Thinking Foundation - About

About the Thinking Foundation

Advisory Board

Arthur L. Costa
Arthur L. Costa, Ed.D. is a Professor of Education, Emeritus from California State University, Sacramento, where he taught graduate courses to teachers and administrators in curriculum, supervision, and the improvement of instruction.

He edited the book, Developing Minds: A Resource Book for Teaching Thinking; is the author of The Enabling Behaviors, Teaching for Intelligent Behaviors and Supervision for Intelligent Teaching; and is co-author of Cognitive Coaching and Techniques for Teaching Thinking. He has also written numerous other articles and publications on supervision, teaching strategies and thinking skills.

Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick, define and describe 16 types of intelligent behavior in their four book series, Habits of Mind: A Developmental Series, published in 2000 by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development in Alexandria, VA. Habits of Mind aid students in school and adults in everyday life as they are challenged by problems, dilemmas, paradoxes, and enigmas for which the solutions are not immediately apparent. Drawing on the Habits of Mind means knowing how to behave intelligently when you don't know the answers. It means not only having information, but also knowing how to act on it. Go to the following websites for more information:
Habits of Mind website www.habits-of-mind.net
Australia Habits of Mind network website www.habitsofmind.org

Dr. Costa has made presentations and conducted workshops for educators throughout the United States and in Canada, Mexico, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the South Pacific. He taught in the Bellflower School District, worked as a curriculum consultant in the Los Angeles County Superintendent of School’s Office, and served as Director of Educational Programs for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for the Western States, and was Assistant Superintendent of the Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools office.

Yvette Jackson
Yvette Jackson, Ed.D. is internationally recognized for her work in assessing the learning potential of disenfranchised urban students. Her research is in literacy, gifted education and the cognitive mediation theory of Dr. Reuven Feuerstein. She has applied her research to develop an integrated process to motivate and elicit potential in underachievers. This research was the basis for her design of the New York City Gifted Programs Framework when she was the Director of Gifted Programs. As Executive Director of Instruction and Professional Development for the New York City Board of Education, she led the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Education Plan which optimizes the delivery of all core curriculum and support services in the Public Schools of New York City.

Dr. Jackson currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Urban Alliance, founded at The College Board and Teachers College, Columbia University. She works with school district administrators and teachers across the country to customize and deliver systemic approaches to literacy development through instructional practices that integrate culture, language and cognition to expand and accelerate student learning and achievement. She is a visiting lecturer at Harvard University, a member of ASCD’s Differentiated Instruction Cadre and a keynote presenter at national and international conferences.

Learn more about Dr. Jackson:

Read excerpts from Yvette Jackson's chapter Closing the Gap By Connecting Culture, Language, and Cognition in the book Student Successes With Thinking Maps.
Watch a video clip of Yvette Jackson in a Collegial Coaching session connecting culture, language and cognition
Visit the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education website

Robert Burden
Robert Burden, Ph.D., is Emeritus Professor (Educational Psychology/Ed Studies) at University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. His research interests include: Adolescence. Children's perceptions of their involvement in the process of education. Assessing classroom environments. Cognitive development. Empowerment education. Children's rights. Dyslexia. Applying educational psychology within schools. Motivation.

Dr. Burden's current research projects include:

Director of the SELL Cognitive Education Centre with the purpose of fostering critical and creative thinking skills and strategies as a fundamental aspect of independent and group learning. An undergraduate course in thinking is provided as also is Masters and Doctorate level supervision in this area. Schools are offered the opportunity of becoming recognised as a 'Thinking School' if they can meet certain specified criteria, and, in doing so, are awarded a certificate and trophy. Details about the Centre and its activities can be found on the SELL CEC website - www.education.ex.ac.uk/cec/
Longitudinal research with Susan Chedzoy into pupils' changing responses to various aspects of their school experience as they move through the education system. Starting at the time of transfer from primary to secondary school, we are charting the pupils' hopes, fears expectations, satisfactions and disappointments with their educational experiences. Several papers have already been published and presented at national and international conferences on our results, and more will follow.
The Myself as a Learner Scale (MALS) is a questionnaire that Dr. Burden designed and standardised with the purpose of assessing pupils' academic self concepts. This 20 item scale has good validity and reliability and is becoming increasingly popular as an additional source of information about pupils' self perceptions as they move through the education system. It is available on line from Grenada publishers (formerly NFER-Nelson).
Current work in the area of dyslexia is concentrated upon the ways in which dyslexic young people develop their sense of identity. The first phase of this work is written up in my book 'Dyslexia and Self-Concept (2005), published by Wiley.

Estrella (Estee) López
Conspire to Inspire has been the lifelong mantra Estrella (Estee) López has espoused throughout her career. Assistant professor, school district administrator, Principal, BETAC Director, National and State consultant, professional developer, reviewer for publishers, classroom teacher, author and artist Estee Lopez has, over her career, promoted excellence and achievement on behalf of all students in particular English language learners. During her professional 38 year trajectory in education, Estee is known for her candid, outspoken advocacy for equity and excellence for all children of public schools, most especially English language learners.
Estee combines leadership with scholarship in every professional venue. She has supported quality bilingual and ESL programs, as well as general education to ensure cognitively challenging teaching and learning experiences. She has encouraged teachers and administrators to support these programs and processes through research, conference presentations, capacity building, and networking. Her leadership style is inclusive, collaborative and strategic. Her major area of expertise is the application cognitive research to educational practice to support struggling learners and English language learners
She has gained recognition by the New York State Board of Regents, as she co-chaired the ELA-ESL Standards Review Initiative. She has worked with the New York State Superintendents Council, New York State TESOL, various Board of Cooperative Education Service organizations, and higher education institutions. Her current work with the Thinking Foundation and the New York State Education Department has served to bridge language acquisition and cognition for ELLs at the state and national level as the state is preparing to implement the national Common Core Standards.

She has received numerous awards including the Life Time Achievement Award from The New York State TESOL and The New York State Association for Bilingual Education; however she claims no award can compare with the joy of knowing that in some small way students and teachers have achieved their potential because of her efforts. Estee Lopez is a native of both New York and Puerto Rico. She completed her undergraduate at Dowling College, postgraduate studies at C.W. Post and her doctoral studies at St. John Fisher College. Her dissertation topic that focuses on the Effects of Thinking Maps on academic language development of ELLs.

Publications:

Cognitive Bridge for Language and Literacy, NYS TESOL
Teaching Language Arts to ELL students: A resource guide for all teachers. Contributor to the New York State Education Department, Office for Bilingual Education statewide document:
Helping ELL Students Meet New York State Standards. Document for teachers in ESL and bilingual classrooms. Contributor to the New York State Education Department, Office for Bilingual Education Statewide Standards publications
Getting Reading for the NYSESLAT , Attanasio and Associates Publishing
Inappropriate NCLB policies for ELL students. NYS Assembly Hearing Testimony on

Awards:

Recognized by the Foundation of Women and Children of Westchester 1999 Women As Leaders Award
Aspira Award for Excellence, 1994 Outstanding Dedication and Excellence in Bilingual and ESL Education, 1994
Services of Educational Resources: SER of Westchester: Outstanding Educator Award 1996
State Association for Bilingual Education: SABE Conference Chairperson Award 1994
Congressional Proclamation by Congresswoman Nita Lowey, 1996
Westchester County Board of Legislatures: Proclamation Award , 2003
New York State TESOL Lifetime Achievement Award, 2009
Glady’s Correa Award, New York State Association for Bilingual Education, 2010
NYS Legislative Proclamation for Leadership and Outstanding Educator, 2010




		About the Thinking Foundation Advisory Board Arthur L. Costa Arthur L. Costa, Ed.D. is a Professor of Education, Emeritus from California State University, Sacramento, where he taught graduate courses to teachers and administrators in curriculum, supervision, and the improvement of instruction. He edited the book, Developing Minds: A Resource Book for Teaching Thinking; is the author of The Enabling Behaviors, Teaching for Intelligent Behaviors and Supervision for Intelligent Teaching; and is co-author of Cognitive Coaching and Techniques for Teaching Thinking. He has also written numerous other articles and publications on supervision, teaching strategies and thinking skills. Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick, define and describe 16 types of intelligent behavior in their four book series, Habits of Mind: A Developmental Series, published in 2000 by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development in Alexandria, VA. Habits of Mind aid students in school and adults in everyday life as they are challenged by problems, dilemmas, paradoxes, and enigmas for which the solutions are not immediately apparent. Drawing on the Habits of Mind means knowing how to behave intelligently when you don't know the answers. It means not only having information, but also knowing how to act on it. Go to the following websites for more information: Habits of Mind website www.habits-of-mind.net Australia Habits of Mind network website www.habitsofmind.org Dr. Costa has made presentations and conducted workshops for educators throughout the United States and in Canada, Mexico, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the South Pacific. He taught in the Bellflower School District, worked as a curriculum consultant in the Los Angeles County Superintendent of School’s Office, and served as Director of Educational Programs for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for the Western States, and was Assistant Superintendent of the Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools office. Yvette Jackson Yvette Jackson, Ed.D. is internationally recognized for her work in assessing the learning potential of disenfranchised urban students. Her research is in literacy, gifted education and the cognitive mediation theory of Dr. Reuven Feuerstein. She has applied her research to develop an integrated process to motivate and elicit potential in underachievers. This research was the basis for her design of the New York City Gifted Programs Framework when she was the Director of Gifted Programs. As Executive Director of Instruction and Professional Development for the New York City Board of Education, she led the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Education Plan which optimizes the delivery of all core curriculum and support services in the Public Schools of New York City. Dr. Jackson currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Urban Alliance, founded at The College Board and Teachers College, Columbia University. She works with school district administrators and teachers across the country to customize and deliver systemic approaches to literacy development through instructional practices that integrate culture, language and cognition to expand and accelerate student learning and achievement. She is a visiting lecturer at Harvard University, a member of ASCD’s Differentiated Instruction Cadre and a keynote presenter at national and international conferences. Learn more about Dr. Jackson: Read excerpts from Yvette Jackson's chapter Closing the Gap By Connecting Culture, Language, and Cognition in the book Student Successes With Thinking Maps. Watch a video clip of Yvette Jackson in a Collegial Coaching session connecting culture, language and cognition Visit the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education website Robert Burden Robert Burden, Ph.D., is Emeritus Professor (Educational Psychology/Ed Studies) at University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. His research interests include: Adolescence. Children's perceptions of their involvement in the process of education. Assessing classroom environments. Cognitive development. Empowerment education. Children's rights. Dyslexia. Applying educational psychology within schools. Motivation. Dr. Burden's current research projects include: Director of the SELL Cognitive Education Centre with the purpose of fostering critical and creative thinking skills and strategies as a fundamental aspect of independent and group learning. An undergraduate course in thinking is provided as also is Masters and Doctorate level supervision in this area. Schools are offered the opportunity of becoming recognised as a 'Thinking School' if they can meet certain specified criteria, and, in doing so, are awarded a certificate and trophy. Details about the Centre and its activities can be found on the SELL CEC website - www.education.ex.ac.uk/cec/ Longitudinal research with Susan Chedzoy into pupils' changing responses to various aspects of their school experience as they move through the education system. Starting at the time of transfer from primary to secondary school, we are charting the pupils' hopes, fears expectations, satisfactions and disappointments with their educational experiences. Several papers have already been published and presented at national and international conferences on our results, and more will follow. The Myself as a Learner Scale (MALS) is a questionnaire that Dr. Burden designed and standardised with the purpose of assessing pupils' academic self concepts. This 20 item scale has good validity and reliability and is becoming increasingly popular as an additional source of information about pupils' self perceptions as they move through the education system. It is available on line from Grenada publishers (formerly NFER-Nelson). Current work in the area of dyslexia is concentrated upon the ways in which dyslexic young people develop their sense of identity. The first phase of this work is written up in my book 'Dyslexia and Self-Concept (2005), published by Wiley. Estrella (Estee) López Conspire to Inspire has been the lifelong mantra Estrella (Estee) López has espoused throughout her career. Assistant professor, school district administrator, Principal, BETAC Director, National and State consultant, professional developer, reviewer for publishers, classroom teacher, author and artist Estee Lopez has, over her career, promoted excellence and achievement on behalf of all students in particular English language learners. During her professional 38 year trajectory in education, Estee is known for her candid, outspoken advocacy for equity and excellence for all children of public schools, most especially English language learners. Estee combines leadership with scholarship in every professional venue. She has supported quality bilingual and ESL programs, as well as general education to ensure cognitively challenging teaching and learning experiences. She has encouraged teachers and administrators to support these programs and processes through research, conference presentations, capacity building, and networking. Her leadership style is inclusive, collaborative and strategic. Her major area of expertise is the application cognitive research to educational practice to support struggling learners and English language learners She has gained recognition by the New York State Board of Regents, as she co-chaired the ELA-ESL Standards Review Initiative. She has worked with the New York State Superintendents Council, New York State TESOL, various Board of Cooperative Education Service organizations, and higher education institutions. Her current work with the Thinking Foundation and the New York State Education Department has served to bridge language acquisition and cognition for ELLs at the state and national level as the state is preparing to implement the national Common Core Standards. She has received numerous awards including the Life Time Achievement Award from The New York State TESOL and The New York State Association for Bilingual Education; however she claims no award can compare with the joy of knowing that in some small way students and teachers have achieved their potential because of her efforts. Estee Lopez is a native of both New York and Puerto Rico. She completed her undergraduate at Dowling College, postgraduate studies at C.W. Post and her doctoral studies at St. John Fisher College. Her dissertation topic that focuses on the Effects of Thinking Maps on academic language development of ELLs. Publications: Cognitive Bridge for Language and Literacy, NYS TESOL Teaching Language Arts to ELL students: A resource guide for all teachers. Contributor to the New York State Education Department, Office for Bilingual Education statewide document: Helping ELL Students Meet New York State Standards. Document for teachers in ESL and bilingual classrooms. Contributor to the New York State Education Department, Office for Bilingual Education Statewide Standards publications Getting Reading for the NYSESLAT , Attanasio and Associates Publishing Inappropriate NCLB policies for ELL students. NYS Assembly Hearing Testimony on Awards: Recognized by the Foundation of Women and Children of Westchester 1999 Women As Leaders Award Aspira Award for Excellence, 1994 Outstanding Dedication and Excellence in Bilingual and ESL Education, 1994 Services of Educational Resources: SER of Westchester: Outstanding Educator Award 1996 State Association for Bilingual Education: SABE Conference Chairperson Award 1994 Congressional Proclamation by Congresswoman Nita Lowey, 1996 Westchester County Board of Legislatures: Proclamation Award , 2003 New York State TESOL Lifetime Achievement Award, 2009 Glady’s Correa Award, New York State Association for Bilingual Education, 2010 NYS Legislative Proclamation for Leadership and Outstanding Educator, 2010