Friday, December 7, 2012

Time

Time, it's one of the very important 8 Cultural Forces that shape our classrooms.  As a cultural force, it is directed toward thinking by "allocating time for thinking by providing time for exploring topics more in depth as well as time to formulate thoughtful responses".  We are often torn between spending the extra time to explore topics/ideas more deeply and moving on so that the curriculum is "covered".  That is why I was so impressed by the reflections shared around the student artifacts that were presented at our meeting this week.  More than once I heard mentioned that the routine took time but the interactions among students were rich and thoughtful.  Lauren said it best, "I felt this was more valuable than anything else I could have done that day".  Congratulations to all of you for taking on the work of CoT and understanding how powerful the routines can be!  This initiative truly matches our district mission to "Educate students to be their best in and for the world".

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Way Elementary Visit - Spring 2012

Last Spring, Jim, Anna, Lis and Shari had the wonderful opportunity to visit Way Elementary in the Bloomfield Hills School District.  Way has been on their Cultures of Thinking journey for several years.  Our CoT team visited several classrooms to observe thinking routines and experience the cultural shift that has occurred in this school.  They were also able to speak to classroom teachers about Cultures of Thinking.

Below are several pictures from their visit.  It was a valuable experience for the team and we're thankful to Way for opening their doors to us!  I hope you find inspiration and motivation from the slideshow!
 
 
 
 
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