News

Elementary School becomes ThinkSchool

July 29th, 2009

Annandale, VA -- One Fairfax County elementary school kicked off their year with thinking skills.  Annandale Terrace Elementary School hosted a Patterns of Thinking White Belt training, where the entire staff learned how to teach thinking skills in any lesson.

The day-long training began with a keynote by Dr. Derek Cabrera, inventor of the Patterns of Thinking Method and senior faculty at the Research Institute for Thinking in Education.  Next, teachers infused the Patterns of Thinking into their existing curriculum during a hands-on workshop led by Dr. Laura Colosi.

"Working with an entire school is always a pleasure," Colosi said at the end of the day.  "You can see the entire professional community coming together - teachers, aides, principals, resource teachers - to make an impact on students' learning.  After working with so many schools and school districts, we've noticed that successful professional development happens when school leaders:

  1. Build Shared Knowledge: Train your entire staff in the Patterns of Thinking Method as White Belt Ninjas. When a student interacts with their classroom teacher, the librarian, the teacherʼs aide, or the assistant principal, that student should learn thinking skills throughout the entire school.
  2. Mobilize your A-Team: Great schools start with a cadre of passionate teachers. Develop this core group by training them to be Yellow Belt Ninjas. They will quickly become mentors to other teachers and develop their leadership potential.
  3. Share Small Successes Often: When it comes to teaching thinking skills, every step matters. Have teachers share their mini-successes at staff meetings, through your school’s website, or in classroom observations.
  4. Show Teachers that it’s Do-able: Teachers will return to their classrooms the day after the training, able to practice what they learned immediately. Connect this professional development to their current practice and see teacher productivity and student engagement skyrocket.
  5. Celebrate Successes and Struggles: Educators often learn the most when they struggle. Provide an environment in which your staff can take risks, practice, and learn to teach thinking skills together.
  6. Build the Home-School Connection: Get Parents, Community, and your School on the same page. Host a Parent Coffee or invite community leaders to observe students as they learn 21st Century Skills in every grade and subject area.
  7. Keep Raising the Bar: For teachers ready to dive deeper, a Red Belt Ninja Training allows them to participate in an on-going and dynamic training and provide valuable mentoring to other teachers in your school.
  8. Embed it Everywhere: When students see and talk about thinking skills in every classroom, situation, or conversation, they will recognize the universal importance of thinking skills.
  9. Leverage Cultural Icons: Build a team atmosphere with tee-shirts, banners, and posters that unite your staff with a common vision: thinking at every desk.
  10. Think Systemically about Your School: Take a hard look at the policies, structures, routine, and culture of your school and ask yourself: What systems can I put in place to support school-wide success in the Patterns of Thinking Method?

"This offers a step-by-step approach for school leaders," Colosi noted. "It's a Top 10 List for Building a ThinkSchool."

Between the keynote and workshop, 7 educators were awarded their Yellow Belt in the Patterns of Thinking Method.  These teachers and principals recently participated in an intense three-day workshop.

Principal Christina Dickens described the effect of today's training on the school: "Teachers are very enthusiastic.  Now we're ready to start the school year with a shared sense of purpose.  What we learned today will help our professional learning community throughout the school year."