Disseminating Best Practices
Thinking Foundation supports networking and sharing of best practices across Thinking Schools around the world. What would it look like if educators had a place to share their school based successes with thinking as the foundation for learning? This is our mission. Our present focus is on the deep implementation and accreditation of pilot Thinking Schools in any region or country, conducted in collaboration with
Thinking Schools International.
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia with a population of nearly 8 million people. The superintendent of schools and vice mayor of Addis, Mr. Dilamo Ottore has supported Thinking Schools development for many years. In his remarks to Addis Ababa educational bureau leaders, Ato Dilamo brings forward a vision of transforming schools using the Thinking Schools approach.
Thinking Schools Ethiopia was initiated by our partner Eminence Social Entrepreneurs through the leadership of Asnake Amanuel.
Our collaborative work with Ethiopian educators (K-12 teachers and university) is now a 5 year, sustained effort to document, disseminate and “scale up” best practices of Thinking Schools Ethiopia beyond the 50 schools now involved. See the most recent blog entry at Thinking Schools Ethiopia.
Thinking Foundation has also supported research and development in the field. in the areas of early years education, K-12 schools and through adult education. Here are some of the published resources.
Resources supporting the Thinking Schools Approach
“Pathways to Thinking Schools”
David Hyerle and Larry Alper coeditors. Corwin Press, Second Edition, April 2014
This is an edited professional book offering the theory, research, and practice of having thinking as a foundation for learning in schools around the world. The title of this book represents a declaration of what many people inside and outside of education from around the world now believe should be the central focus of education. Presented within these chapters is documentation showing how the explicit focus on thinking may become a foundation for every school, from many different vantage points and from several different countries. In one sense, our schools need to “recharter” their vision of schooling. We know that our work as educators is no longer simply about delivering more content knowledge, better technology or more complex testing regimens. We need to explicitly develop our students? thinking abilities in order that they deepen content knowledge, build concepts, and filter the abundance of information flowing through virtual networks. Buy Online
"Visual Tools for Transforming Information into Knowledge"
David Hyerle, Author. Arthur L. Costa, Prologue Robert J. Marzano, Foreward. Corwin Press, 2009, Second Edition
This is the most comprehensive book on concept mapping, graphic organizers, systems thinking, Thinking Maps®, and visual software programs. Find out why visual tools and mapping are the key tools for 21st century learning. Look at student and teacher work and review test results from around the country. In a rich and provocative writing style, Dr. David Hyerle, draws together examples from teachers, administrators, brain researchers, and parents to make a very exciting read. Buy Online
"Student Successes with Thinking Maps®"
David Hyerle and Larry Alper coeditors Corwin Press, Second Edition, January 2011, Thousand Oaks, California
This unique professional book is a comprehensive documentation of the theory, practice and research behind Thinking Maps. There are 17 chapters offering research and results, grouped into four sections: Thinking, Language and Learning, Integrating Content and Process, Whole Learning Communities and Professional Development. Read the forward by Pat Wolfe, author of Building the Reading Brain. "The Thinking Maps® program takes full advantage of the natural proclivity of the brain to see and think visually. The authors describe Thinking Maps as a language of visual tools grounded in the thinking process, a most neurally apt description. This book provides an invaluable way to help our students truly understand and retain the concepts behind the facts, and to do this in an exciting and motivating way.” Excerpt from Forward by Pat Wolfe.
"Developing Connective Leadership, Successes with Thinking Maps®"
Larry Alper, Kimberly Williams, David Hyerle, Authors. Solution Tree Press, 2012
"If our best thinking comes by making connections and building patterns, then what would these patterns look like, and what might they be based on?"—ask the authors. Most importantly, how could they be used? Developing Connective Leadership shows you how Thinking Maps® are an efficient and eloquent language that can be used to explore and reveal ideas, thought processes, and intentions. By creating visual representations of thought, leaders create shared understandings and foster connections among staff. Explore how schools have used the Thinking Maps® process to create strong collaborative bonds and facilitate shared leadership. As staff members collaborate to construct a shared frame of reference, they are empowered to execute and sustain the school's vision.
"The Growing Thinking Students in Thinking Schools" LumiBook
Provides an in-depth examination of the revolutionary Thinking Schools Model, representing a well-designed, sustainable, and significant shift toward a foundational focus on thinking. The LUMIbook provides a rich media experience with videos, audio, files to download, as well as collaborative opportunities – a truly interactive social learning experience.
(Spanish version available Spring 2017)
"Thinking Friends®"
Given the recent research in the cognitive-neurosciences and child development, Thinking Foundation supported research and development of an approach for Early Childhood Years education. The outcome is a systematic approach to facilitating child centered cognitive development, "Thinking Friends". This program is offered as a foundation for Thinking Schools and early childhood centers. Buy Online
(Spanish version now available)
"Thinking Like an Entrepreneur"
A business and/or social entrepreneur may be a single person creating a new product in a garage or a whole new way of working in a large, dynamic, global organization. In all cases, the 21st century world of continuous learning through multiple jobs and fast changing technologies overlap to require a different set of tools: mental knowledge tools, dispositions and problem solving skills. Young entrepreneurs require savvy financial literacy and personal, long term financial planning in order to be successful. The multiple models of thinking tools in "Thinking Like an Entrepreneur" are used by secondary and college students--and young entrepreneurs--to develop their creative-mental capacities to think through problems, create new products and processes, and successfully bring them to market.