PODCASTS
What is a Culture of Thinking?
We all think. But what is a culture of thinking? And if we don't have a culture of thinking, how do we go about creating one?
Questions are culture builders, linking students, teachers, and content together. How might we ask good questions that drive learning and elicit deep thinking?
How might we create the right conditions for growth for both teachers and students?
Habits of Practice for Cultures of Thinking teachers
What habits of practice might be developed by teachers who promote understanding and thinking?
An introduction to Cultures of Thinking pedagogy and practice
What is a culture of thinking? What's the difference between doing thinking and becoming thinkers? And why is Cultures of Thinking much more than just a program for implementation?
How do our EXPECTATIONS for children, ourselves and learning help shape a culture of thinking in our classrooms and schools?
In 1978, Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky explored the idea that children make sense of the world around them not only through their eyes but also through their speech. In other words, 'it is not just seeing but acting that becomes informed by words.' As educators, how might the LANGUAGE we use help children develop key learning dispositions for the future?
Most teachers feel that there just isn't enough TIME in the school day. This pressure makes it hard for some teachers to allow time for thinking, but making time for students to think actually facilitates deeper and faster coverage of the curriculum, since students develop more lasting understanding of content and become more engaged in their learning. How might we become the master of time rather than its victim?
As teachers, how do we model who we are as thinkers and learners? What is the difference between a dispositional and a cognitive apprenticeship? What impact might MODELLING have on helping students grow as thinkers and learners?
How might the replacement of low-level tasks with purposeful thinking OPPORTUNITIES be the single most productive and low-cost way of bumping-up learning in schools? What would it be like if there were no more worksheets to keep children busy? How do effective teachers create powerful learning opportunities, rich in thinking, and in service of developing deep, lasting understandings?
What are thinking ROUTINES? How are they different to activities? What's the difference between management, instructional and thinking routines? And how might the use of thinking routines support the growth of a culture of thinking?
It is in the INTERACTIONS between teachers and students that the seeds of a culture of thinking are sown. What is the role of listening and questioning in building positive classroom interactions? And what has ice cream got to do with this?
How might the physical ENVIRONMENT be leveraged in service of building a culture of thinking? What's the role of classroom layout in building a culture of thinking? How might documentation serve both as an anchor and launchpad for thinking?