Chapters International

In-Person Workshop

The Worldwide Cultures of Thinking Project at Harvard Project Zero has been investigating what it takes to build school and classroom cultures rich in thinking for over two decades. This research has informed the work of schools, museums, families, and organizations around the world. Ron Ritchhart, the CoT project director, has designed this new workshop based on his current work and writings. His newest book, Cultures of Thinking in Action, forms the core of the workshop, which will also draw on the rich history of ideas that Ron has developed throughout his time as a leading researcher in education. Participants will need a copy of Cultures of Thinking in Action as reference for the workshop. This could be a hard copy, digital e-book, or the audio book.

Over the years, Ron and his research team at Harvard have developed a wealth of helpful practices (over 50 Visible Thinking Routines), generated grounding frameworks (the 8 Cultural Forces), and done research that illuminates core instructional processes such as teacher questioning, classroom discourse, the role of language, and the nature of powerful learning opportunities. However, building a classroom and school culture is more than merely instituting a set of practices. As useful as such practices can be, culture runs deeper.

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.

Ron Ritchhart

Ron Ritchhart, Ed.D., is a Senior Research Associate at Harvard Project Zero where his work focuses on the development of school and classroom culture as prime vehicles for developing students’ as powerful thinkers and learners. Ron's research and writings have informed the work of schools, school systems, and museums throughout the world. His research is largely classroom based, learning from the best practice of teachers to better understand how they create conditions for powerful learning. Ron is an award-winning teacher and researcher, a sought-after speaker, and a prolific and influential writer. His best-selling books include Intellectual Character, Making Thinking Visible, and Creating Cultures of Thinking, and The Power of Making Thinking Visible. Ron began his career in education as elementary teacher in New Zealand before returning to the states where he taught art, third, and fourth grade as well as middle school mathematics.

Venue:
PUE Theatre in Education City

Hotels:

Al Wadi Hotel in Msheirub, as it is close to the Souk.
The Ned
Premier Inn
Al Rayyan

The workshop will be held at the PUE Theatre in Education City. Participants can be dropped off outside the venue or can park in the car park inside Gate 1, next to the Education City Stadium, Education City, and walk.

Google map: 8C7H+W56, Ar-Rayyan

Time Schedule for both the days:

Registration and Refreshments: 7:30 - 8:00 am
Session 1: 8:00 - 9:30 am
Morning Break: 9:30 - 10:00 am
Session 2: 10:00 - 11:30 am
Lunch/Prayer: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Session 3: 12:30 - 2:00 pm
Afternoon Break: 2:00 - 2:30 pm
Session 3 Conclusion: 2:30 - 3:30 pm

8.30 am to 3.30 pm
Registration at 8:00 am
on the 13th September 2024