In-Person Workshop

Culture is built on our values and beliefs and embedded in the messages we send. Thus, deep and lasting transformation must begin by embracing a set of beliefs about teaching, learning, and schooling that clearly center the development of students as thinkers and learners at its core. These beliefs and values constitute our mindsets. These mindsets motivate and guide our actions and provide the touchstones we need as we create places where thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted. When we scrutinize the mindsets we currently hold about teaching and learning and examine the research on promoting the development of curious, independent thinkers and learners; we position ourselves to be effective change agents who can develop a culture of thinking in our schools and classrooms.

In this workshop, we will explore:

• How can we create a culture of thinking for ourselves as educators? – Mindset #1

• How and why have the roles of teachers and students changed within the educational landscape over the years? – Mindset #3

• How can we enculturate the dispositions of powerful thinkers and learners? – Mindset #2

• How can spaces where students learn with and from one another in a supportive atmosphere? - Mindsets #4 & #6

• How can we create powerful learning opportunities that challenge, engage, and empower students? – Mindsets #7 & #9

• How can we promote, support, and advance students’ thinking? – Mindsets #5, #8, & #10

Throughout this workshop, we will look at the research behind each mindset and actively explore actions we can take to move us forward in whatever teaching and learning environment in which we find ourselves. It is precisely this combination of understanding the research and taking validating action that helps to develop our mindsets. Through minds-on, immersive activities we will experience and build a culture of thinking for ourselves while making our own thinking visible. In addition, we will explore ways to collect “Street data” that can inform out efforts to advance a culture of thinking in our own contexts. Before departing the workshop, participants will select on mindset that they would like to advance in their practice and develop an initial plan for how they might move forward.