Semester 1 2024

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURES OF THINKING IN HOUSE GROUP

SUSAN GARSON, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRE FOR CULTURES OF THINKING

My background as a German teacher and numerous trips to German schools, has given me an insight into the similarities and differences between macro education systems, as well as the micro running of the day in a school. Interestingly, German secondary schools do not have a gathering of students each morning, nor a House system. These are foreign concepts to them. At BGGS, we value House Group meetings as a space to develop connection and belonging among students. What a loss it would be not to have this time. House Group meetings allow students to feel part of a ‘family’ here at school. Their teacher guides them, but the sense of family comes primarily through connecting, celebrating, exploring ideas, and uncovering questions with their peers. Peers become an important support system for students as they journey through their academic studies. House Group meetings can also be a playful learning space, where choice, wonder and delight shape shared experiences for students (Harvard PZ—Pedagogy of Play). Teachers also benefit from leading and being part of a House Group. Here they can bring their personal pedagogical gifts (PPGs) to the learning opportunities they plan. Teachers can bring their authentic selves and their values to their work with students in this slightly different context to that of their classroom. Sometimes this might look like having a bit more freedom and fun, as well as feeling like a safe environment in which to ‘open up’ with one another about wellbeing or academic issues. Connecting with students and making them feel valued, builds social capacity in a school. Ron Ritchhart, in his new book Cultures of Thinking in Action, talks about 10 mindsets that underpin a culture of thinking. I suggest that four of these are most relevant to the learning in House Groups and, to conclude, I offer a few provocations linked to these

What dispositions would you like to see developed most in your students? How do you model these during House Group time?

#2 We can’t teach dispositions, we must enculcate them.

What actions do you take to make students feel valued and respected in your House Group? What could you share with colleagues about what works best? How do you see collaborative learning playing out in your House Group? Can you notice and name when you see students learning and thinking together? What types of questions do you notice being asked and answered in House Group time? How might you enable more generative (exploring a topic), facilitative (promoting the learner’s own thinking and understanding) and constructive (building new understanding) questioning?

#4 Students learn best when they feel

known, valued, and respected by both the adults in the school and their peers.

#6 Learning and thinking are as much a collective enterprise as they are an individual endeavour.

#8 Questions drive thinking and learning.

REFERENCES: Ritchhart, R. (2023). Cultures of Thinking in Action: 10 mindsets to transform our teaching and students’ learning. Jossey-Bass. Crowther, F. Andrews, D. & Conway, J. (2013). School Wide Pedagogy: Vibrant New Meaning for Teachers and Principals. Hawker Brownlow.

SCHOOL-WIDE PEDAGOGY NEWSLETTER SEMESTER 1 2024

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