I’ve Seen This Strategy Before: A Gentle Nudge to Revisit What Works

Start not with what’s new, but with what’s ready to be used again.

KELSEY HAMMOND
Senior Professional Development Coach

Not long ago, I was in a PD session where the facilitator introduced the See, Think, Wonder routine. You know the one: students look closely at an image or a short text, name what they see, think through what it might mean, and wonder about its deeper implications. I nodded along--Yep, I know this one. It felt familiar, even blase. The kind of strategy that feels like it’s lived in your teacher's brain for years.

But then the presenter said something that shifted the energy in the room: “When’s the last time you actually used this protocol with your students?”

And I had to pause. Because while I’d seen See, Think, Wonder many times, and could even recall moments when I had introduced it to others, I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I had used it in my own classroom. That simple question opened up something for me—not a sense of guilt, but a kind of curiosity. A wondering: Why did I stop? When did I stop? What else have I quietly set aside without realizing it?

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Rediscovering familiar strategies

It reminded me of the way I sometimes approach working out. I know how to do a bicep curl. I’ve seen them demonstrated, watched friends knock out reps, maybe even done a few myself once upon a time. But just because I know how to do a curl doesn’t mean my arms are getting any stronger. And honestly, it’s easy to forget how long it’s been since I actually picked up a weight.

That’s what this moment in PD felt like. A reminder not just of the strategy, but of the strength that comes from using it regularly. Not for novelty. Not to “check the box.” But because the routine itself—simple, accessible, repeatable—can quietly build our students’ capacity for observation, interpretation, and curiosity.

That reminder stayed with me. Since then, I’ve made it a point to bring See, Think, Wonder back—not just as an idea, but as a habit. I’ve reintroduced it into my own practice and shared it with teachers across the city. Most recently, in a New Visions district-wide PD, I helped to lead a session where we didn’t just talk about the protocol—we practiced it, modeled it, and planned for how to use it with students the very next day. The strategy hasn’t changed, but something about coming back to it with fresh eyes—and inviting others to do the same—gave it new weight.

There’s a comfort in recognizing a strategy. But there’s also an invitation hidden there: to ask “When’s the last time I brought this into the room with my students?” Sometimes the answer is last week. But sometimes the answer surprises us. It might have been months—or even years—since we actually made space for it.

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Familiar tools, fresh impact

This isn’t about shoulds or should-nots. It’s about staying open. About remembering that strength is built through repetition, and that familiarity isn’t the same thing as presence. It’s about finding our way back to tools that work—not because they’re flashy, but because they’re steady. Reliable. Like a good curl. Like See, Think, Wonder.

So if you find yourself in a meeting or workshop and think, “I’ve seen this before,” maybe that’s exactly the right place to start. Not with what’s new, but with what’s ready to be used again.

Maybe it’s time to dust off Turn and Talk—not just for quick sharing, but as a regular rhythm to externalize thinking, especially for students who benefit from processing aloud before writing. Maybe it’s time to revisit the good old Stop & Jot, not as a filler, but as a purposeful pause that gives students a chance to mark their thinking before it slips away. Maybe it’s time to bring back a Think Aloud, not just as a demo once per unit, but as a consistent practice that reveals how readers make meaning.

None of these are new. But like any muscle, their strength comes from use. And there’s something comforting—and powerful—about that.The tools are already in our hands. We know what works. Maybe the only thing left to do is return to it—with purpose, and with our students in mind.