Facilitative Leadership
4. School Leadership Team

A vibrant and highly effective "Drive Team" reflecting support and involvement from key stakeholders in the school community has been developed and is actively engaged.

How would you summarize your progress in this aspect of your journey toward developing as a Thinking School?

During this initial phase of training, I was impressed by the rapid, contagious nature of the spreading of these tools. The Thinking Maps kept "bobbing up" into other classrooms, even though not all teachers got trained immediately. It appeared that teachers were sharing ideas in the lounge, during grade-level meetings, wherever they met. Teachers actually met on their own time to talk about professional concepts.

What documentation (interviews, artifacts) would you include to show evidence (video, documents, photos) of yours chool's development in this area?

See examples on this page and on the following pages:

What have you learned about your school in this aspect of developing as a Thinking School?

I realized that one of the unplanned benefits was that because Thinking Maps were so easy to implement, they could easily become the topic of professional talk. This occurred not only between pairs of teachers, but between teachers who rarely had occasion to share ideas, such as a kindergarten teacher and a third-grade teacher. Suddenly, teachers had a first language for thinking in which to talk about student learning, one that was not dependent on grade level or content area.

In what specific ways do you envision your school further developing in this area?

Another benefit I was surprised and pleased to see was that new teachers could participate in the discussions about high-quality tools as equals. The visual language and the common vocabulary was not a mysteriously complex formula that creates a wall between veteran teachers who have internalized a thoroughly unique and idiosyncratic teaching style and the new teachers and instructional aides who are just learning the ropes. With a common language, veteran teachers could model expert applications along a continuum-one rope-that novice teachers could easily grab onto and make their own.

 

 

Facilitative Leadership
My intent as the instructional leader of Roosevelt Elementary School [Stefanie R. Holzman, Ed.D.] in Long Beach, California, was initially isolated on these tools for a direct and immediate impact on student performance. What I didn't realize and could not foresee were the deeper effects upon the development of teachers across our year-round, multitrack school as a result of the use of Thinking Maps in their classrooms. I discovered that from an administrator's point of view, Thinking Maps did much more than what I had understood from both practical and theoretical points of view. First, there are changes in how teachers learn and teach and evaluate student work, especially with differentiated processes for our second-language learners. Second, there have been shifts in the culture and climate of our school, most obvious in the quality of professional conversations that now rise to the surface.

Thinking Schools
Composite

Thinking Schools Accreditation: Case Study Composite

Facilitative Leadership
5. Implementation Plan

A clearly articulated long-term plan for the introduction of the thinking models and for their growth beyond the accreditation process has been designed and is being actively followed.

How would you summarize your progress in this aspect of your journey toward developing as a Thinking School?

The implementation of Thinking Maps at my school has brought changes that not only affect student performance as shown in our results presented above, but also the quality of instruction and the culture of the school. I know that over time, I will continue to have the same high-level resultsas other schools in terms of academic performance for my students. I also know that the changes I see as Thinking Maps become a regular part of the instructional program will also become more deeply embedded in the culture of the school.

What documentation (interviews, artifacts) would you include to show evidence (video, documents, photos) of yours chool's development in this area?

See examples on this page and on the following pages:

What have you learned about your school in this aspect of developing as a Thinking School?

With this experience of implementing Thinking Maps, I also now have a standard by which I can compare other professional development trainings and other changes I plan to promote at Roosevelt Elementary School. This standard includes implementing changes that successfully affect student academic outcomes, teacher learning, reflection, accountability, and the school climate as effectively as this common language for learning, teaching, and assessing.

In what specific ways do you envision your school further developing in this area?

We now have this new standard in our school-including for our students-because we have a first language for thinking, whether it be in a first or second language for speaking and writing. This language will help us to think and act on complex problems-such as how to transform and continually grow in an inner-city environment-with the confidence that we will be able to see more clearly each other's thinking.

 

Facilitative Leadership
6. Learning Centered Leadership

The leader incorporates the thinking models in coaching and guiding reflective practice, supporting active, purposeful engagement and collaboration, and for promoting thought-filled decision-making.

How would you summarize your progress in this aspect of your journey toward developing as a Thinking School?

I discovered that from an administrator's point of view, Thinking Maps did much more than what I had understood from both practical and theoretical points of view. First, there are changes in how teachers learn and teach and evaluate student work, especially with differentiated processes for our second-language learners. Second, there have been shifts in the culture and climate of our school, most obvious in the quality of professional conversations that now rise to the surface (see Chapter 17, Thinking Maps). Third, there is a new level of access and discourse in the areas of teacher evaluation and accountability, which has led to a higher quality of teacher decision making. All of these changes-often referenced as keys to school change-will continue to have a long-term positive outcome on the academic achievement of the students at my school beyond the direct application of these tools by students to academic tasks and tests..

What documentation (interviews, artifacts) would you include to show evidence (video, documents, photos) of yours chool's development in this area?

See examples on this page and on the following pages:

What have you learned about your school in this aspect of developing as a Thinking School?

It is important for me to restate that 1 did not bring Thinking Maps into this school [Roosevelt Elementary School] for the purpose of bringing about change in these three areas, but for an immediate shift of student performance that could cascad,e over time.

In what specific ways do you envision your school further developing in this area?

With this experience of implementing Thinking Maps, I also now have a standard by which I can compare other professional development trainings and other changes I plan to promote at Roosevelt Elementary School. This standard includes implementing changes that successfully affect student academic outcomes, teacher learning, reflection, accountability, and the school climate as effectively as this common language for learning, teaching, and assessing.


Leadership Panel at Thinking Maps International Conference including Roosevelt Elementary School Principal Stefanie R. Holzman, Ed.D.