Project Zero: A Benchmark for Developing an Analytical Framework

This paper marks the beginning of a project aimed at trialling a Western learning model in a Malaysian context which has not been tested before. This is the first of a series of research papers that shows the process in which a framework that is usually used in larger studies was designed. The framework was modified and developed from The Visible Thinking (VT) Project of Project Zero research to identify and categorise manifestations of pedagogical interactions. A summary of selected PZ research projects presented in this paper highlights the learning benefits of establishing patterns of thinking within the classroom as projected by PZ studies of Harvard Graduate School of Education, a hallmark institution. Having looked at the many aspects of classroom teaching that have been shown by PZ research to enhance learning, a framework was derived arising from these school settings. Part of the focus of the study was to check if the ideas and paradigms are transferable to a Higher Education ESL context of a culturally different setting in terms of the manifestations of classroom interactions. However, for the purpose of this paper, PZ research that focuses on VT is discussed. The literature on the findings of VT project, mainly the thinking routines employed, the importance of establishing thinking routines in the classroom and examples of instances where these routines were visible in the classroom contexts are the highlights of this paper. Empirical findings on the use of this framework will be discussed in the next research paper in this series. Most of PZ research was conducted in school classrooms in a Western setting. This study prides itself in taking PZ research to a whole new level to study undergraduate students in a Malaysian classroom setting.