What is KiC About? - Teaching creative problem solving skills!
On this website you'll find five small, ready-to-use routines (with instructions) that can be added to existing lessons & activities in almost any subject or grade, without changing your lesson plans.
Why Focus on Scientific Thinking?
Science isn't just bodies of knowledge. Perhaps more importantly, it’s an approach for learning; for pursuing goals in uncertain and unpredictable conditions. Yet students may not get enough practice with how that process actually works. KiC helps fill that gap by giving students concrete, repeatable practice in scientific reasoning, to develop skills they can carry into any domain.
Our brains naturally jump to conclusions. Scientific thinking helps us slow down, test ideas, and make better decisions. But this skill doesn’t develop on its own. It takes some practice, just like learning a sport or instrument. KiC helps you develop that mindset in your students, step by step, one routine at a time.
It's difficult to define a way of thinking, but here's an attempt.
What Changes Can You Expect to See in Your Students?
By practicing the Starter Kata, students build practical, transferable life skills:
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Curiosity. Approaching challenges with an open, questioning mindset.
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Scientific & Creative Thinking. Generating and refining solutions to obstacles through experimentation and reflection.
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Collaboration. Working in a team toward the next goal on the way to a bigger challenge.
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Communication. Organizing thoughts, data, findings, and sharing them clearly & effectively.
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Problem-Solving Ability. Applying a structured process to tackle goals with self-efficacy.
As this shift takes place, the teacher’s role also evolves, to becoming a facilitator and coach who guides students through their learning journey.
Why Use KiC?
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No new lessons required. Add one of the five ready-to-use Kata routines to an activity you're already doing.
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Works in any classroom. Use KiC in STEM, ELA, art, P.E.—in any activity or lesson that involves pursuing a goal.
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Builds real-world skills. Scientific thinking helps students become effective problem-solvers, creative collaborators, and informed citizens.
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Backed by research. KiC is based on the Toyota Kata research and methods for organizational learning and behavior change.
KiC is a research-based approach that helps students develop scientific-thinking habits through short, structured practice routines known as 'Starter Kata.' These routines are similar to drills in sports or music—repeatable patterns that help students internalize key thinking elements. It’s all about learning how to navigate uncertainty and work toward solutions.
Instead of focusing on science content, KiC emphasizes the process of science: how to experiment, navigate uncertainty, and learn from setbacks. Practicing the routines builds habits that students can utilize throughout their lifetimes. The goal? Creating everyday scientific thinkers!
How it Works:
Start small. Choose one of the five routines, add it to a familiar lesson, and reflect. Build from there, however you find appropriate for what you are trying to achieve.
Any lesson that involves pursuing a goal gives you the opportunity to practice scientific thinking with routines on this website. The routines fit naturally into a wide range of activities, such as:
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STEM projects
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Building or making something
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Solving puzzles
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Writing a report
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Team competitions
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Physical challenges
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Learning a new skill
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...and many more
Using the same practice routines across different activities strengthens learning. As you gain experience with KiC, this site also offers some optional classroom games that help reinforce and deepen scientific thinking in a fun, engaging way.
All Materials Are Downloadable and Free to Use
The KiC materials on this site are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Anyone can use, adapt, and distribute them, as long as they credit Kata in the Classroom.