COURSES
THINKING FOR LEARNING
A two-day course for K-12 school teachers and leaders keen to transform students' achievement and engagement by nurturing a culture of critical and creative thinking.
In this high energy and transformative course, professional learners discover how to build learning cultures where children delight in their learning, develop deep understanding, and become critical and creative thinkers.
Drawing on a broad research base, including Cultures of Thinking pedagogy from the Project Zero team at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, this course is underpinned by the belief that the acquisition of thinking skills alone is insufficient for good thinking, as learners must also have the disposition to use these abilities.
By end of this course, teachers will have reflected on their core values and beliefs as learners and educators, and will understand how to take control of shaping a culture of thinking and learning in their schools and classrooms. They will also leave the course with a suite of practical tools enabling them to foster critical and creative thinkers, in order that learners might continue to thrive in the twenty-first century in addition to achieving outstanding academic outcomes.
This courses explores question such as these:
-
How might the culture of a classroom teach?
-
What might be the role of making thinking visible?
-
What is the power of slowing down and looking closely?
-
How might teachers ensure that it is their students who are doing the thinking?
-
How do we 'do thinking' when there is so much content to cover?
-
What is the relationship between effective learning and classroom interactions?
-
What does it mean to 'live in the muddle', and how do we keep students there for longer?
-
How might we help students become curious, engaged and self-directed learners?
LEADING A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CULTURE
A two-day course for K-12 school teachers and leaders who learn how to facilitate highly effective in-school study group meetings designed to embed outstanding teaching practice and transform student learning outcomes.
In this interactive and challenging course, professional learners understand what it looks like to be an enabling leader, discovering how to build a professional learning culture which actively engages teaching colleagues in working on the issues that affect their school, their learners and themselves.
This course draws on a broad research base including Cultures of Thinking pedagogy from the Project Zero team at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and is underpinned by the belief that if schools are to be cultures of thinking for students then they must also be cultures of thinking for their teachers.
By the end of this course, professional learners will have developed the skills to lead a highly effective professional learning culture, essential if school development initiatives are to be woven into the fabric of school life and embedded in practice.
This courses explores question such as these:
-
What happens when teachers find ways of increasing the frequency and richness of professional dialogue?
-
What if teachers became expert facilitators?
-
How might schools affect lasting change?
-
What are protocols, and what is their role in building a truly collaborative professional learning culture?
-
What is the relationship between a rich professional learning culture and improved student outcomes?
-
How might schools help all teachers to become students of their own teaching?
Here's what teachers are saying about our courses:
"Highly appropriate and expertly coordinated. The course was a mind opener on how practically to achieve new heights."
"Excellent presentation. Just the right balance between Simon speaking and group discussion."
"I am going to make it my mission to actively change the culture of my classes."
"Wonderful, practical, easy-to-use approaches."
"Thank you for the opportunity of two life changing days."