Upcoming Institute

Summer Institute 2008

topic

Nurturing Critically Thoughtful Learners

date

20 August 2008
8:30 am to 4:00 pm

location

The Vaughan Estate, Estates of Sunnybrook
2070 Bayview Avenue,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Past Institutes

2007
22 August 2007
Character Development

2005
24 August 2005
Building Effective School Discipline

2004
26 August 2004
Creating Professional Communities in Schools

Framework for the Day

Understanding the role of inquiry in cognitive development:
The invitation to solve meaningful problems and make judgments is not only an inherently more interesting way to learn, it is vital for success in an increasingly complex world. Participants will consider the role of inquiry and critical thinking in brain development and in the nurturing of thoughtful, caring citizens.

Placing thoughtful discourse at the centre of all learning:
Clarity around critical thinking is important for teachers to be able to effectively teach and assess in a critically thoughtful manner. Participants will consider the case for critical thinking being at the heart of all teaching and learning for all learners.

Framing powerful questions
Central to nurturing critically thoughtful learners is inviting them to make reasoned judgments about issues that matter. Participants will uncover how to frame questions and tasks that invite thoughtful interaction with the
curriculum and deepen understanding of concepts.

Practical and powerful means to differentiate
When differentiation fails to invite all learners to interact thoughtfully with the curriculum we do a disservice to both the students and society. All subjects at all grade levels have the potential to engage learners in critically
thoughtful activities. Participants will consider how to apply a critically thinking framework so that the invitation to think and solve problems remains universal while the product, process and groupings are differentiated.

Nurturing a Community of Thinkers
When critical thinking is truly valued it is evident through the way a school functions – from staff meetings and grade level meetings, to how teachers interact with students and parents. If we expect students to feel a part of a community of thinkers we must model in our day to day interactions with others, the attributes of a critically thoughtful person. Participants will consider how the intellectual tools for quality thinking can help create a school climate that values and reflects a thinking and caring environment.