Skip Menu

emPOWER your New Year’s Planning with TMLC’s AI Planning Tool

JANUARY 29, 2026

If you haven’t explored the TMLC AI Planner Tool, it’s certainly never too late and it’s actually now better than ever. Supercharged with more speed and accuracy so that you get the best of evolving technology, our AI Planner Tool is ready to empower your planning standards and best practices aligned plans that incorporate Thinking Maps. 

It’s simple. We are your critical thinking partner. We work alongside you to generate ideas using our Maps, helping you design unit and lesson plans, interventions, writing prompts, and assessments that align to your goals and work best for your students.

Generate rich tasks and questions quickly

  • Use the planner to turn a standard or topic into several task types, such as a discussion prompt, a written response, or a performance task. Each task maintains the same cognitive demand and makes thinking visible through Maps. Have the planner suggest higher‑order prompts like argue, evaluate, propose, or prioritize, then pair each prompt with a Map that support the thinking. , then add a requirement like “Use a Tree Map to plan your response” or “Show both sides in a Double Bubble Map.”
  • Build banks of Map‑based exit tickets that check for reasoning, not recall.

Strengthen writing through Maps

  • Generate writing prompts that demand reasoning, such as argument, explanation, or problem‑solution, and then pair each with Map(s)  that help students process and organize their thinking before writing.
  • Ask students to submit their Map alongside the final draft and assess a small portion based on the clarity and completeness of the thinking shown.
  • After grading, project a student's Map with names removed and revise it together before revising the writing, so students see how stronger thinking leads to stronger writing.

Targeted support and differentiation

  •  Quickly generate leveled versions of the same task while keeping the cognitive demand consistent. Students engage in the same thinking process, represented by the same Map, while scaffolds vary to support access, such as simplifying texts, numbers, or prompts, not the Map or the thinking itself.
  • Build short routines with daily defining or vocabulary work (Circle Map)   and weekly problem‑solving steps (Flow Map), and let the planner help you vary the topics while keeping the thinking structure consistent.

You can fuel your daily Maps inspiration even more by exploring the Community Gallery and see how teachers and students are using Thinking Maps to develop critical thinking in the classroom.

            Continue Reading

            Related Articles
            5 Key Takeaways on Building a Culture of Critical Thinking

            November 24, 2025

            Critical thinking is having a moment in education, but in many classrooms, it is still more slogan than reality. Drawing on their district- and classroom-level work with Thinking Maps, we were joined by four practitioners who shared what it really looks like to build a culture where students—not teachers—do the heavy cognitive lifting. Here are their 5 key takeaways.

            Principles of Effective Coaching

            September 17, 2025

            Coaching is the cornerstone of professional growth in education, empowering teachers to refine their craft and drive student success. These 12 principles are designed to create lasting impact in classrooms and across school communities.

            Back-to-School with Thinking Maps' AI-Powered Planning Tool

            August 20, 2025

            The back-to-school season always brings an opportunity for fresh ideas, renewed energy, and intentional planning. Take a walk through our newest AI-powered Planning Tools, designed to make classroom preparation more efficient and student learning more engaging.

            Leaders as Catalysts for Effective Coaching

            July 23, 2025

            While coaching has been proven to be an effective professional development tool, it must be supported by strong educational leadership. Effective leadership is essential for cultivating a positive school culture that not only supports coaching but also sustains long-term instructional improvement.