Ritchhart Cultures of thinking Chapter 1
“As long as schools treat test scores as the major proxies for student achievement and educational quality, we will have a hard time refocusing our attention on what really matters in education”. I chose this sentence because, what really matters in education? This chapter focuses on the true needs of our educational system in terms of what is taught and nurtured in our schools, homes, and society. It points out how we have grown accustom to placing all importance on scores and rankings received from assessments that do not truly assess the aspects of one’s learning and the development that will allow us to become lifelong learners. This emphasis on testing, standardizing, and conforming molds our actions through its repeated use in practice and conversations. “It matters because our talk shapes our focus, and our focus directs our energies, which will shape our actions”. I chose this sentence because I have learned the hard way that this statement cannot be any truer. When you focus all your thoughts, the basis for your talk, towards those that are negative, inflexible, and crude your actions and efforts fulfill themselves as such. Unfortunately, this in turn affects those around you as well. Once you learn and practice having internal conversations that are positive, adaptable, and refined your external conversations will mimic those thoughts and therefore cause your actions, and those of the people that surround you to mimic them as well. This applies just the same when it comes to developing dispositions that are not impeded by traditional learning stories that have become the norm in our nation. “What is interesting about the lists and charts created by these disparate groups all over the world is how similar they are.” I chose this sentence because I find it mind baffling that so many seems to have the same ideas and attitudes towards the outcomes that are wanted for students, yet we continue to follow like sheep rather than stopping and saying, “no, we demand change and we will not abide”. Why? Is it out of fear? Or is it because we too have been so forced into this mold that has been created for us that we are having trouble reworking our own way of thinking? “Consider outcomes as a member of society”. This phrase is one I hold near and dear to my heart. It is, in my eyes, the only way we, the human race will be able to survive. Our culture seems to have shifted towards one that is egocentric. For the most part people seem to only care about themselves or those few select that are near to them. We work towards only caring and striving for the improvement of that small group regardless of what ill effects it may have on others. Much like the Tragedy of the Commons (Lloyd 1833 & Hardin 1963), if we do not start shifting our educational outcomes towards those that help improve our society as a whole and continue feeding into this linear and competitive system we have now, we will not be able to lead current and future generations towards having critical thinking skills and abilities that will serve the greater good. “Useable knowledge”. So many times, I have found myself reflecting on the many subjects and topics I have been taught. So many times, have I found myself questioning, what good will this do? When will I ever use this? I have endured so much memorization, and so much “Working the system”, just to get by when in reality I had attained very little usable knowledge. Knowledge with sustenance and relate-ability. Knowledge that I could apply in more than one area. “Cultivating a lifelong skill set”. Cultivating skills that cultivate dispositions such as curiosity, collaboration, adaptability, and passion will allow for lifelong learning. When you are genuinely inclined, these will come with ease and go hand in hand with many of the habits of mind that produce effective thinkers. Open-minded and Empathetic. When you are these two words, or either or, you are able to absorb, properly process, and apply incoming information. Thinking Interdependently allowed me to reach a better understanding for this reading. Yes, we must first adapt ourselves and develop our life long skills sets before being able to pass on that knowledge and those abilities, but the key is to pass them on. We need to incorporate them into our society and culture in order to make the shift and break away from the chains that are holding us back from solving not major problems being faced and those that are simple. One of my favorite stories put this HOM to use. In my high school Italian class, Signora Roos shared the struggle that was being faced with the leaning tower of piazza. It had begun leaning much too far. The solution was sought by requesting ideas and suggestions from all over the world. Engineers, architects, designers, students all came together to solve this dilemma. Complex strategies and plans were evaluated. The best part, the solution came from a child in elementary who simply state, dig a small amount of soil out from the other side. I have yet to be able to confirm this story, but its messages stuck with me. Had everyone not come together to share all these thoughts, a solution may not have been found.
Is it possible to test qualities that cannot be tested such as curiosity, imagination, and passion? How?
How can cultures be evolved and molded into naturally developing dispositions that help break free from negative dispositions and gravitate towards positive ones?
What are standardized test actually testing for?