Cultures of Thinking: Developing Critical Thinking Dispositions within a Standards-based Environment

As schools strive to put into place rigorous standards for learning across grade levels and subject areas, it is easy for conversations to focus largely on the mechanics of implementation and achievement. While good standards and materials are necessary for so many systemic reasons, we’d suggest that even so, attention solely to the mechanics of such is not enough. Standards still sit within a culture that each educator creates around them – and these individual, and collective, classroom cultures matter greatly. Culture lets everyone know exactly what the story of this place is!

The questions teachers encourage of their students, the interactions engaged in, the routines and structures put in place, the opportunities created day-to-day all send messages to students about the kinds of thinking dispositions teachers wish students to grow into as a result of their stewardship. But where do we support teachers’ development of classroom cultures within a standards-based landscape? And just what kind of thinking dispositions are worth making visible to bring cohesion within and throughout the standards?

This two-day institute is designed to help participants think deeply about the intentionality they bring to cultivating high-leverage thinking dispositions in their students beyond memory-and-recall. We’ll explore a number of new thinking routines designed to help students explore big ideas and concepts, engage with others, reflect on their own agency, and take self-directed action.

Beyond exploring new thinking routines, participants will consider other ways to bring more visibility to the kinds of thinking habits that will help students engage deeply and critically with content.

Please note, all participants in this course are required to bring two artifacts for examination to the institute:

1. A typical class activity/assignment that could be reflected upon with an emphasis on thinking moves (preferably an activity/assignment that is upcoming between November and December).
2. A typical assessment that could be viewed through the angle of thinking habits – an end-of-unit culminating test, a mock exam, some other kind of conventional internal or external assessment that could be shared with other participants in this forum (preferably one which is upcoming in November, December, or early in 2019.)

Target Audience: K-12 teachers, subject area specialists; School leaders and coaches.

Continuum Levels: 1, 2, 3

NESA's Learning Continuum:

Learn more about how NESA plans Professional Learning

Participants will. . .

• identify thinking dispositions critical (and high-leverage) to their grade level and subject area.
• learn a variety of new thinking routines designed to explore big content ideas and concepts, to engage with others, and to take action.
• examine typical tasks and assessments in order to develop an awareness for the presence of thinking dispositions within a standards-based landscape.

• This course will be suitable for those new to the Making Thinking Visible ideas. It will also be suitable for those who have some basic knowledge of thinking routines and are interested in learning some of the new routines coming out in the upcoming Making Thinking Visible 2.0.

• All participants in this course are required to bring two artifacts for examination to the institute:

1. A typical class activity/assignment that could be reflected upon with an emphasis on thinking moves (preferably an activity/assignment that is upcoming between November and December).
2. A typical assessment that could be viewed through the angle of thinking habits – an end-of-unit culminating test, a mock exam, some other kind of conventional internal or external assessment that could be shared with other participants in this forum (preferably one which is upcoming in November, December, or early in 2019.)

Save paper and effort where possible!

For your convenience, and to support our efforts in being "green", all handouts/files posted here have been notated with an A, B, C or D indicating the following:

(A) hardcopies needed at workshop
(B) electronic version on laptop is sufficient (for viewing during the workshop)
(C) required reading PRIOR to the workshop
(D) file not needed for workshop itself, but simply material of additional interest/reference

(D) Making Thinking Visible Handout Packet