Tag: Visible Thinking

Bookmarked A Culture of Thinking for Teachers (learningshore.edublogs.org)

It turns out that that we can’t teach people to think after all, but we can enculturate the dispositions which enable thinking. Educators who succeed in developing a culture of thinking value the process of learning over the product of learning; they seek deeper learning rather than just the acquisition of knowledge. Leadership of this pedagogical approach requires patience, and valuing, respecting, and trusting people. Leadership matters immensely and models that this is not “flavour of the month”, it is who we are, and it is what we are about. It requires an invitational approach. An invitation is extraordinarily powerful. Invite people into change instead of telling them what they need to change.

Cameron Paterson shares reflections from his Churchill Trust exploring the leadership of difficult pedagogical change in schools. Some of his findings include listening to those hesitant into clarity, persist beyond the first failure, be curious and make people feel seen and heard.

Discussing the place of visible thinking, Paterson talks about the importance of culture.

Learning happens when students connect with ideas, when they ask questions, and create meaning with our guidance and support. A culture of thinking sends a message to students that thinking is valued and infused in the fabric of the classroom
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Classroom culture sends messages about what learning is and how it happens. Understanding this process and how teachers might more directly influence it, as well as having the language to talk about classroom culture, helps to demystifying teaching.

Personally, I wonder what a culture of thinking might look like outside of the classroom? I think I appreciate what this looks like within the classroom and understand how we might foster a culture of thinking and inquiry outside of the classroom, but what does a ‘culture of thinking’ look like when it comes to mandated and mundane professional development? As someone who supports schools with things like timetables and reporting, what does a culture of thinking look like there?

Bookmarked Using Thinking Routines: 10 Ways You Can Die by Written By RON RITCHHART (ronritchhart.com)

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the various missteps, impediments, and mindsets that might stand in the way of both individual and school wide progress in making thinking visible. I this process, my thoughts returned to an article my colleague Jal Mehta wrote back in 2016 entitled:  Deeper Learn…

Ron Ritchhart provides a list of ways to help thinking routines to succeed. This includes using thinking routines in your own learning, respecting that thinking leads to learning, and appreciating that they are a part of a larger agenda.
Bookmarked

Carole Geneix summarises how visible thinking can be integrated within online learning.
Bookmarked Digital Portfolios . . . Making the Learning Visible (Teaching and Learning With Heart)

As promised, here is my second post about Making Learning Visible and Digital Portfolios . . . Forgive me for any technical problems, or the lack of digital craftsmanship; I am still learning.

Kelli Vogstad share how here school uses Freshgrade to support pedagogical documentation. She shares the four types of documentation that she uses:

  • Two of the Same
  • Showing the Knowing
  • Celebrating the Learning
  • Communicating the How and Whys

Although Vogstad focuses on Freshgrade, I think that much of this could be completed using a range of applications and platforms. It is also a great example of ongoing reporting.