Developing Mindful Students, Skillful Thinkers, Thoughtful Schools, Mar/2012

Learning outside the box begins with a thought

The ability to memorize facts is not enough to equip students to solve problems or navigate an evolving world. If we educate young people to become flexible, metacognitive thinkers—and model that behavior for them— they will understand how to adapt their learning and successfully find their way in new territory. This book shows school leaders how to build a thinking culture within the entire learning community. Grounded in the research of the best proponents of critical thinking and aligned to one of the key goals of the Common Core State Standards, this practical guide provides numerous strategies to help teachers and leaders:

1. Shape the school culture so that it promotes a common vision around thinking
2. Create classroom conditions that help students become mindful thinkers
3. Ask questions that develop skillful thinking
4. Help students formulate questions that facilitate problem solving
5. Work with parents to encourage skillful thinking in their children

Included are practical classroom strategies and illustrations, curriculum maps, and tools for developing students’ creativity and decision-making skills. This timely resource is ideal for preparing leaders, teachers, and students to meet the escalating challenges of the future.

About The Authors:
Dr. Martin Buoncristiani is an emeritus professor of physics at Christopher Newport University in the USA. He has been dedicated to science and mathematics education for over thirty five years. In his involvement in curricular development for the university he has been a strong advocate of adapting teaching methods to our current understanding of how people learn. His scientific research has focused on lasers and optical science and he was awarded the NASA Public Service Medal for his work developing instruments for atmospheric study. Throughout his career he has addressed K-12 science education, beginning with promotion of computers in the classroom in the 1970’s and extending to the introduction of critical thinking skills in the current decade.

Pat Buoncristiani has spent over thirty years as an educator committed to the belief that learning how to think is the foundation for every successful learner. She has been a classroom teacher, a teachers college lecturer and, most recently, a school principal in both Australia and the USA. Her experience includes work with school systems in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. She has had extensive experience training educators in early literacy development, behavior management and the development of thinking based curricula.