Thinking Foundation Builds Thinking Schools
Thinking Foundation offers a comprehensive 3 year design for implementing, accrediting and disseminating the Thinking Schools approach across any country, or for specific regions in a country. This design supports sustainable and scalable development. There are three interrelated structures that are the pillars for ongoing success and for expanding the Thinking Schools approach to other schools in a country:

1. Implementing the Thinking Schools approach in 3 model (or Lab) schools that are in close proximity to each other to enable face-to-face networking, collaborative assessment, and more cost effective training.
2. Accrediting these model Thinking Schools so that educators in the schools become self-assessing and are collaborating very closely with the teacher training college/university so that the partnership between schools and higher education organizations is strengthened.
3. Sustaining both the Implementation and Accreditation processes by conducting in depth “training of trainers” (not turn key training) across the schools while also certifying the high education organization in conducting the Thinking Schools accreditation (TSAP) in the future.

How We Help Build Thinking Schools
Year 1
Implementing. Thinking Foundation conducts face-to-face training in the 3 model schools using resource materials provided without cost by Thinking Schools International (UK based) and School Improvement Network (U.S. based). In each school, 10 days of highly interactive workshops and in-classroom modeling are provided to all teachers and administrators. The focus is on student centered tools (Cognitive/Critical Thinking, Dispositions/Habits of Mind, and Inquiry/Higher Order Questioning).

Accrediting. Using a comprehensive design based on 15 explicit criteria and rubric guides, each of the model schools begins a process of self assessment by collecting evidence. The documents include student content specific work samples, pre-post video segments of teacher and student interactions, writing samples and real life applications of the thinking tools, pre-post test score data, student and teacher surveys. These documents and evidence are brought together in a structured, web-based Thinking School Portfolio for internal use and for sharing with the other schools. This assessment dimension—often called “action research”—is a central part of the implementation process because the intent of the Thinking Schools approach is for faculty members to strive for continuous improvement without relying solely on external evaluations. BuildingThinkingSchools

Simultaneously, Thinking Foundation, after securing a partnership with a regional college or university, conducts a 10 day course for a select team of education experts who learn how to conduct a comprehensive Thinking Schools Accreditation Process (TSAP). Five of the ten days are in a workshop setting and the other five days are held in the “lab school” classrooms observing and supporting the practice of the model schools. This team works side by side with Thinking Foundation consultants AND teachers and administrators from each of the three schools during the year to support the schools in building a Thinking Schools Portfolio based on the 15 criteria mentioned above.

Years 2 and 3
Implementing. Thinking Foundation continues to conduct 5 days of implementation training in both years 2 and 3 in each of the three schools. This includes advanced training workshops and in-class follow up modeling for each school. In year 2 the focus continues to be on students applying cognitive and critical thinking tools to content learning while shifting to the additional focus on behaviors (Dispositions/Habits of Mind) and problem solving (Inquiry Based Learning and student questioning).

Accrediting. By the middle of year 2 each school submits their web based Thinking Schools portfolio, in collaboration and support from Thinking Foundation and the partnering college experts. These three school based portfolios become a crucial element in assessing and evaluating the effectiveness and the adaptability of the Thinking Schools approach within schools.

Sustaining.

• The Thinking Schools Portfolio—the “action research” grounded in teacher effectiveness and ALL students’ independent learning and thinking--are a key element and guiding document for further sustaining the work at each school.
• A 5 day advanced “training of trainers” is also conducted by inviting 3 to 5 teachers and administrators from each of the 3 three model schools to become Thinking Schools trainers. These educators are certified to conduct training in other schools only under the support and supervision of Thinking Schools International. In Year 3 an additional 3 day coaching seminar is conducted for this cohort of new Thinking Schools trainers.
• By the end of year 2 the partner college experts also gain certification to conduct the comprehensive Thinking Schools Accreditation Process (TSAP) in other schools. These accrediting partners from a college or university continue to work closely with Thinking Foundation over the years by co-accrediting schools based on the web based portfolios required for final accreditation.
  
  

Summary Results
At the end of this highly collaborative three year process:

• 3 high quality model schools sites (or Lab Schools) have been developed and accredited using high degrees of collaboration, self-assessment and external feedback;
• the 3 school faculties and administrators are ready and available for visits and classroom observation by other schools in the region or country, with evidence “on site”and in classrooms along with hard copy and web based resources for sharing;
• web-based Thinking Schools Portfolios have been developed and continue to evolve over many years showing comprehensive evidence of effectiveness and video documentation and modeling for dissemination to other schools;
• real time “Camera in the Classroom” video technology (on a voluntary basis) is used by teachers and students to record, edit, and transmit best practices to the model school network and later to schools within the country;
• teams of trained trainers are availablefor dissemination of the Thinking Schools approach based on their school and classroom experiences and collection of hard evidence;
• college/university partners have been certified to conduct the comprehensive Thinking Schools Accreditation Process (TSAP) in collaboration with Thinking Foundation;
• hundreds if not thousands of students across multiple schools have grown to become high quality thinkers in school and in their daily lives, thus able to learn more effectively … and to have learned how to learn independently and in highly collaborative structures;
• all of which enables high quality, sustainable structures for scalability across a region or a country leading to the transformation of education from primarily rote teaching and learning to highly effective education that directly affects the next generations of learners, workers, and leaders.
  

 

 

How Does Thinking Transform Schools? Documentary Film

How Do We Build Thinking Schools?
Online Interactive Training Guide

 

Thinking Schools International
Global Whole School Change

Thinking Schools International is for teachers, whole schools, educational bodies and countries who want to develop 21st Century learning and thinking environments using thinking skills with proven impact across the globe.
www.thinkingschoolsinternational.com

Meri Primary School • Ethiopia