See-Think-Wonder
Updated 2026-08-15
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
A thinking routine from Harvard Project Zero built on three prompts: see, meaning what is objectively present; think, meaning the inference drawn from it; and wonder, meaning the questions that remain. The core proposition is that observation, reasoning, and inquiry are distinct cognitive acts, and that confusing them is the main source of premature conclusions. The key qualification is that the separation must be enforced in the first step; if evaluative language enters during observation, the later stages inherit the bias and the routine becomes a formality.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Fact wall: write observations using language that contains no judgment or evaluation. - Inference step: derive explanations explicitly from the facts listed rather than from prior belief. - Boundary test: check whether each sentence describes, explains, or questions something before you file it.
Anchor fast decisions
Perception and inference arrive together, so the explanation feels as immediate as the sight, and there is no natural moment at which the two can be separated. Writing the observation in judgment-free language forces that separation, and once the facts are on the page, any explanation must be visibly built from them. The same discipline applied to questions keeps unresolved items alive instead of converting them into premature conclusions, which makes the routine train reasoning rather than merely organize discussion.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- pz.harvard.eduhttps://pz.harvard.edu/resources/see-think-wonderverified
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