Agree → Disagree, then explain why.

💡 Rekla Tip: Leave time after discussion for “switching sides.”Changing one’s mind after hearing others is a hallmark of critical thinking, not confusion, but growth.

🌍 4. The Creative Circle (Grades 10–12)

Perfect for older learners ready to lead and reflect.After a project or presentation, form a circle and ask:

What choice did you make?
What inspired it?
What will you do differently next time?

💡 Rekla Tip: Keep circles small and rotating. Each week, a new group leads the reflection, teaching leadership through listening.

🌿 Reflection in Action: The Rekla Way

When teachers protect thinking time, they model respect for the learning process. They show that silence isn’t empty, it’s full of unseen reasoning, connection, and growth.

A Rekla classroom values pause over pace. It’s not about how quickly students answer; it’s about how deeply they think.

🌱 Final Thought

Confidence doesn’t grow from quick answers, it grows from quiet courage.

The courage to pause.

The courage to wonder.

The courage to think.

🌿 How will you create more space for thinking this week?

Share your reflections using #ReklaEducation — your pause could spark someone else’s progress.

📦 Classroom Connection

🌈 Creative Thinking Stations Bundle + Math in Motion 5-Day Collection

This paired classroom resources turn visible thinking into movement, dialogue, and discovery, giving students space to think, explore, and express mathematical reasoning through play and collaboration.

🟢 Watch the Deep Dive Video: 🎥 Teaching Thinking – From Questions to Confidence