✦The Process

How CLARO works

Making Thinking Visible — a three-part system that measures cognitive depth in real time.

Curiosity ignites the spark. The spark deepens into wisdom. Wisdom fuels new curiosity.

The Thinking Cycle: Nawi (Curiosity/Motion) → Chispa (The Spark/Thought) → Aqui (Wisdom/Knowing)
CLARO Thinking Cycle scroll

Free Download: The CLARO Thinking Cycle

One-page framework for making student thinking visible — share with your team, use in PD, or keep for reference.

The Student Experience

A real dialogue between a student and Chispa — watch how reasoning emerges through conversation

Probe— Dig deeper into the student's initial response
Mirror— Reflect the student's thinking back to them
Challenge— Introduce a productive contradiction
Name— Label and validate the cognitive breakthrough
CLARO Dialogue Session

The character was brave because she stayed home.

Student

Student
Challenge

Wait... brave but staying safe? Can someone be brave by not taking a risk?

Chispa

She was brave because everyone left and she had to take care of her family alone.

Student

Student
Name

Oh! So the bravery wasn't about danger, it was about responsibility.

Chispa

✦ DialogIQ Assessment

Cognitive depth score: Level 4 — Conceptual Reasoning. Student demonstrated ability to reframe a concept and identify non-obvious criteria.

Chispa blazing after student's reasoning breakthrough

What just happened?

The student moved from a surface-level observation to a conceptual insight — redefining "bravery" through their own reasoning. Chispa didn't give the answer. Chispa created the conditions for the student to find it.

That's real thinking. That's CLARO.

The Cognitive State System

Chispa's six states mirror the student's cognitive journey — from waiting to blazing

Chispa Waiting

Waiting

"Take your time. I'm here."

Patient presence while the student gathers thoughts

Chispa Pulling

Pulling

"Hmm, what made you think that?"

Actively drawing reasoning to the surface

Chispa Confused

Confused

"Wait, you said X but also Y?"

Surfacing contradictions to deepen thinking

Chispa Dimming

Dimming

"Let's come back. What were you trying to say?"

Gentle redirection when thinking stalls

Chispa Warming

Warming

"Oh! So you're saying that because... then...?"

Excitement as reasoning begins to crystallize

Chispa Blazing

Blazing

"That was YOUR idea. That's real thinking."

Full celebration of genuine cognitive breakthrough

✦The Transformation Journey

From confusion to clarity — making thinking visible

Every student begins in the dark. CLARO's dialogue guides them through four alchemical phases until original thought emerges.

Step 01The Dark Matter
Chispa waiting patiently

Nigredo

The raw, unprocessed state. Students begin with surface-level responses, disconnected facts, or silence.

“I don’t know… the character was just sad.”

— Student

✦

Chispa: “Take your time. I’m here.”

Step 02The Whitening
Chispa curious and pulling reasoning

Albedo

Purification through questioning. Chispa strips away assumptions, revealing the structure beneath the answer.

“Wait — maybe she wasn’t sad, she was… scared?”

— Student

✦

Chispa: “What made you think that?”

Step 03The Yellowing
Chispa warming up with excitement

Citrinitas

Illumination begins. Students connect ideas, make inferences, and start building arguments from evidence.

“She was scared AND brave — they can be the same thing!”

— Student

✦

Chispa: “Oh! So you’re saying that because…”

Step 04The Reddening
Chispa blazing with joy

Rubedo

The gold. Genuine reasoning emerges — original thinking, self-questioning, the ability to hold complexity.

“Bravery isn’t about danger. It’s about what you choose to protect.”

— Student

✦

Chispa: “That was YOUR idea. That’s real thinking.”

Every student can reach the gold. CLARO shows you exactly where they are in the journey.

Coming Soon

The Teacher Dashboard

Real-time cognitive depth data at your fingertips. Not just scores — thinking profiles.

  • ✦Aggregate cognitive depth data across your class
  • ✦Individual student thinking profiles over time
  • ✦Actionable insights, not just scores
  • ✦Identify Ghost Learning before it compounds
  • ✦Bilingual session data (EN/ES)
For Teachers
CLARO Teacher Dashboard
Class Cognitive Depth — Period 3
Student A
L4 Conceptual
Student B
L3 Inferential
Student C
L2 Descriptive
Student D
L5 Analytical
Student E
L1 Recall
⚠ Ghost Learning Alert
Student E: High recall, low reasoning

Ready to make thinking visible?

Join our pilot program and see CLARO in action in your classroom.

Request a PilotFor Teachers