Standard II - School Culture and Instructional Program
Build a Culture of Thinking
Artifact: Year Two CoT Professional Learning Outline
Reflection: In conjunction with the District’s vision of establishing a culture of thinking at each building, my principal and I attended the Cultures of Thinking (CoT) Leadership Foundations seminar in 2012-2013. We then added staff members to our leadership team and attended the School Leadership Cohort professional learning series. I was so excited about what I was learning that I started an after school PLC for teachers to begin the conversation of what it means to create a culture of thinking. I was then asked to write a blog post about how our journey started for the Oakland County Cultures of Thinking Blog - Stories from the Field.
For year two, our task was to bring what we had learned in our cohort with Ron Ritchhart and Harvard’s Project Zero back to the staff in 2013-2014. Accordingly, as lead staff member on the leadership team, I worked with another teacher on the team to plan an entire year of professional learning for teachers. This included 10 staff meetings and one curriculum day.
In 2014-2015, we began the year by meeting with other district leadership teams to discuss our journey and to plan our goals for the year. Our goals for year three were to continue to build a culture of thinking and the 8 cultural forces needed to implement and sustain a culture of thinking. During this year we specifically focused on language and opportunities with a content-specific focus (reading and math).Also my principal and I were asked to participate on a CoT panel and share our story at a Foundations Seminar in Rochester.
In 2015-2016, I co-led a year-long book study on Creating a Culture of Thinking: The 8 Forces We Must Mater to Truly Transform our Schools and a "read-discuss-act-reflect" PLC staff meeting series.
Build a Culture of Thinking
Artifact: Year Two CoT Professional Learning Outline
Reflection: In conjunction with the District’s vision of establishing a culture of thinking at each building, my principal and I attended the Cultures of Thinking (CoT) Leadership Foundations seminar in 2012-2013. We then added staff members to our leadership team and attended the School Leadership Cohort professional learning series. I was so excited about what I was learning that I started an after school PLC for teachers to begin the conversation of what it means to create a culture of thinking. I was then asked to write a blog post about how our journey started for the Oakland County Cultures of Thinking Blog - Stories from the Field.
For year two, our task was to bring what we had learned in our cohort with Ron Ritchhart and Harvard’s Project Zero back to the staff in 2013-2014. Accordingly, as lead staff member on the leadership team, I worked with another teacher on the team to plan an entire year of professional learning for teachers. This included 10 staff meetings and one curriculum day.
In 2014-2015, we began the year by meeting with other district leadership teams to discuss our journey and to plan our goals for the year. Our goals for year three were to continue to build a culture of thinking and the 8 cultural forces needed to implement and sustain a culture of thinking. During this year we specifically focused on language and opportunities with a content-specific focus (reading and math).Also my principal and I were asked to participate on a CoT panel and share our story at a Foundations Seminar in Rochester.
In 2015-2016, I co-led a year-long book study on Creating a Culture of Thinking: The 8 Forces We Must Mater to Truly Transform our Schools and a "read-discuss-act-reflect" PLC staff meeting series.
Rationale for Inclusion and Reflection: When I was first introduced to the book, Making Thinking Visible, by Ron Ritchhart, I was fascinated. I couldn't read the book fast enough. I have read and re-read the book many times. I've come to realize that building a "culture of thinking" and putting "thinking" at the center of what we do is not a "program" but a mindset and a way to lead and teach. I also realized that in order for buildings to have a culture of thinking for students, there also must be a culture of thinking for teachers as Ron Ritchhart has said many times. This CoT professional learning outline, as well as the other experiences mentioned here all demonstrate my ability to promote the success of every student by building and sustaining a school culture and instructional program that is conducive to student learning. This mindset has shaped and molded who I am as a teacher and a leader and I will take it with me wherever I go!