Cultures of

Thinking
The Journey
Heritage Elementary
 Year One
Round 1 Event
Group of Volunteers to start training 2013-14
Interested staff (Principal, Art Teacher, Lower
Elementary, Upper Elementary & Lit Coach)
Staff visited Wass Elementary
Lesson taped
for staff to
GET A FEEL
Ah-ha! WE CAN DO THIS!!
 Book was
Purchased for
Entire Staff
Spring 2014
 Thinking Routine for
Staff- Fish Bowl to
see Last Protocol
Model for how teachers can PLC-deep
analyzing of student work and rich
conversations building wide!
 Year Two
Round 2 Event
New Principal
Compass Points Routine
Used to take the temperature of the staff
 Staff Meetings
Routines were being used so teachers could
FEEL the routines!
 GIVE IT A GO!!!
STAFF WAS ENCOURAGED, BUT NOT FORCED!!!!
The halls were
telling our
story.
SPARKED INTEREST!
 Literacy Intervention
Michelle Barsh started coming into
classrooms to model routines in all grade
levels.
 Authentic Work
Thinking Routines displayed in hallways.
Organic work for students, staff and
parents to enjoy!
Work shows process and product.
Cookies and Covey Gallery Walk
Cultures of Thinking Video
BOOK CLUB
 Classroom Job Embedded PD

January 2015-March 2015

*Classrooms taught about the Understanding Map.

*Understanding Maps given to all teachers to display.
*Students begin seeing the relationship between
Thinking Routines and their understanding.
 District Job Embedded PD

March 2015

*Jennifer Hollander, School Social Worker, to present

Cultures of Thinking to non-classroom teachers at
Inspire U2.
*Michelle Barsh, Literacy Coach, to co-present Cultures
Thinking to classroom teachers at March Choice Day.
 Year Three
Staff committed to routines
Grade level routine focuses for the year:
Cultures of Thinking Inquiry Action Team
Four staff sent to Ron Ritchharts year-long Inquiry Action Teams to create,
share and implement a school goal:
Michelle Barsh, Amy Burns, Linda Kirk, Laurie Wetterholt

Goal:
How do we move Heritage forward in
Cultures of Thinking?
Step One: Determine Staff Needs
Compass Points Thinking Routine with staff on Tuesday, November 3,
2015. This gave the team a sense of staff needs to begin moving staff
forward.
 Step 2: Analyze Compass Points
The first in a series of Throwback Thursday time was used to look at common
denominator needs of the staff.
Major findings:
-Time to observe in and out of school
-Time to collaborate and plan routines into curriculum with grade level teams
-Need for graphic organizers and in house storage
-Instructional rounds
-What else is there in addition to routines
-What to do with routines when they are done

-
Wait...theres more! More than Routines!
 Adding a Piece to the Pie
Staff decided to continue the work of
Thinking Routines and add another piece of
the pie.LANGUAGE.

Staff are encouraged to contribute

accountable talk questions they use with
students to create a school Accountable
Talk chart.
 CoT
Classroom
Labs
February, 2016
Heritage Staff Participates in School Visits

Six Heritage staff

members visited Leonard
Elementary in Troy for
their CoT Gallery event.
We observed classroom
lessons, discussed CoT
with staff from Oakland
Country, and viewed
visible thinking routines
throughout the school.
 CoT Around the State
Jennifer Hollander presented Integrating Cultures of
Thinking in Non-Classroom Settings at -
Michigan School Social Work Conference (Oct. 2015)
HVS Inspire U (January-March 2016)
Oakland Schools (January-March 2016)

Jennifer received advanced through a facilitators study group with

Ron Ritchhard. (September 2015-March 2016)
 CoT as Galileo Action Research
Michelle Barsh conducted
Action Research in 3 Grade 2 classrooms.
The goal was to use Thinking Routines to teach Theme and Evidence to
students.

Routines used: Headlines, What Makes You Say That, Claim, Support,
Question, and Generate, Sort, Connect.

Results showed a significant increase from pre-tests to post-tests on

student self-perception as learners, and knowledge of theme and evidence.
CoT in relation to student growth

Growth can be seen in many ways!

-Flexibility in thinking
-Questions students ask each other
-Independent thinking skills
-Thinking notebooks
Revisiting Compass Points
 Year Four
Whats Next?
*Continue to
...address the needs of the staff from Compass Points.
...find ways for staff to observe and visit other teachers and schools.
...grow the Culture of Thinking and the 8 forces that define our classrooms.
...having a team to create lessons for the school multi-age packs concept
integrating the 8 habits.
...possibly pick a K-5 routine for all in academics, use a variety of routines
in our packs with similar lessons.
...work with Lauren Childs.
 -All staff given the book, Mindset,
to continue our professional growth.

http://mindsetonline.com
 Year Three
Staff committed to routines
Grade level routine focuses for the year: