Creating Thinking Classrooms: Leading Educational Change for This Century

Reinvigorating today’s schools with Critical, Creative and Collaborative thinking 

Critical, creative and collaborative thinking should be at the centre of all 21st century teaching and learning. Creating Thinking Classrooms is loaded with examples, stories and strategies for reinvigorating schools with this quality thinking. Written for leaders who support teachers, this guide treats educational change as a process of renovation, rather than process of revolution, and emphasizes building upon, refining and sustaining the many good things happening in today’s schools. Practical and user-friendly, it emphasizes five key principles for learning and teaching:   

  • Engaging students
  • Sustaining inquiry
  • Nurturing self-regulated learners
  • Creating assessment-rich learning
  • Enhancing learning through digital technology 

As a balanced and reasoned response to the challenges and opportunities facing schools, this book separates the rhetoric of school reform from reality by analyzing what’s actually happening and offering a plan educators can use. Recapture the fundamentals of classroom learning with a practical and powerful roadmap charting the way forward. 


As a principal and community superintendent, I observed firsthand how transformational the work of Garfield Gini-Newman and Roland Case is in the school community, and on a systemic level, in the school community, and on a systemic level.  Creating Thinking Classrooms takes theory and research and places it directly into the hands of practitioners by offering thoughtful and immediately-useful strategies.  Not only does this work transform engagement and achievement, but it also transforms thinking for both teachers and their students.  Teaching and learning go from passive acquisition of information to active, purposeful, and deliberate interaction with the curriculum.  It is a must-read! 
Ursula A. Hermann, Ph.D, retired principal and community superintendent 
Montgomery County Public Schools 


What impresses me most about Creating Thinking Classrooms is the notion of framing the retooling of schools as renovation or reinvigoration rather than as revolution. Too many seem to ignore that there are many good things worth preserving in our schools and others that need to be reframed or recast to give them greater currency.  This book builds on what has worked and makes it better. The message – being purposeful and patiently focused on long-term success – is a powerful one that needs to be heard above the din.
David Chojnacki, Executive Director 
Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools

"1133469054"
Creating Thinking Classrooms: Leading Educational Change for This Century

Reinvigorating today’s schools with Critical, Creative and Collaborative thinking 

Critical, creative and collaborative thinking should be at the centre of all 21st century teaching and learning. Creating Thinking Classrooms is loaded with examples, stories and strategies for reinvigorating schools with this quality thinking. Written for leaders who support teachers, this guide treats educational change as a process of renovation, rather than process of revolution, and emphasizes building upon, refining and sustaining the many good things happening in today’s schools. Practical and user-friendly, it emphasizes five key principles for learning and teaching:   

  • Engaging students
  • Sustaining inquiry
  • Nurturing self-regulated learners
  • Creating assessment-rich learning
  • Enhancing learning through digital technology 

As a balanced and reasoned response to the challenges and opportunities facing schools, this book separates the rhetoric of school reform from reality by analyzing what’s actually happening and offering a plan educators can use. Recapture the fundamentals of classroom learning with a practical and powerful roadmap charting the way forward. 


As a principal and community superintendent, I observed firsthand how transformational the work of Garfield Gini-Newman and Roland Case is in the school community, and on a systemic level, in the school community, and on a systemic level.  Creating Thinking Classrooms takes theory and research and places it directly into the hands of practitioners by offering thoughtful and immediately-useful strategies.  Not only does this work transform engagement and achievement, but it also transforms thinking for both teachers and their students.  Teaching and learning go from passive acquisition of information to active, purposeful, and deliberate interaction with the curriculum.  It is a must-read! 
Ursula A. Hermann, Ph.D, retired principal and community superintendent 
Montgomery County Public Schools 


What impresses me most about Creating Thinking Classrooms is the notion of framing the retooling of schools as renovation or reinvigoration rather than as revolution. Too many seem to ignore that there are many good things worth preserving in our schools and others that need to be reframed or recast to give them greater currency.  This book builds on what has worked and makes it better. The message – being purposeful and patiently focused on long-term success – is a powerful one that needs to be heard above the din.
David Chojnacki, Executive Director 
Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools

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Creating Thinking Classrooms: Leading Educational Change for This Century

Creating Thinking Classrooms: Leading Educational Change for This Century

by Garfield Gini-Newman, Roland Case
Creating Thinking Classrooms: Leading Educational Change for This Century

Creating Thinking Classrooms: Leading Educational Change for This Century

by Garfield Gini-Newman, Roland Case

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Overview

Reinvigorating today’s schools with Critical, Creative and Collaborative thinking 

Critical, creative and collaborative thinking should be at the centre of all 21st century teaching and learning. Creating Thinking Classrooms is loaded with examples, stories and strategies for reinvigorating schools with this quality thinking. Written for leaders who support teachers, this guide treats educational change as a process of renovation, rather than process of revolution, and emphasizes building upon, refining and sustaining the many good things happening in today’s schools. Practical and user-friendly, it emphasizes five key principles for learning and teaching:   

  • Engaging students
  • Sustaining inquiry
  • Nurturing self-regulated learners
  • Creating assessment-rich learning
  • Enhancing learning through digital technology 

As a balanced and reasoned response to the challenges and opportunities facing schools, this book separates the rhetoric of school reform from reality by analyzing what’s actually happening and offering a plan educators can use. Recapture the fundamentals of classroom learning with a practical and powerful roadmap charting the way forward. 


As a principal and community superintendent, I observed firsthand how transformational the work of Garfield Gini-Newman and Roland Case is in the school community, and on a systemic level, in the school community, and on a systemic level.  Creating Thinking Classrooms takes theory and research and places it directly into the hands of practitioners by offering thoughtful and immediately-useful strategies.  Not only does this work transform engagement and achievement, but it also transforms thinking for both teachers and their students.  Teaching and learning go from passive acquisition of information to active, purposeful, and deliberate interaction with the curriculum.  It is a must-read! 
Ursula A. Hermann, Ph.D, retired principal and community superintendent 
Montgomery County Public Schools 


What impresses me most about Creating Thinking Classrooms is the notion of framing the retooling of schools as renovation or reinvigoration rather than as revolution. Too many seem to ignore that there are many good things worth preserving in our schools and others that need to be reframed or recast to give them greater currency.  This book builds on what has worked and makes it better. The message – being purposeful and patiently focused on long-term success – is a powerful one that needs to be heard above the din.
David Chojnacki, Executive Director 
Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781506398419
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Publication date: 03/22/2018
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 304
File size: 8 MB

About the Author

Garfield Gini-Newman blends humor with a deep understanding of effective curriculum design centered on the infusion of critical thinking for all. As an associate professor at OISE/University of Toronto and a senior national consultant with The Critical Thinking Consortium, Garfield has worked with thousands of teachers across grades and subjects, helping them to frame learning around engaging and provocative activities and authentic assessments. Requests for Garfield’s services have taken him from Asia to the Middle East, Europe, the Caribbean, and across North America. His interest in effective teaching and learning has led him to actively explore the challenges and opportunities presented by teaching and learning in the digital age. Garfield has spoken across Canada and internationally on critical thinking, brain compatible classrooms, curriculum design and effective assessment practice, and nurturing 21st century skills in a digital world. In addition to his work at the University of Toronto and delivering workshops, Garfield has also authored several articles, chapters in books, and seven textbooks and has taught in the faculties of education at York University and the University of British Columbia. His most recent book co-authored with Roland Case, Creating Thinking Classrooms has received widespread praise from leading educators across Canada and internationally.

Roland Case is currently on leave from his position of Professor of Curriculum and Social Studies at Simon Fraser University. He is a co-founder of TC2-The Critical Thinking Consortium—an association of 35 school districts, post-secondary institutions, and teacher organizations working to support critical thinking from kindergarten to graduate school. Over the last ten years, Roland has worked with over 15,000 educators to embed critical thinking into their teaching practices. Roland is co-editor of the Canadian Anthology of Social Studies and of the Critical Challenges Across the Curriculum, an award winning series of 20 teaching resources for critical thinking.

Table of Contents

Preface
About the Authors
PART I. UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES
Chapter 1. Opportunities and Challenges
Defining the Challenges
The Urgency to Improve
The Many Directions for Change
Three Potential Pitfalls
Three Promising Directions
Concluding Thoughts
Notes
PART II. REORIENT THE FOUNDATIONS: WHY THINKING IS AT THE HEART OF MEANINGFUL LEARNING
Chapter 2. Thinking Is the Key
Basic Orientations to Teaching and Learning
Alternative Sources of Curriculum Content
Differing Views of Student Learning
Contrasting Roles for Teachers
Implications for an Inquiry Unit
Concluding Thoughts
Notes
Chapter 3. Critical, Creative, and Collaborative Dimensions of Thinking
The Power of an Integrated Approach to Thinking
The Critical Dimension
The Creative Dimension
The Collaborative Dimension
Concluding Thoughts
Note
Chapter 4. A Framework for Nurturing Thinking Classrooms
A Comprehensive Approach to Implementation
Shape Climate to Support Thinking
Create Opportunities for Thinking
Build Capacity for Thinking
Provide Guidance That Informs Thinking
Concluding Thoughts
Note
PART III. REFOCUS THE GOALS: WHAT SCHOOLS MUST ACHIEVE TO BETTER PREPARE STUDENTS
Chapter 5. From Knowledge to Deep Understanding
What Does It Mean to Understand Deeply?
Why Do We Have This Problem?
Why Is Teaching for Deep Understanding Important?
What Practices Nurture Deep Understanding?
Concluding Thoughts
Note
Chapter 6. From Skill to Real-Life Competency
What Is Meant by Real-Life Competencies?
Why Are Students Not Better Prepared?
What Practices Nurture Real-Life Competence?
Concluding Thoughts
Notes
Chapter 7. From Attitude to Genuine Commitment
What Do We Mean by Genuine Commitment?
Why Is Teaching for Genuine Commitment Important?
What Practices Nurture Genuine Commitment?
Concluding Thoughts
Notes
PART IV. ALIGN WITH GUIDING PRINCIPLES: HOW TEACHERS CAN BEST SUPPORT 21ST CENTURY LEARNING
Chapter 8. Engage Students
What Does Engaging Students Mean?
Why Is It Important to Engage Students Beyond Compliance and Mere Interest?
What Practices Support Educational Engagement?
Concluding Thoughts
Notes
Chapter 9. Sustain Inquiry
What Is Sustained Inquiry?
Why Is It Important to Sustain Inquiry?
What Practices Promote Sustained Inquiry?
Concluding Thoughts
Notes
Chapter 10. Nurture Self-Regulated Learners
What Is Self-Regulated Learning?
Why Is Self-Regulated Learning Important?
What Practices Nurture Self-Regulated Learners?
Concluding Thoughts
Notes
Chapter 11. Create Assessment-Rich Learning
What’s Wrong With the Current Assessment Landscape?
What Is Assessment-Rich Learning?
Why Is Assessment-Rich Learning Important?
What Practices Support Assessment-Rich Learning?
Concluding Thoughts
Chapter 12. Enhance Learning Through Digital Technology
What Is Digitally Enhanced Learning?
Why Is Digitally Enhanced Learning Important?
Concluding Thoughts
Note
PART V. SUPPORT TEACHER GROWTH
Chapter 13. Leading a Renovation, Not a Revolution
Why Think Renovation?
How to Lead an Educational Renovation
What Practices Support Coherent, Comprehensive, and Continuous Professional Inquiry?
Concluding Thoughts
Notes
References
Index
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