Creating Cultures of Thinking - Ron Ritchhart

I'm a huge 

Cultures of Thinking fan.

I try to incorporate thinking routines

into my lessons.

I've started looking at ways to make

thinking visible.

I've started focusing more on

the thinking

and less on 

the knowledge.

So when Ron Ritchhart

came out with a new book,

you know I had to read it.

Creating Cultures of Thinking

breaks down the 8 forces

teachers and schools need to look at

to ensure they are in fact

creating these cultures.

The eight forces that share culture are:

1) Expectations - what you expect for students not of them

2) Language - name the thinking that goes on

3) Time - do you give students time to think?

4) Modeling - teachers should model thinking

5) Opportunities - create learning opportunities that are inviting

6) Routines - besides daily transition routines, thinking routines are also important

7) Interactions - shape meaningful collaboration and learning

8) Environment - that shows you value learning

Reading this book

has made me reflect on my own practices.

Do I emphasis learning and thinking

as much as I could/should?

It has also made me 

look at the different classrooms I teach it.

I look at their use of space

and what it shows that they value.

It makes me think about my own classroom

(when I have one)

and what I want my students

to know I value.

If you want a book to make you think

about your own teaching practices,

in a good way,

this is the one for you.