Unlock Fearless Genius: Hexagonal Thinking + Action Figure AI Generator
There comes a point every school year—sometimes in week one, sometimes in week six—where you know it’s time for a reset. The classroom culture has started to wobble. Expectations are fuzzy. You find yourself repeating the same reminders and wondering, do they even hear me anymore?
That’s when I pull out an old favourite: hexagonal thinking. But this time, with an Action Figure generator twist!
Instead of revisiting a list of generic classroom rules or launching into a “let’s do better” lecture, I frame my start of year (or reset if necessary) around one big idea:
What does the ideal student look like—for us, right now?
And yes, this time we wrapped it up by turning that student into an AI-generated action figure. Because why not have a little fun while we build buy-in?
Start With a Guessing Game
Before diving into the group activity, I ask students a simple but revealing question:
“If I could design the perfect student—what would they be like?”
They get a few minutes to write or call out answers while I jot them up on the board. You’ll get everything from “quiet” and “gets straight As” to “helps others” and “doesn’t suck up.” Sometimes they’re funny. Sometimes surprisingly insightful. Either way, it gives me a pulse check on how they view teacher expectations.
And then I say, “Good guesses—but I think this is something we should figure out together.”
Bring In the Hexagonal Thinking
Now it’s time for the real work—and thinking.
I hand out hexagonal thinking templates from my resource Hexagonal Thinking Templates and Maps to Build Classroom Culture & Management. Each hexagon contains a value, skill, mindset, or behavior. Things like:
- Responsibility
- Creativity
- Risk-taking
- Self-awareness
- Listening to others
- Admitting mistakes
In pairs or small groups, students start connecting them. Every connection must be justified. “Why are ‘resilience’ and ‘risk-taking’ side by side?” “Why is ‘helping others’ right in the middle?” There’s no “correct” map—it’s about the conversations.
Depending on time, we do a gallery walk or come back together to share key ideas. We look for patterns:
What came up the most? Where did groups agree or differ? What surprised them?
Together, we build a working definition of the “ideal student”—our version. Not my version. Ours.
Check out my blog post on making your own hexagonal thinking template here.
Now, for the Twist: Action Figure Generator AI Craze Time
Once we’ve nailed down our agreed-upon traits, I take it one step further.
I turn our ideal student into a custom action figure using AI. It’s silly. It’s fun. And it makes everything we just talked about stick.
Personally, I use the free version of Chatgpt’s image generator and plug in a prompt that captures the student we imagined. Depending on what your students come up with, yours will just need some slight tweaking.
Of course, this part is just for teachers—AI tools come with age restrictions, so students won’t be using them directly. I create the image based on their input and surprise them with it the next day. You can display it in the classroom or use it as a digital poster. Either way, it becomes a fun and meaningful symbol of your shared values.
🔽 Want to try this yourself?
I’ve made it super easy by putting together a free downloadable prompt pack with examples you can copy, paste, and tweak. It includes trait ideas, action figure name suggestions, and tips for customizing it with your school’s vibe, and my actual prompts. And as an added bonus, I’ve included the instructions, prompts, and free app for how to make it into an MP4 where the student step right out of the action figure box! Grab it here.
Why It Works
This activity works because it flips the script. Instead of being told what’s expected, students define it with you. They reflect on what matters and walk away with something visual and concrete that they helped build.
Whether it’s day one or day fifty, whether things are going great or getting off track—it’s a powerful, low-pressure way to reconnect your class to its shared purpose.
And hey—any excuse to use an action figure in your classroom management strategy is a win in my book.
Ready to Try It?
You can grab the full Hexagonal Thinking Templates for Classroom Culture & Management right here.
It includes:
- Printable and digital hex templates
- Word banks for values, mindsets, behaviors, and classroom norms
- Editable versions so you can tailor it to your students
- Clear instructions for individual, small group, or whole class use
Pair it with the free prompt pack, and you’ve got everything you need for a purposeful class reset with a creative kick.
Oh—and don’t forget to download your free productive struggle guide to help make the rest of this hexagonal thinking activity run smoothly.
Happy teaching
