CCOT Chapter 1 V4

CHAPTER1:ThePurposeandPromiseofSchools

CreatingCulturesofThinking:The8ForcesWeMustMastertoTrulyTransformOurSchoolsbyRonRitchhart(2012)

D R A F T : NO T F O R C I R CU L A T I ON W I T HOUT P E RM I S S I ON

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Chapter1:ThePurposeandPromiseofSchoolsHowdowetalkaboutthevalueofschool?Howdowedefinethemeaningofaqualityeducation?Thevalueofschoolhastraditionallybeenmeasuredintermofresultsgradesonexams,projects,andessaysdesignedbyteacherstomatch the taught curriculumanddutifully recorded in report cards senthometoparentseachterm.Overthelasttwodecades,thesekindsofresultshavelostgroundtoexternalmeasures:standardizedteststhatallowfortheeasy ranking and comparison of students across disparate settings.Increasingly, these have become the markers of quality, the measures bywhich we assess progress, and the outcome teachers are teaching for,studentsareworkingtoward,andthatparentsexpect.Butisthisreallywhywesendourchildrentoschool?Isthistrulythegoalofeducationtowhichwecollectivelyaspire?CommentingoneducationreforminabacktoschoolissueofTheNewYorkTimesMagazine,historianDianeRavitchstated,Thesinglebiggestproblemineducationisthatnooneagreesonwhyweeducate.Facedwiththislackofconsensus, policy makers define good education as higher test scores(Lindgren 2009). Although the definitions of policymakers surelymatter,theyarenotthefinalarbitersinthisdebate. Policyisultimatelyshapedbysocietal, organizational, parental, and studentheld definitions of good, orgreator any adjective we use to define exceptional quality. Thesedefinitionsestablishthebroadercontextinwhichschoolsoperate.Itistheseconversations about quality that give rise to the standards that shape thelives of teachers and students, and that defines the outcome to which alleffortsmustbealigned. Wemustchangethewaywetalkabouteducation.AsElliotEisner(Eisner2003)hassaid,As long as schools treat test scores as the major proxies for student achievement and educational quality, we will have a hard time refocusing our attention on what really matters in education. Ultimately,ourdefinitionof agreatschoolorqualityeducationmattersbecause itwilldefinewhatwegive timetoandwhatbecomesapriority inthedaytoday lifeof theclassroom. Itwillshapeourexpectationsofwhatschoolscancontributetoourlivesandtooursociety.Inshort,ourdefinitionof what makes a quality education shapes our aspirations as parents,educators, and as a society at large. So, yes, itmatters howwe talk aboutschoolinganditspurpose.Itmattershowthesocietytalkstoitspoliticians,how policymakers talk to themedia, how principals talk to teachers, how




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teacherstalktostudents,andhowparentstalktotheirchildren. Itmattersbecauseourtalkshapesourfocusandourfocusdirectsourenergies,whichwillshapeouractions.ThinkingDifferentlyaboutOutcomesTohelpus thinkaboutwhatmakesaqualityeducationand thepurposeofschooling inoursociety, try thissimplethoughtexperiment. WhenIspeakwith groups around theworld, be it parents, teachers, or administrators, Ioftenbeginbyposingthequestion:Whatdoyouwantthechildrenyouteachto be like as adults? Although I use the word teach, I mean this in thebroadestsenseofeducating,sothatitappliestoparentsandadministratorsaswellas teachers. Whenspeaking toparents I stress that Iwant themtothinkaboutall thestudentsat theschool,not just theirownchildren. Thisensuresthattheyconsideroutcomesasamemberofsocietywhohasamuchbroader stake in the outcomes of education. Take a moment now andconsider how youwould respond to this question. What do youwant thechildrenweareteachinginourschoolstobelikeasadults?Frequently,Ihavepeopleengagewiththisquestionbyusingaroutinecalledthe Chalk Talk (Ritchhart, Church et al. 2011). In this routine, individualsshare their thoughts silently by recording them on large sheets of chartpaper.Asindividualsshareideas,theyreadandrespondtothewrittenideasof others by making comments, raising questions, asking for elaboration,making connections between comments, and so on. At the end of tenminutes,wehaveaveryrichimageofthekindofstudentwe,thecollectivemembers of this particular group, want to graduate from our schools.Someonewho is curious, engaged, able topersevere, empathetic,willing totake risks and try new things, a go getter, able to problem solve, creative,passionateaboutsomething,a listener,openminded,healthy,committedtothecommunity,respectful,analytical, inquisitive,a life longlearner,anavidreader, being a critical consumer, helpful, compassionate, able to take aglobalview,willing to learn fromtheirmistakes,collaborative, imaginative,enthusiastic,adaptable,abletoaskgoodquestions,abletoconnect,healthy,wellrounded,acriticalthinker.Andthelistgoesonwithmuchelaboration,explanation,andassortedarrowsconnectingthevariousqualities.What is interesting about the lists and charts created by these disparategroupsallover theworld ishowsimilar theyare. Itmatters littlewhetherthe group is from a suburban district of Detroit, an all boys school inMelbourne, a gathering of teachers from international schools in Europe, a




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consortiumofcharterschools,oranurbanhighschoolinNewYorkCity.Thesamesetsofqualitiestendtoappearoverandoveragain.Thereisoftenanemphasis on attributes that drive learning: curiosity, inquisitiveness,questioning. And those that facilitate innovation: creativity, problemsolving, risk taking, imagination, and inquisitiveness. There are the skillsneeded to work and get along with others: collaborative, empathetic,listening,helpful.Andthosethatsupporttheabilitytodealwithcomplexity:analysis,makingconnections,critical thinking. Andusually thereare thosethat situate the learning in the world as a global citizen, a member of acommunity, someone aware of their impact on the environment, able tocommunicate.Youllnoticetherearefewtraditionalacademicskillsmentioned. Doesthatmean they arent important? Of course not. Its just that they do notadequatelydefinethekindofstudentswecollectivelyhopetosendintotheworld. Nor do they define the kind of employee business and industry islookingtohireinthe21stcentury.Inasurveyof400businessesacrosstheUnitedStatesconductedbyaconsortiumofhumanresource,education,andcorporate entities (Partnership_for_21st_Century_Skills 2006); employerswere asked to rank the skills theywere looking for in potential applicantsfromalistthatincludedbothacademicandappliedskills.Appliedskillssuchas professionalism,work ethic, collaboration, communication, ethics, socialresponsibility, critical thinking, and problem solving topped the list overmoretraditionalacademicpreparedness.Onlywhenitcametothehiringofrecenthighschoolstudentsdidasingletraditionalacademicsubject,readingcomprehension, make the top five (it was ranked 5th) in terms of itsimportance. This list from employers, mirrors the qualities TonyWagnerheard from his interviews with business leaders (Wagner 2008). Wagnerdistilled these intowhathecallssevensurvivalskills: critical thinkingandproblem solving, collaboration, agility and adaptability, initiative andentrepreneurialism,communicationskills,theabilitytoanalyzeinformation,andcuriosityandimagination.It could be argued that businesses assume a high level of basic skills andknowledgeasagivenandarethusonlyidentifyingtheseappliedskillsastheicingonthecake.Perhaps,thoughintheAreTheyReallyReadytoWork?report mentioned above this appears not to be the case. Prospectiveemployersrecognizeddeficienciesinacademicskills,yetstillrankedappliedskillsasbothbeingmoreimportantandevenmorelackinginapplicantsthenwasacademicpreparedness.Onecrossovercategorytoppedthelistintermsofdeficiency. Writing inEnglishwas identifiedasdeficientamong72%of




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applicants,anditsappliedskillcorollary,writtencommunication,asdeficientamong80.9%ofapplicants.Afterthattheskills,bothappliedandacademic,listedasmostdeficientwere(inorder):leadership,professionalism,criticalthinking and problem solving, foreign languages, selfdirection, creativity,mathematics,andoralcommunication. Alloftheseskillswereidentifiedasdeficientinmorethan50%ofapplicants.Youcanseefromthislistthattheapplied skills were deemed both more important and more likely to belacking. Perhaps, the biggest take away, is that applied skills are notconsidered an addon, but rather an integral part of workplacepreparedness.The goal of cultivating a lifelong skill set that propels innovation andinvention is championed internationally as well. In a 2011 study of theeducational practices of the top performing countries as measured by theProgramme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Marc Tuckerreported that one cannothelpbutbe struckby theattention that isbeinggiventoachievingclarityandconsensusonthegoalsforeducationinthosecountries(Tucker2011). Hisgroup,theNationalCenteronEducationandtheEconomy,foundaconcern,particularlyamongAsiancountries,withthedevelopmentofcognitiveskillsaswellasnoncognitiveskillsthatfacilitatedboth global competitiveness and personal fulfillment. This sentiment iscaptured in remarks made by Singapores minister of education in 2002,TharmanShanmugaratnam,inwhichhedescribedasatopprioritytheneedforSingaporeanstudentstodevelopawillingnesstokeeplearning,andanability to experiment, innovate, and take risks (Borja 2004). Likewise,ChinasCentralCommitteestatedthateducationinthecountrymustbegintoemphasizesowingstudentscreativityandpracticalabilitiesover instillingan ability to achieve certain test scores and recite rote knowledge (Zhao2006).Thequalities I consistently hear as important to teachers andparents, likethoseemergingfromtheworldofwork,arebeingcalledforbyothersourcesaswell. In2002, in thebook Intellectual Character, I reviewed the call forhabits of mind, intellectual passions, and thinking dispositions beingchampioned from various circles and found agreement around six broadcharacteristics:curiosity,openmindedness,beingstrategic,havingahealthyskepticism, being a truth seeker, and being metacognitive. The learnerprofile of the International Baccalaureate promotes students as inquirers,thinkers,communicators,risktakers,openminded,reflective,wellbalanced,caring, principled, and knowledgeable. Likewise, the Building Learning




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Power initiative (Claxton, Chambers et al. 2011) seeks to develop a set ofsome twenty learning capacities around reflectiveness, resourcefulness,reciprocity/collaboration, and resilience that are quite similar to many ofthose already mentioned. Philosophers recognize these traits asencompassingasetof intellectualvirtues. Onceagain, themoretraditionalacademic skills thatmakeup the standardized tests, define our graduationrequirements,andserveasgatekeepersforuniversityentrancedontappearexplicitlyontheselists.Andso,anewvisionofwhataqualityeducationisandwhatitshouldofferarisesfromthedata.Althoughahostofdifferentvocabularyisusedandthetraits parsed slightly differently, what emerges is a rich portrait of thestudent as an engaged and active thinker able to communicate, innovate,collaborate,andproblemsolve. Ratherthanadiscretesetofknowledgethateach studentmust possess, we see the broad characteristics thatmotivatelearningandleadtothegenerationofuseableknowledgeasthetraitsmostimportant to develop. Somemight say this is the profile of a 21st Centurylearner(TrillingandFadel2009),othersmightseeitaswhatitmeanstobeawellrounded citizen (Arnstine 1995; Meier 2003), still others mightincorporate thisdefinitionaspartof global competency (BoixMansillaandJackson2011).Ichoosetoseethisportraitofastudentasthevisionofwhataqualityeducationaffords.Thisiswhatwemustbeteachingforandtryingto achieve for every student. The big questions then are: How dowe getthere;howdowerealizethisvision?Howareourschoolsdoingcurrentlyinproducingthisvisionofstudentsasthinkers?Whataretheforceswemustmarshalandmastertotrulytransformourschools?ThesearethequestionsIwilltakeupinthisbook.TeachingasEnculturationThe qualities found in the various lists above reflective, imaginative,curious, creative, and so onare often classified as dispositions. Adisposition is an enduring characteristic or trait of a person that serves tomotivate behavior. When we say a person is curious, a particulardispositionalattribute, it isbecauseweseeapatternofbehaviorsuchas,questioning,exploring,probing,andsoonemanatingfromthatpersonovertimeandacrosscircumstancesthatrelatestothatparticulardisposition.Ourdispositions define who we are as people, as thinkers, as learners. Inpreviouswritings,Ivearguedthatthedispositionsthatdefineusasthinkersmakeupourintellectualcharacter(Ritchhart,2002).




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Wemightthinkaboutthesedispositionsnotonlyintermsoftheoutcomesofaqualityeducation,but,toborrowaphrasefromTedSizer,astheresidualsofeducation.Thatistosay,whatisleftoverafterallthethingswepracticedandmemorizedfortestsarelongforgotten.Whatstayswithuslongafterwehavelefttheclassroom?SpeakingattheSaveOurSchoolsrallyin2011,MattDamonhighlightedtheimportanceoftheseresidualssaying,AsIlookatmylifetoday,thethingsIvaluemostaboutmyselfmyimagination,myloveofacting,mypassionforwriting,myloveoflearning,mycuriosityallcomefromhowIwasparentedandtaught.AndnoneofthesequalitiesthatIvejustmentionednoneofthesequalitiesthatIprizesodeeply,thathavebroughtmesomuchjoy,thathavebroughtmesomuchprofessionalsuccessnoneofthesequalitiesthatmakemewhoIam...canbetested.The thing about these dispositions, even though they are manifest in theexhibitionofspecificskillsandactions,isthattheycannotbedirectlytaughtor directly tested. Think about it. It would be absurd to teach a unit oncuriosity or risk taking or collaboration and then to give amultiplechoicetesttoassessstudentsdevelopment.Sure,studentsmightlearnaboutthedisposition, but they would be unlikely to develop the disposition itself.Rather these qualities, these dispositions, have to be developed over time.Theymustbenurturedacrossavarietyofcircumstancessothattheybecomeengrained and are likely to emerge when the situation calls for them.Dispositions must be enculturated, that is, learned through immersion in aculture.OneofRussianpsychologistLevVygotskysmostfamousquotesis,Childrengrowintotheintellectual lifeofthosearoundthem(Vygotsky1978). Thisstatement beautifully captures what enculturation means. It meanssurrounding the childwith thekindof intellectual life,mental activity, andprocesses of learning to which we want them to grow accustomed. Itsuggests that learning to learn is an apprenticeship in which we dont somuch learn from others aswe learnwith others in themidst of authenticactivities. Ifwe take Vygotskys quote to heart, thenwemust take a hardlookatourhomes,schools,andclassroomsandaskourselvesaboutthekindofintellectuallifewithwhichwearesurroundingourchildren?Whatkindsof models do they see? What kinds of opportunities do they experience?Whatkindsofthinkingarebeingvalued,privileged,andpromotedonadaytodaybasis?




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CultureastheEnactmentofaStoryParents play an important role in building character, both intellectual andmoral,andenculturatingdispositionsintheirchildren.Parentsarethefirstandmostimportantmodelsforchildren.Aparentsvaluesanddispositionsare regularly on display and their behaviors are the ones a childwill firstimitate. At the same time, when it comes to the dispositions related tothinkingand learning,schoolsplayaprivilegedrole insociety. Schoolsaredesignedasplacesof learningandsosend importantmessagesaboutwhatlearningis,howithappens,andwhatkindsoflearningareofvalue.Eachandeveryday,yearinandyearout,studentsarebeingatoldastoryoflearning.Enculturation isaprocessofgradually internalizingthemessages&values,the story being told, that one repeatedly experiences through interactionwiththeexternal,socialenvironment.This internalizationtakestimeasweidentify the messages and values that are consistent and recurring in ourenvironment.This notion of culture as a story we tell is a metaphor that I have beenemployinginmyworkwithschoolsandorganizationsforanumberofyears.ItwasfirstpresentedtomeinthebookIshmael.Inthenovel,authorDanielQuinninvitesreaderstobeapartofdialogbetweenaskilledteacherandaskepticalbutwillingstudentaroundtheverynatureoftheroleofhumansontheplanet.Thefactthattheteacher,Ishmael,isagorillaeagertopassonhisacquired wisdom about the human race through telepathy adds a bit of atwisttothings.EarlyonIshmaellaysoutsomedefinitionsthatwillbekeytothe dialog, in particular that of culture. He defines culture as a group ofpeopleenactingastoryandsaysthattoenactastoryistolivesoastomakethestorya reality. For thepurposesof thenovel, thestorybeingenactedconcernstherelationshipbetweenman,theword,andthegods.Drawingonthismetaphor,Idefinethecultureofschoolsasagroupofpeopleenactingastory. Thestoryconcerns therelationshipbetween teachers, students,andthe act learning. Everyone is a player in this story, acting in a way thatreinforcesthestoryandmakesitreality.The idea that culture can be transmitted through story telling and thereinforcementofkey ideasandvalueshas longbeenrecognized. Likewise,theideathataculturesendsmessagesaboutwhatisvaluedandworthwhilethroughitsuseoftraditions,behaviors,symbolicconduct,andothermeansisalsogenerallywellunderstood. CarolynTaylor(Taylor2005),writingforabusiness audience, takes this idea a step further, saying that, culturemanagement is about message management. If you can find, and change,




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enoughofthesourcesofthesemessages,youwillchangetheculture(p.7).Clearly, the roleofmessages in revealingandshapingculture is important.However,itistheselfreinforcing,continualconstructionofculturethroughthedynamicenactmentofbothindividualandcollectivevaluesthatIfindsopowerful.Thisperspectiveonthepowerofthestoryinthemakingcanhelpus to understand the symbiotic role every participant plays in creatingcultureaswellastheprivilegedroleleadersplay.Tounderstandthecultureofaschoolorclassroomthen,weneedtolookatwhat story about learning they are telling. Beliefs, messages, values,behaviors, traditions, routines, and so on are not the culture itself, but aresignificant indicators of culture to the extent they reinforce the core storybeing told. Theyare themeansbywhichwe identify thestoryof learning.With this in mind, there are three stories of learning we should examinebeforewecanlookathowtotransformculture.Thefirstistheoldstory,thatis,thestoryeachofuswastoldasastudent.Thesecondisthecurrentstorythatrevealsthestorydominantinschoolsandclassroomstoday.Thethirdisthenewstorywewanttobetelling.UncoveringtheOldStoryWeallhavedifferentexperiencesofschooling.Evenwithinanyindividualsexperience, there are different teachers and classrooms that might beenactingdifferentevencompetingstories.Acknowledgingthesedifferences,itisnonethelessusefultoindividuallyuncoverthestoryoflearningweweretold. This is as true for parents as it is for teachers, principals, classroomaides,museumeducators,orcorporatetrainers.Thestorythatweweretoldas students is most likely to influence, positively or negatively, how weinteractwithourownchildrenandstudents.Steve identifies a recurring theme from his school experience: FrommyfirstdaysinschoolIwastoldastoryofsorting,classification,andability.Wewereputinreadinggroupsanditwasn'thardtofigureoutwhohadtherightstuffandwhowasstruggling.Attheendof1stgradeIexperiencedanotherkindof sorting, being left back. I didn'tmake the grade andwouldn't staywithmy peers. But for some reason the next year Iwas still in that lowreadinggroup.Andsoitwentupthroughmiddleschoolandbeingplacedinshopclassandtheninhighschoolinthevocationaltrack. TherewasnevertalkaboutwhatIwanted,justimposedsortingandclassifying.Jasonrecallshiselementaryexperiencesmostvividly,Irememberschoolasbeingasilentplace,atleastforme.Wewerentallowedtotalk. OnetimeI




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recalltheteacheraskingme,Whyareyoutalking?Yourworkisntdone.Irememberthinkinghowstrangeitwastolinktalkingwithbeingdonewithmywork. Iwasaslowworker. Iwasneverdonewithmyworkearly. Sothatmeantnevertalking.Ofcourse,recesswasmyoutlet.Thatwasrealforme.Theclassroomwasnt.ItwasapivotalexperienceinjustoneclassthatleftabigmarkonRuth. Irememberoneparticularalgebraclass. Algebrawasnewanddifferent,andfor me exciting. I liked the puzzle aspect of it, and it was much moreinterestingthanjustdoingsums.Onedayinclasstheteacherwasexplainingadifficultproblem,and I rememberbeing totallyengrossed in theproblemandtryingtofigureoutwhyhewasdoingitthewayhewaswhenitseemedlikethereshouldbeanotherway.Myway.IkeptpuzzlingoverituntilIwasconvincedIwasright. Mywaydidwork. Iworkedupthecouragetoraisemy hand to ask about it. The teacher said he had already answered thatquestion. Wasnt I listening? From that day on I never asked anotherquestioninthatclassandIlostmyinterestinmath,eventhoughIwasgoodatit.IguessthemessageIgotwasschoolwasaboutlisteningtotheteacher,notfiguringthingsoutforyourself.ForNicole, the story of learning shewas told is a familiar one. Itwas allabout the grades and pleasing the teacher. Iwas good at that, but I dontreallyfeellikeIlearnedallthatmuch.Iplayedthesystemandgotrewardedfor it. I used grades to keep score. A similar theme comes up in Maxsaccount, It seemed to be all about speed. I remember timed tests, andspelling bees, and everything always having a time limit. If you got doneearly it meant you were smart. First hand up to answer the teachersquestion?Smart.Iguessitwaslikeacompetition.DistanceandexclusionwerethemesforMarcella.Mylanguageandculturewerentrepresentedorevenacknowledgedinmyschool. WeweretoldwewerenottospeakSpanish.Ofcourse,amongmyfriendswedid,butwehadtobecarefulnottogetcaught.Eveninsimplethingslikeaskingforhelporchattingbetweenclasseswewere to speak inEnglish. It sent themessagethat something was wrong with our home language. That school was aforeignplacewewerevisitingratherthanaplaceinwhichwewereincluded.Wecouldonlygetasmallbitof the instructionat firstandsowerealwaysstruggling,whichsentthemessagewewerentgoodlearners.These are just a few accounts of old stories of learning that were told.Maybe they resonate with your school experience. The themes of these




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stories are powerful and pointed: that school is a sortingmechanism, thatyou either fit or you dont, that there is not a place for dialog andconversation, that learning requires individualized seatwork and practice,thatlearningiscompetitiveversuscooperative,thatbeingfastmeansyouaresmart, that there isnoroomforquestioning, thatgetting thegrade iswhatlearning is all about. These themes shape students experience and framehowtheycometoviewlearning,andinsomecasesdistortwhattruelearningis.Although the stories presented above arent particularly positive, I dontmeantosuggest that this isalwaysthecase. WhenIaskgroupsofparentsandeducatorstosharethestoriesoflearningtheyencounteredasstudents,Iinvariably hear a story like Antonias: I remembermy 5th grade teacher.Shewaspassionateaboutlearningandsoexcited.Shewasalwaystellingusstories about new things or places she had been. It was contagious. Youwanted to learn because you wanted to be a part of her world. Have aconversation with her. That has always stayed with me. She was a bigreason I became a teacher. As parents and educators, we should neverforget the power of the individual to make a difference and often totransformnegative,unproductive,anddemoralizingstoriesof learning intopositiveones.Atthesametime,asasociety,adistrict,oraschoolweneedtoexamine thedominant story students and teachers are enacting. What arethemessagesaboutlearningandthinkingweareimpartingovertime?TakingaHardLookattheCurrentStoryAlthough students arent always the best evaluators of their longtermeducational needs, they can be excellent barometers of the focus ofinstructionand itsmeaningfulness to them. Theyknowwhentheyareandarenotbeingintellectuallyengaged,andtheyarequiteadeptatrecognizingwhentheyaretrulylearninganddevelopingashumanbeings. It isintheirvoicesthatwewillfindthecurrentstoryoflearningbeingtoldinourschools.Bringing students into the conversation about outcomes and purpose isimportantforallschoolsandteachersasithelpstodevelopasharedmissionthat all canwork toward. TheBuildingLearningPower initiative (Claxton,2011)inBritainincludesstudentsintheregularauditsofclassroomstohelplook for the kinds of thinking the school says it values. MasadaCollege inSydney,AustraliaalsoengagesitsstudentsasplanningpartoftheCulturesofThinkinginitiativethere.Suggestionsonhowtoelicitstudentsperceptionsofthelearningtheyareencounteringtobetteruncoverthestoryoflearninginyourclassroomandatyourschoolcanbefoundattheendofthischapter.




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Like never before in history, students around the world are making theirvoicesheardandtalkingaboutthestoryoflearningtheyareexperiencingbyusingsocialmedia,blogs,YouTube,andInternetnewssites. NikhilGoyal,asixteenyearoldstudentatSyossetHighSchoolinNewYork,wroteanarticleforTheHuffingtonPostabouthowafocusontestpreparationhashijackedclassroom learning and expressing the need to focusmore on creativity,imagination, discovery, and projectbased learning (Goyal 2011). In hisYouTubevideoentitled, OpenLetter toEducators,universitystudentDanBrowndiscusseswhyhedecided todropoutof a systemdedicatedalmostsolely to imparting information over stoking creativity and innovationbecause my schooling was interfering withmy education (Brown 2010).Cultural anthropologist Michael Wesch (Wesch 2008) has labeled this acrisis of significance in which education has become a relativelymeaningless game of grades more than an important and meaningfulexplorationof theworld inwhichwe liveandcocreate(p.5).HecapturedthisdisconnectintheYouTubevideo,AVisionofStudentsToday,featuringhisownstudentsatKansasStateUniversity.At Teenink.com, Sophia W. (W. 2011) writes a scathing article aboutAdvanced Placement course in which she renames them as AbsolutelyPreposterous Weapons of Mass Instruction, decrying how these coursesonly teach studentswhat to think, not how to think, and serve to distancestudents from their own ideas, opinions, creativity, and reason. SophiasrantaboutthedisconnectbetweenAPcoursesandreallearningisbornoutbya2006studybyresearchersatHarvardUniversityandtheUniversityofVirginia that found AP science courses do not significantly contribute tosuccessincollege(Bradt2006). Instead,thestudyfoundafocusontheindepthstudyofafewtopics,ratherthanthecoverageapproachoftheAP,wasa better indicator of university success in science. The very thing beingpromotedaspreparingstudentsforcollegeisnt.Thestoryoflearningemergingfromthesevoicesisthatschoolcanbemindnumbingandirrelevant,focusingmostlyonmemorization. Ofcourse,thesevoices belong to those speaking out in very public forums to expressdiscontent and frustration. It is reasonable to ask how typical they are ofwhat most students experience. These same themes can be found in themuchmorerepresentativeGallupYouthSurvey(Lyons2004).Inthissurvey,middleandhighschoolstudentswereaskedtoselectthreewordsfromalistof adjectives to describe how they usually feel in school. Topping the list,50%ofthestudentschosethewordbored.Insecondplacewastiredwith42%.HappyandChallengedwerenextwith31%,abitmorehopefuland




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positive to be sure. However, it should be noted that studentsweremorelikely to choose positive adjectives if they selfidentified as being aboveaverageofnearthetop, indicatingthatthestoryof learningstudentsareencounteringmaydifferbyability.Onecanalsoseethissamepatternofexperienceinthefindingsofoneofthelargest longitudinal studiesofhowstudentsexperienceelementary schoolsconductedbytheNationalInstituteofChildHealthandHumanDevelopment(Pianta, Belsky et al. 2007; Pianta, Belsky et al. 2007). The ongoing studyinvolvesclassroomobservationsof1364studentsastheyprogressthroughschool to assess the type of instruction they experience. Themost recentassessment of students fifthgrade year involved 956 students (somestudents dropped out of the study) enrolled in 737 classrooms distributedacross502schools(bothpublicandprivate)in302districts(mostlymiddleclass) in33different states. Taking just the fifth gradeobservations as anexample, itwas found that58%of students timewas spentonbasic skillslearning and less than13%onhigher level learning involving analysis andinference. Furthermore, less than 5% of the instructional time involvedcollaborative work and less than 1% of the observed class episodes(approximately six hours in each classroom) were classified as instanceswhere studentswere highly engaged. The image that emerges from theseclassroomsissimilartothatexpressedbyDanielPink(Pink2012)inwhichhesaysthattoooftenthegoodkidsarecompliant,thesocalledbadkidsaredefiant,butnooneisengaged.Onemight expect things to getbetter as studentsprogress through school,but the evidence says otherwise. The Collegiate Learning Assessmenttracked2,300studentsthroughtheiruniversityexperienceat24schools inthe United States and found that just slightly more than half (55%) ofstudents showed any significant improvement in key measures of criticalthinking,complexreasoningandwritingbytheendoftheirsophomoreyears(Gorski 2011). These statistics only improved slightly by the end of fouryearswith64%demonstratingimprovementonthesemeasures.Thestudyfound the overall school experience for students was similar to thosereported by Michael Weschs students in his YouTube video in which thereading isnt relevant, little writing is done, and lectures dispenseinformationbutdontaskstudentstothink(Wesch2007). AsUniversityofMissourifreshmanJuliaRheineckerstated,MostofwhatIlearnedthisyearIalreadyhadinhighschoolIjusthaventfoundmyselfpushingasmuchasIexpected(Gorski2011).




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Itmayseemfromthesereportsthatthereisntmuchofadifferencebetweenthe old story many of us experienced and the current story with theemphasis on rote learning, grades, and in many cases an irrelevantcurriculum.However,somearearguingthatthecurrentemphasisontestingand accountability is actually leading schools to diminish studentsopportunity rather than enhance it (Meier 2003; Ritchhart 2004; Wagner2008; Rose 2009; Zhao 2009; Ravitch 2011). What is being created is atestingcultureratherthanalearningcultureinwhichweseescoresontestsgoing up but learning, understanding, and engagement actually decreasing(Shepard2000).Although we dont have good historical data to make such a comparison,there is evidence that current educational policies do in fact have aninhibiting rolewhen it comes toopeningup learning,promoting creativity,andpromotingthinking.Ina20002001surveybytheNationalEducationalAssociation, sixtyone percent of public school teachers said that testingstifles real teaching and learning (NEA 2003). This survey predated theimplementationof theNoChildLeftBehindreform,whichmandatedmuchmore testing. In their book, Imagination First, Eric Liu and Scott NoppeBrandon (Liu and NoppeBrandon 2009) note how the test culture haswarped our perspective of what it means to educate, Too many publicschool focusonthemeasurabletotheexclusionofthepossible.Asaresult,toomany students end up better prepared for taking tests than for beingskillful learnings in theworld beyond school. In theUnitedKingdom, thefocus on the National Curriclum has made it harder for teachers to bringenthusiasm,creativity, thinkinganda responsivecurriculumtostudentsasteachers struggle with the increasing standardization, centralization, andvocationalfocusofeducation(Robinson1999;Maisuria2005;Lipsett2008;Wagner2008;Claxton,Chambersetal.2011).AsAustraliabeganitsmovetowardaNationalCurriculumanditsassociatedtesting,policymakerslookedattheimpactsimilarreformeffortshadintheUSandUK.Oneanalysisconcluded,Fullcohort[allstudentssystemwide]tests encouragemethods of teaching that promote shallow and superficiallearning rather than deep conceptual understanding and the kinds ofcomplex knowledge and skills needed in modern, informationbasedsocieties(QSA2009). Nonetheless,policymakersenamoredwithnotionsof accountability, value added, and measurable results seem poised toimposeatestingpolicythatmirrorsallthefailedaspectsofthoseimposedin




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theUSAandUK,ignoringthemountingevidencethatsuchtestingwarpsanddistortsthestoryoflearningforbothteachersandstudents.Nikhil Goyal, mentioned above, talked about classrooms as testprepfactories.Indeed,theCenterforEducationalPolicyfoundthatsince200102most school districts in the United States, 84%, had made changes tocurriculumandtheallocationofinstructionaltimetofocusontestedcontent(McMurrer2007).TonyWagner,authorofTheGlobalAchievementGap,hasvisited classrooms in some of the best public and private schools in theUnited States. In these learning walks, Wagners goal is to assess theintellectualchallengebeingofferedtostudents.Intypicallearningwalks,hefindsthatlittletimeisspentonactivitiesthatrequirehigherorderthinkingandthatteachersrarelyaskquestionsinvolvingmorethanrecall.Heisluckytovisitasingleclassoutofadozenwhereallstudentsareactivelyengagedand thinking. Inmy own research groups study of teacher questioning instandardsbased classrooms in the United Kingdom, defined as classroomswhere teachers deliver instruction based onmeeting specific objectives asdelineatedinanexternallyprescribedcurriculum,wefoundthatthemajorityofteachersquestions,58%,wereeitherofaproceduralnatureorfocusedonreviewing content. Just 10% were designed to push, probe and facilitatestudents thinking. In Jo Boalars study of traditional high schoolmathematics classes in both the US, she found that virtually all, 97%, ofquestionsinvolvedrecallandreview(BoalerandBrodie2004).Severalthemesareemergingfromthesedisparateaccounts:thatlearninginschoolsisoftenboring,largelyentailsmemorizingandrepeatingfacts,rarelydemands that students think, and is generally an isolated exercise. Thesethemes are given much of their traction, life, and longevity by anothercommonstorythread:competition.Theideathatlearningisacompetitiverather than collaborative venture is practically baked into our system ofeducationinwhichrankings,GPAs,andexamscoresareusedasmeasuresofaccomplishmentandcriteria foradmissions touniversityprograms. In thedocumentaryRacetoNowhere,theeffectsofthiscompetitiononstudentsisexplored in termsof the stress,disengagement, alienation, cheating, lossofcreativity,andoverallmentalhealthissuesit inducesinmanyofthosewhochoose to buy in and the high drop out rates that result when studentschoosenottobuyinorfindthemselveslockedoutbythetestingculture.Thedocumentarygivesvoicetostudents,mostlyfromhighlycompetitivepublicand private schools, who feel that grades and scores have become thepurpose of school rather than learning. Inspired by her own daughters




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stress induced illness, documentary director Vicki H. Abeles, has issued awakeupcallforschoolstochangethestoryoflearningtheyareenacting.AnotherwakeupcallwasissuedbySirKenRobinsoninhiswidelypopularTED Conference talk (viewed by over 200 million people), Bring on theLearningRevolution.Inhisaddress,Robinsonstressestheurgentneedfornurturing human potential on an individualized basis as an educationaloutcome,athemethatemergedfromhiscommitteesreporttotheSecretaryof State for Education and Employment in the United Kingdom (Robinson1999).TotheTEDaudience,Robinsonspeaksabout thisneedasacrisisofhumanresourcesbeingbroughtaboutbyaneducationthatdislocatespeoplefrom their natural talents rather than helping them identify and developthem.Helaystheblameforthisdislocationanddeathonthedominantstoryof learning being told in our schools today. Specifically he identifies twostorythemes:linearityandconformity. Schoolspresentlearningasatrackthat studentsareplacedonwith theendgoaloftenbeingattendingagoodcollege.However,thislinearviewofeducationignorestheorganicnatureoflearning and human development. This linearity also leads us to seeingeducationasacompetitiontoreachthatendgoalfasterandbetter(attendingamoreselectivecollege)thanothers.Accompanying, and perhaps even exacerbating, the linearity Robinsonidentifiesisthethemeofconformity;theideathatwecanhaveaonesizefitsallsystemofeducation.Oneseesthisplayingoutintheincreasingcallsforstandardization of curriculum, tests, and teaching. Robinson (Robinson2006)saysthatwehavesoldourselvesintoafastfoodmodelofeducationand it is impoverishingourspiritsandourenergiesasmuchas fast food isdepleting our physical bodies. Instead of accepting the belief that qualitycomes from conformity, he suggests we attain such high quality when westriveforcustomizationoverstandardization.Thisfocusonconformitykillscreativityandimagination,Robinsonargues.Thisismorethanamerebelief,however. A reviewof almost300,000scoresof childrenandadultson theTorrance Creativity Test, reveals a steady and very significant decline inscoressincethe1990s,withthoseofAmericanelementaryschoolstudentsshowingthemostseriousdecline(BronsonandMerryman2010).Aswithourreviewoftheoldstory,thisexaminationofthecurrentstoryhasto be considered as only a partial view. Certainly there are schools andclassrooms tellingadifferent,moreengaging, andmore thoughtful storyoflearning. HavingworkedwithDisneysAmericanTeacherAwardsprogramand coauthored the Creative Classroom series, I know many excellent




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teachers. Im sure you also know of some excellent schools and dynamicteachers.Thatsaid,weshouldntbetooquicktopatourselvesonthebackorbecomecomplacentabouthowourstudentsareexperiencinglearninginourschoolsandclassroomsonalargerscaleandovertime.Ittakesadegreeofnerve, ambition and fortitude to steadfastly and honestlywork to uncoverthestoryoflearningoneistellingstudents.Onceuncovered,onemustthenassesshowitstacksupagainstwhatwetrulywantforourstudents.Arewein fact cultivating the kinds of adults we want our students to be? Thisalignment isnteasypreciselybecausewehaveallowed lowleveloutcomeson tests to shapeourviewofwhat aquality education is and shouldoffer.The storyof learningweare enacting also gets framed through the lensofour own experience as students. We tend to perpetuate and reinforce thestatusquobecause it is theonlystoryweknow. In thiswaythecultureofschools, the story of learning we are enacting, becomes invisible to us.However, as the large scale studies mentioned above have all found, thedominant story is not one that is serving students well or adequatelypromotingthekindsofoutcomeswesaywevalue.Therefore,wemustthinkabouttellingadifferentstoryoflearning.CraftingaDifferentStoryforSchoolsCreatinganewstoryrequiresustorethinknotonlythepurposeandvisionof education, but also to examine theway schools operate and function asdelivery agents of that vision. To change the story and achieve differentoutcomes,likethosesetforthpreviously,wemustsendnewmessagesaboutwhatlearningisandhowithappens.Craftingandsendingnewmessagesisnotaneasytask.Itrequiresustoreallywalkthetalk.Theoldstoryandoldways of doing things are quite engrained in us as students, teachers, andparents,makingiteasytofallintooldwaysofdoingthings.Inthefollowingchapterswewillfocusonhowwecanmarshalandmastertheforcesatworkwithingroupculture inaway thatwillenableus toenactadifferentstory.But first,wemustallowourselves todreamanewvisionandarticulate itsessence.All toooftenweeducatorsfinditdifficult todream. There isatendencytosee the barriers, constraints, and structures around us as impenetrablebarriers.Theresthetimetable,theexternalexams,universityentrance,50minuteinstructionalperiods,governmentmandates,annualyearlyprogressmeasures, outside inspectors, parental expectations, and so on. All thesecauseustothrowupourhandsandsay,untilthesystemchanges,thereisnothing we can do. David Jakes, an educational advocate interested in




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transforming schools through technology, also uses the storymetaphor tothink about schools and their vision. In doing so, he suggestswe need tochange our language from one of limits to one of possibilities, Creating anewstoryrequiresthattheauthororauthorsofthatnewstorycastasidethedestructiveYahButmentality,andaskWhatIf?"(Jakes2012).Letsconsiderafewwhatifsthatsuggestanewstory.Whatifschoolswerelessaboutpreparingstudentsfortestsandmoreaboutpreparingthemforalifetime of learning? What if schools measured success not by whatindividuals did on exams but by what groups were able to accomplishtogether? What if schools took the development of students intellectualcharacterastheirhighestcalling?Whatifunderstandingandapplicationofskillsandknowledgewerethegoalratherthantheacquisitionofknowledge?What if studentswere really engaged in their learning rather thanmerelycompliantintheprocessofschoolasitisdonetothem?Whatifstudentshadmore control of their learning? There is an endless array of What ifquestionswemightask tohelpusrethinkourschoolsandtodreamanewvision of education. The ones above might spark fresh thinking and richdreaming on the part of you and your colleagues as you explorewhat theimplications might be of these what ifs for teachers and students. Inaddition, you might want to identify your own what if questions, eitherindividuallyoraspartofaprofessionalgroup,forexploration.The What if? question at the core of this book is: What if we sought todevelop a culture of thinking in our schools, classrooms,museums,meetings,and organizations? Taking up the question in earnest, in a way thattransforms schools and organizations, means enacting a new story byharnessingthepowerof the forcesthatshapegroupculture. Thesewillbeexploredindetailinthecomingchapters.However,beforewejumpintothehow,weneedtobeabitmoreclarityaroundourstory.Justwhatisitwearetryingtoaccomplish? Onlywhenweareclearaboutthecoremessageswewish to sendcanwehope tocapture theessenceof this story inawaythatwecantellittoourselvesoverandoveragainuntilitbecomestheveryheartofournewvision.In this story, our schools, classrooms, and organizations become places inwhichagroupscollective,aswellasindividual,thinkingisvalued,visibleandactively promoted as part of the regular, daytoday experience of all groupmembers.Thisisthebeatingheartofourstory.Wemuststrivetoconstantlymake thinkingvalued,visible, andactivelypromoted inallour interactionswith learners, as part of the lessons we design, central in the assessment




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process,partandparcelofourinstruction,andgenerallyintegratedinallwedo.Eachofthesecoreactionsmakingthinkingvalued,visible,andactivelypromotedneedsabitmoreunpackingsothatweunderstandourmissionandhaveabetterideaofwhatitentails.Wemustbeginbysendingarobustmessageaboutthevalueofthinking.Ofcourse,whateducatorisgoingtosayheorshedoesntvaluethinking?Butinfact, schools send students very mixed messages about the value andimportanceofthinkingandoftenorganizationsmaybeclearaboutthetaskat hand but not always the thinking needed to accomplish it. Too oftenstudentsaresentthemessagethatmemorization is theonlytoolnecessaryforlearningandthatthereisntaplacetobringincomplications,questions,or connections fromoutside the classroom thatmightmake learningmorereal.Ifwetrulyvaluethinking,thenwemustbeabletodefinitelyarticulatewhatkindsof thinkingweareafter,whytheyare important,andhowtheymighthelpones learningoraccomplishmentof thetaskathand. Wemustcommunicatethatlearningisaconsequenceofthinking,notsomethingextrathatwetackonbutsomethinginwhichwemustactivelyengagetopromoteourownandotherslearning.Sowhatkindsof thinkingareofvalue? Whatareweafter? Naturally, thisdependsonthelearningcontext,butbroadlyspeakingwewantstudentstobecomeproficientwith the kinds of thinking they canuse to develop theirownunderstandingofthings.Forexample: Askingquestions,identifyingpuzzles,andwonderingaboutthemysteriesandimplicationsoftheobjectsandideasofstudy Making connections, comparisons and contrasts between andamong thingsincluding connections within and across thedisciplineaswellaswithonesownpriorknowledge Building ongoing and evolving explanations, interpretations,and theories based on ones ever developing knowledge andunderstanding Examining things from different perspectives and alternativepoints of view to discern bias and develop a more balancedtakeonissues,ideas,andevents. Noticing, observing, and looking closely to fully notice thedetails, nuances, and hidden aspects and to observe what is




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really going on as the foundational evidence for onesinterpretationsandtheories Identifying, gathering, and reasoningwith evidence to justifyand support ones interpretations, predictions, theories,arguments,andexplanations Being able to delve deeply to uncover the complexities andchallenges of a topic and look below the surface of things,recognizingwhenoneonlyhasasurfaceunderstanding Beingabletocapturethecoreoressenceofathingtodiscernwhatitreallyallabout.Thisisabynomeansanexhaustivelistofthinking.Iandmycolleagueshavewritten elsewhere in more detail about what might constitute effectivethinking((Ritchhart,Churchetal.2011),butthislistisagoodplacetostart.Inaddition,onecouldtakesomeofthegoals identifiedearlierandbegintounpack them for the typesof thinking theyrequire.Whatkindsof thinkingare important in problem solving? What kinds of thinking supportinnovation and creativity? What kinds of thinking are needed to be aneffectivecommunicatororadvocate?Youlllikelyfindsomeoverlapwiththelistabove,butsomenewtypesofthinkingarelikelytoemergeaswell.Onceweare clearon thekindsof thinkingweare trying to encourage,wemuststrivetomakethisveryelusiveentity,thinking,asvisibleaspossiblesothat it too can become an object of development asmuch as the concepts,knowledge,andskillsthatareamoretypicalpartofthecurriculum.Whenwe make thinking visible, we are provided a window into not only whatstudents understand but also how they are understanding it. Uncoveringstudents thinking provides evidence of students insights as well as theirmisconceptions. We need tomake thinking visible because it provides uswiththeinformationneededtoplantheopportunitiesthatcantakestudentslearningtothenextlevelandenablecontinuedengagementwiththeideasofstudy.Itisonlywhenweunderstandwhatourstudentsarethinkingthatwecanusethatknowledgetofurtherengageandsupportthemintheprocessofbuilding understanding. Thus, making students thinking visible mustbecomeanongoingcomponentofourteaching.Teachersareusedtoaskingquestionsthatuncoverstudentsknowledgeandtesttheirmemories.Individuallyandcollectively,wealsomustgetbetterat




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asking questions that probe, push, and help to uncover students thinking(Ritchhart2012).Thenweneedtolistentoourstudentssothatwecantrulyhearwhattheyhavetosay.Listeningmeanstakingavigorousandgenuineinterest in theother. Whenwedothat,studentsaresent themessagethattheir thinkingand ideasmatter, that theyarepartof theconversation, andintegral to the learning. We then can take our listening the next step anddocument students thinking so that we have a record of our collectivethinkingandourcommunitysprogresstowardunderstanding. Thisrecordbecomes one way to examine and talk about our thinking and itsdevelopment.Itisavehicleforbothcapturingandadvancinglearning.Whatismore, theveryactofdocumentingstudents thinkingsendsan importantmessageaboutitsvalueandimportance.Butwe cant stop at visibility. Wemust also seek to actively advance andpromotestudents thinking ifweare toproducestudentswhoareengagedlearnersandactivethinkersabletocommunicate,innovate,collaborate,andproblemsolve. Thismeans thatachiefgoalof instruction, rightalongsidethedevelopmentof contentunderstanding, is theadvancementof thinking.Thisdualfocus,whatGuyClaxton(Claxton,Chambersetal.2011)callssplitscreen teaching,buildsonand ismadepossibleonly throughourefforts tovaluethinkingandmakeitvisible.Itisthecompletionofourtriadicgoal.Takingthepromotionofthinkingseriouslymovesusintonewandsomewhatlesschartedterritoryformostteachers.Ontheonehand,oneadvancesanyskill through the opportunities one has to engage it. Therefore, teachersmust createopportunities for thinkingandprovide time for itnotalwaysaneasythingamidstthepressforcoveragebutanecessitynonetheless.Onthe other hand, practice alone does not ensure progress and meaningfuldevelopment.Onealsoneedsfeedbackandcoachingononespractice.Thiskindofcoachingcalls foranuanced,situated,andembeddedassessmentofstudentseffortsinthemoment.Itisanassessmentthatfeedsandspursthelearnersefforts,beingpurelyformativeinnature.I hesitate to use the word assessment in this context since it carries somuch baggage for educators. Some educators cannot get the red pen orgradebookoutoftheirmindsassoonastheyheartheword.Otherscringeatthedeadeningeffectsomanyformsofschoolbasedassessmentshaveonthe learning and teaching process, turning even the most enjoyableexploration intomerework for theteachertograde. But thesearemostassuredlynottheformsofassessmentthatarehelpfulinadvancingstudentsthinking.Weareaftertheassessmentofacoachontheplayingfield,ableto




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identifywhereaplayerisatinhisorherdevelopmentandwhatisneededtotakeperformancetothenextlevel.Thisistheskillofacoach.Itisalsotheskill of an effective teacher. Practically anyone, and increasingly anything,candispenseinformation.Reallearningisadvancedthroughthecreationofpowerful opportunities for mental engagement accompanied by thediscerningeyeandtargetedfeedbackofsomeonemoreexpertthanoneself.EnactingOurNewStory,RealizingOurVisionIn this chapter, I articulated a set of new outcomes that define a qualityeducation:thepromotionofthedispositionsneededforstudentstobecomeactivelearnersandeffectivethinkerseagerandabletocreate,innovate,andsolveproblem.Itisthisoutcomethatismostneededforsuccessintheworldtoday. Although not wholly new, it is an outcome that has enjoyed onlyperipheralattention,seldomcapturing thecoreofourattention. Toooftenpushedtothesidebyafocusonexamscoresalone. However, it isavisionthatencapsulatesourhighestcallingaseducators,representingwhatweareabletoachievewhenweallowourselvestodreamoutsideofthewellwornconstraintsoftheschoolbureaucracy. It isthestuffofpassion,energy,anddriveforbothourstudentsandus.Ithenidentifiedthevehicleneededtogetusthere:enculturation.Wemustsurroundourstudentswithan intellectual life intowhich theymightgrow.Todothis,weneedtofirstidentifyandevaluatethestoryoflearningwearecurrently telling our students through the messages we send them (someideasfordoingthatfollowattheendofthischapter).Then,wemustworktoshiftthosemessagesinordertoenculturatestudentsintoanewstoryoflearningwhere thinking isvalued,visible, andactivelypromotedaspartoftheongoing,daytodayexperienceofallgroupmembers.Wemustbecomeshapersofcultureandmessagemanagerstorealizeourvisionandtransformourschools.But, how do we shift the messages within an already established culture?How do we enact a new story of learning for both our students andourselves?Howcanweunderstandtheinsandoutsofgroupculturesothatwemayharnessitspowerandshapeittotellournewstory?ThesearethequestionswetakeupinChapter2aswedelveintoanexplorationofgroupandorganizationalculture.




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UncoveringtheStoryofYourSchoolorClassroom Using the method of the Gallup Youth Survey, create a list of 25adjectives: 10 positive (engaged, interested, curious, etc.), 5 neutral(coasting, comfortable, fine, etc.) and 10 negative (tired, bored,frustrated, etc.). Ask students anonymously to select three wordsfromthelisttodescribehowtheyusuallyfeelinschoolingeneralorin your class in particular. Include a question asking students toidentifyhow they see themselvesacademically: near the top, aboveaverage,average.Whatdoesthepatternofresponsetellyou? UsetheMyReflectionsontheLearningActivitiesinthisClasssurveyofstudents(AppendixA)toassessstudentsviewsaboutthetypesofthinking that aremost present in a particular class lesson. Howdostudentsviewsmatchwithyourown? Uncoverthemessagestheschoolsendsteachersaboutwhatitmeansto teach at your school. Have the faculty respond inwriting to theprompt: For a first year teacher beginning his/her career at ourschool,whatmessageswouldhe/shepickupaboutwhatitmeanstobeateacherhere?Whatkindsofprofessionalconversationswouldheorsherecognizeasdominatingourtime?Whatwouldheorshenoticeabouthowonedevelopsasateacheroverthecourseofhis/hercareerifonestaysat thisschool? Shareanddiscusspeoplesresponses insmall groups to identify themes, and then share them out with thelargergroup. GoonaLearningMessageWalk.Visitasmanyclassesatyourschoolas you canona givenday, stopping in each class just 510minutes.The purpose is not to evaluate teacher performance but to get ageneral feel for students experience in classes. Pay attention toengagementandparticipation.Areallstudentsparticipatingorjustafew? Note level of intellectual challenge and the teachers press forthinking. Is this justmoreof thesameordostudentsreallyhavetodig inand think? Geta feel for thediscourse in theclassroom. ArestudentsengagingandrespondingtooneanotherorisitonlyaPingPong ball dialog with the teacher? Take note of how students areworking: whole class, small groups, in pairs, or individually.




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ReferencesArnstine, D. (1995). Democracy and the arts of schooling. Albany, StateUniversityofNewYorkPress. Boaler,J.andK.Brodie(2004).Theimportance,natureandimpactofteacherquestions.PsycholgyofMathematicsEducationNorthAmerica.Toronto. BoixMansilla, V. and A. Jackson (2011). Educating for global competency:Preparingouryouthtoengagetheworld.NewYork,AsiaSociety. Borja, R. R. (2004). "Singapore's digital path." EducationWeek(TechnologyCounts). Bradt, S. (2006). High school AP courses do not predict college success inscience.HarvardUniversityGazette.Cambridge,MA,HarvardUniversity. Bronson, P. and A. Merryman (2010). "The creativity crisis." RetrievedNovemeber 1, 2010, 2010, fromhttp://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/07/10/thecreativitycrisis.print.html. Brown,D.(2010)."Anopenlettertoeducators."RetrievedJanuary25,2011,2011,fromhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2PGGeTOA4. Claxton, G., M. Chambers, et al. (2011). The learning powered school:Pioneering21scentruyeducation.Bristol,TLOLimited. Eisner, E. (2003). "Preparing for today and tomorrow." EducationalLeadership61(4):610. Gorski,R. (2011). "45%of studentsdon't learnmuch incollege."RetrievedJanuary23,2011,fromhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/18/45ofstudentsdontlearn_n_810224.html. Goyal,N.(2011)."It'stimeforalearningrevolution."RetrievedNovember1,2011, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nikhilgoyal/post_2586_b_1034887.html.




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Jakes, D. (2012). "What if? The Upshot." Retrieved February 2, 2012, fromhttp://davidjakes.com/whatiftheupshot. Lindgren,H.(2009).Howtoremakeeducation.NewYorkTimes.NewYork. Lipsett, A. (2008). National curriculum contrains teachers and pupils. TheGuardian.London,MediaLimited. Liu,E.andS.NoppeBrandon(2009).Imaginationfirst:Unlockingthepowerfopossibility.SanFrancisco,JosseyBass. Lyons,L. (2004)."Mostteensassociateschoolwithboredom, fatigue." fromhttp://www.gallup.com/poll/11893/mostteensassociateschoolboredomfatigue.aspx. Maisuria, A. (2005). "The trubulent times of creativity in the NationalCurriclum."PolicyFuturesinEducation3(2):141152. McMurrer, J. (2007). NCLB Year 5: Choices, Changes, and Challenges:Curriculum and Instruction in the NCLB Era. Washington DC, Center onEducationPolicy. Meier,D.(2003).inschoolswetrust:Creatingcommuniteisoflearninginaneraoftestingandstandardization.NewYork,BeaconPress. NEA (2003). Satus of the American public school teacher 20002001.Washington,DC,NationalEducationAssociation:384. Partnership_for_21st_Century_Skills(2006)."Aretheyreallyreadytowork?".fromhttp://www.p21.org/storage/.../FINAL_REPORT_PDF092906.pdf. Pianta, R. C., J. Belsky, et al. (2007). "Opportunities to Learn in AmericasElementaryClassrooms."Science315(March30,2007):17951796. Pianta, R. C., J. Belsky, et al. (2007). "Support online material forOpportunities to Learn in Americas Elementary Classrooms." fromhttp://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/315/5820/1795/DC1.




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CCOT Chapter 1 V4