Hexagonal Thinking is a perfect activity for multilingual learners. One of the best parts of Hexagonal Thinking is its adaptability to any content area. Whether you’re teaching literature, science, mathematics, history, or any other subject, students can engage with the material using hexagonal thinking.  As educators, we are responsible for creating inclusive and engaging learning experiences that meet the unique needs of all our students. Hexagonal Thinking, a powerful visual and cognitive tool, offers a fun approach to learning. It promotes collaboration, critical thinking, and language development in a multilingual classroom. 

All you need to get started with Hexagonal Thinking is some words and hexagonal cutouts! Hexagonal Thinking encourages students to engage deeply with complex topics while employing their language skills to make meaningful connections between ideas. I made these mats to use with hexagonal thinking, added reflection questions, plus there is a template for hexagon cutouts. Download them for FREE on TPT!

Throughout this blog post, we will delve deeper into the benefits of Hexagonal Thinking for multilingual learners. From enhancing language acquisition and communication skills to promoting critical thinking and collaboration, we will explore how this teaching method can create a dynamic and inclusive learning environment that embraces the linguistic diversity of our students.

What is Hexagonal Thinking?

The activity uses hexagon-shaped cards, each containing a key concept or topic related to the subject you’re teaching. Students are then tasked with arranging these hexagons in a way that reflects the relationships between the ideas, creating a visual representation of their interconnectedness. It’s so neat to see the different connections students will make.

This interactive approach to learning helps multilingual students focus on making connections between concepts. Hexagonal Thinking allows students to explore and express their understanding using any language they are comfortable with, fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment within the classroom. This activity is easily taken to a speaking or writing activity. The more language domains we can hit in a lesson, the better! 🙌There are examples down below of extensions of hexagonal thinking.

How Hexagonal Thinking Can Help Multilingual Learners

What do you know about the affective filter when learning a language? Stephan Krashen proposed this fundamental concept in second language acquisition theory. The affective filter refers to how a language learner’s emotional states play a crucial role in the language learning process (Krashen, S. D. 1985). 

When learners are anxious, stressed, or lacking motivation, their affective filter is raised, acting as a mental barrier that hinders the acquisition of new language input. On the other hand, when learners feel relaxed, confident, and motivated, the affective filter is lowered, allowing them to be more receptive to language input and improve their language skills more effectively. Krashen goes further into depth in his writing Principles and Practice about emotional states in regard to motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety.

Hexagonal Thinking is a perfect way to make sure the affective filter is low! Students have the freedom to pick their words and then make connections based on their thoughts. As long as students can justify their relationships, there is no wrong answer. This is a motivating activity for students which then turns into confidence. Students know their answers can’t be wrong, allowing them to take risks in practicing their language skills. We all know when students take risks, their chances of learning are greater! Keep reading so you can see how to extend hexagonal thinking into a variety of language practices.

Interested in learning more about Krashen’s theory? Read more about the affective filter from the TEFEL Academicy here. Another great resource is this blog post from Seidlitz Education. I loved the two classroom examples they gave!

Extensions for Hexagonal Thinking: Speaking and Writing

Aside from making the vocabulary from the concept or unit more concrete, there are more ways to use hexagonal thinking to help students develop their language. (Need more ideas on vocab development? Check out my post here for Front Loading Vocabulary.)

The best part is these activities will help ALL students further their language development, not only multilingual students. Let’s start so you can use these in your classroom ASAP!

1. Speaking Activities

Option 1: Once students have made their connections, instruct them to take turns picking a hexagon card and discussing the topic/question with their group members. This might be a good start for students who have emerging language levels.

Option 2: As an add-on, or a starting point, students can explain the connections they’ve made. This is a great opportunity to use connecting words to explain their thoughts and connections. Need more? Explain why certain cards have no connection. Encourage them to share their opinions, experiences, and insights related to each topic. 

2. Writing Activities

Option 1: After discussing and exploring the connections from their thinking, students can write a short paragraph or essay that describes the relationships between the topics on their hexagons. They should explain the cause-and-effect relationships, similarities, differences, or any other meaningful connections they have discovered.

Option 2: Students can be challenged to go in the opposite direction of their thinking. Promote students on why two topics weren’t connected in their thinking or what would have to change to make two keywords/topics connect. This challenges students’ thinking and expands their creativity.

Whether you’re speaking or writing, here are some sentence starters to use with Hexagonal Thinking:

-_______ and ______ are connected because…
-The relationship between _______ and _______ are
-These three words, ______, _______, and _______, are related because…

Sentence starters are my jam. Read how to make the perfect sentence starters here.

Start Tomorrow!

All you need is a hexagon. You can google template, use a physical cut-out like this one, or download these Hexagonal Thinking Mats and Reflections questions from my TPT Store. (Aqui esta el link para el recurso en español.) I also have vocabulary cards that include hexagonal thinking cards already made. Hello, time saver.

Here is a little preview of the French Revolution vocabulary card set. This is the bilingual bundle. 🥰

Hexagonal Thinking Review

Multilingual learners can make great strides in their language development with the help of Hexagonal Thinking. This innovative and effective learning technique can help learners to practice language in a low-stress activity while learning. Woohoo for a low affective filter! Hexagonal Thinking provides an effective structure that can help learners make the most of their time as they strive to be fluent in another language. Students have the liberty to make mistakes, explain their connections, and take their thoughts to paper. You will love using hexagonal thinking because it’s perfect for multilingual learners!