Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

Cultures of Thinking

In 2012, Havergal, again under the leadership of Davis, launched another whole-school initiative, extending and deepening its commitment to the Teaching for Understanding learning model. Over the next three years, working with Mark Church, one of Harvard University’s Project Zero associates, Davis led the school in an exploration of “cultures of thinking.”  The Cultures of Thinking framework has roots in the pioneering work of Howard Gardner, a highly regarded Harvard professor. His work on multiple intelligences in the 1980s alerted educators to the learning experiences that are possible when schools look beyond the linguistic and mathematical intelligences long privileged in schools and in the wider society. The value of Gardner’s work is perhaps best illustrated with reference to two particular questions. There is much to be gained when students ask not “Am I smart?” but rather, “How am I smart?” Gardner’s concept of multiple intelligences started a very fruitful conversation among educators. Research begun at the Lemshaga Akademi in Sweden and developed by Project Zero at Harvard resulted in a fresh perspective on the evaluation of students. For decades, H av rgal’s classro ms are places where students have the opportunity to become better thinkers and learners. To enable this, Havergal uses a framework—Teaching for Understanding—that focuses on important ideas, authentic assessment a d appropriate instructional strategies to support student success. “Teaching for Understanding facilitates our students’acquisition of knowledge and skills, increases their understanding of major ideas, concepts and inter-relationships and gives meaning and context to facts and knowledge,” says Seonaid Davis, Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development, who brought this learning model to Havergal in 2000.“It’s important for students to come to their own understanding and to make meaning for themselves so that they can transfer knowledge to different problems and apply understanding in new situations.” Within this framework, teachers ask themselves: what are the big ideas or underlying concepts that are important in understanding this topic? What types of assessment will provide evidence for what students know, understand and can do? What kinds of thinking are necessary in order for students to deepen their understanding? Are there opportunities for my students to develop and explain their theories with one another? What kind of creative solutions do my students construct? How do I invite students to debate the complexities of a plan or issue? “When teachers focus their planning on answering these questions and creating a rich learning environment, students are more likely to show commitment to learning, find more meaningful connections between school and outside life and display attitudes we want to see develop in our learners—open-mindedness, curiosity, appropriate skepticism and a thirst for understanding,” Mrs. Davis says.“Things you remember best are always the things you understand.” Teaching and Learning at Havergal By Young Um FACULTY

“Mon Type D’Intelligence,” Kneesocks, 2016.

Creating a Thinking Classroom Laura McRae, Havergal Chair of Teaching and Learning 2015–18

measurements of intelligence have focused on abilities, which have primarily been assessed in laboratory settings. In recent years, however, research has indicated that a more effective approach is to consider “thinking dispositions.” As Ron Ritchhart explained in Creating Cultures of Thinking 27 , a disposition is an enduring characteristic or trait of a person that serves to motivate behavior. When we say a person is curious, a particular dispositional attribute, it is because we see a pattern of behavior—such as questioning, exploring, probing, and so on—emanating from the person over time and across circumstances that relates to that particular disposition. Our dispositions define who we are as people, as thinkers, as learners. With that premise, the task for schools is to create cultures of thinking in which students become more

PhilosophyForChildren

A word cloud for Teaching for Understanding, 2013.

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