HISD’s new ‘Art of Thinking’ class is Mike Miles’ brainchild. Are kids ready for it?

Midway through a lesson in one of Houston’s ISD’s newest and most contentious courses, Ajani Spiller’s classroom of 22 third-graders erupts into a debate over their favorite kind of Starburst.

Spiller, a teacher at Shadydale Elementary School, asks students in his Art of Thinking class to elaborate on why they prefer lemon, strawberry, orange or any other flavor of candy. In doing so, Spiller aims to teach students the difference between a subjective statement (their flavor preference) and an objective statement (the number of Starburst in a package, which totals 14, for those wondering).

“If you notice, this is an opinion. This is based on how I taste,” Spiller says. “I might like yellow and Kevin might like red.”

Three educators who taught Art of Thinking at Ector College Prep in Odessa said the course pushed kids to improve their out-of-the-box thinking — and it was unlike any subject they had previously taught.

“I have no idea where (Miles) came up with all this stuff. I just know it works,” said DeeDee Arnzen, who taught Art of Thinking at the middle school from 2021 to 2023 before switching to a district closer to her home this year. “I think it’s a huge value for kids.”

Spiller, the Shadydale Elementary Art of Thinking teacher, understands many families may be confused about the new course, but he believes families will soon see the results. Through weeks and months of his classes, which include frequent back-and-forth checks for comprehension, their children will begin developing skills they can carry with them for a lifetime, Spiller said.

“Processing information matters,” he said. “A lot of times, you don’t learn that until you get older — and a lot of people don’t learn that, period.”

Asher Lehrer-Small covers education for the Landing and would love to hear your tips, questions and story ideas about Houston ISD. Reach him at asher@houstonlanding.org .