Investigating the Forces that Shape Cultures of Thinking

Details

This event is from Project Zero — confirm details there before registering.

Who it's for

Topics

Often, when we think of effective teaching, we focus on good planning and instructional design. Yet effective teaching also requires attention to the culture of the classroom.

Learn about the eight forces that shape classroom and school culture and take an in-depth look at four of them—modeling, opportunities, interactions, and environment. Consider how you can leverage aspects of the forces to create cultures that support students in deep learning and thinking.

Overview

• Explore the eight forces that contribute to the culture of a classroom, school, or other learning context
• Delve into four of those forces: modeling, opportunities, interactions, and environment
• Consider aspects of those forces in your own classroom or learning context
• Try out some of the tools, practices, and principles designed to support use of the cultural forces

Who Should Participate

• Teachers, teacher leaders, and school administrators and leaders
• Museum educators and educators working in informal learning environments
• Facilitators of pre-K to adult learning

Time Commitment

• Team Meeting: This 1-hour live, synchronous team meeting happens every week, scheduled and facilitated by the team members with PZ-designed agenda.
• Reading, Practice, and Assignments: Plan remaining time for reading and individual reflections/assignments. If you are not currently working in a school or educational organization, you will need a classroom context or a consistent group of students with whom you can try out/practice the ideas you are learning throughout the course.

Tuition, Discounts, and Financial Aid

• $355 for educators joining as part of a team (three to six members from the same organization)
• $385 for educators joining as part of a team of two (from the same organization) who will be placed on a virtual team with other teams of two (as attendance allows)
• $399 for educators joining as individuals to be placed on a virtual team

Questions?

Visit the FAQs page for more information on PZ online courses, or email pzlearn@gse.harvard.edu.

Designer and Co-Instructor

Co-Instructor

Mark Church works throughout the world with schools that wish to create cultures of thinking in their classrooms. He believes in the difference teachers can make for students when they strive to make thinking visible, valued, and actively promoted as part of the day-to-day experience of their learners. Mark encourages teachers to become students of their students and, more broadly, students of themselves and the choices they make to leverage the power of making thinking visible. Mark is currently a consultant with Project Zero's Making Thinking Visible and Cultures of Thinking initiatives, drawing upon his own classroom…

Schedule

• Session 1 — Mon, Feb 22, 2027
• Session 2 — Mon, Mar 1, 2027
• Session 3 — Mon, Mar 8, 2027
• Session 4 — Mon, Mar 15, 2027