| It's designed to save you from having to
think, because the brain is actually not very good at thinking." After first reading this, I began to
understand why students don't like school and why teachers can
have difficulty inspiring them. Willingham notes that "People
are naturally curious, but we are not naturally good thinkers;
unless the cognitive conditions are right, we will avoid
thinking." So what are those cognitive conditions? That is what
I hope we can create at GIFS.
But creating such change in a setting where students and
families come from so many diverse countries and cultures will
be a challenge. Such change, if it is to happen at all, happens
slowly and deliberately. Noted educational reform expert
Michael Fullan speaks to
this in his book.
"Leading in a Culture
of Change" when he speaks about "Slow
Knowing". Retelling the story of the tortoise and the hare, he
concludes that it is better to be "tortoise minded" rather than
"hare brained".
This year's focus on teacher professional development will
revolve around
Doug Lemov's
"Teach Like A Champion"
Which sets the stage noting
that the one "consistent finding of academic research is that
high expectations are the most reliable driver of high student
achievement...".
By encouraging students to respond with wonder, by
creating the cognitive conditions that will actually have
students like school, by moving forward with deliberate change,
and by having high expectations of our students, GIFS this year
will truly be a place where our children celebrate their
diversity and citizenship and foster their growth academically
and emotionally. |
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