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Welcome to the newsletter for 21st Century Thinking In this Issue In Other News ThinkWorks profiled in business publication On The Web ThinkWorks Store Pass it on Know anyone who might be interested in our newsletter? Click here to forward this email to up to 5 friends at once. |
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Teacher integrates arts into curriculum using ThinkBlocks 
In an effort to boost transfer and make teaching more meaningful to students, one teacher in Virginia wants to make connections among the subjects her students learn. She came to ThinkWorks for a solution, and the results are available online. "ThinkBlocks helped reveal the layers of a concept to my elementary students and elementary art teachers by allowing them to participate actively in the construction of ideas," the teacher wrote. [Learn more about the Integrative Arts Curriculum...] Literacy Specialist trains teachers, improves students' reading with ThinkBlocks 
When revamping their literacy curriculum, a New York school district turned to ThinkWorks for help. The half-day workshop resulted in an innovative model that builds literacy in all disciplines and across grade levels. "This is great for our teachers," said the district's literacy specialist. "Everyone - the chemistry teacher and the social studies teacher - has a common language and approach for developing students' reading skills through any content." [Learn more about the 21st Century Literacy Curriculum...] ThinkBlocks users build community and improve ThinkWorks 
A community of ThinkBlocks users has sprung up on the web! Educators, parents, and professionals of all stripes created a new venue, using Google Groups to discuss the power of thinking skills and share new ways to teach them to any student. [Talk with other ThinkBlocks users...] Our customers are talking, and we're listening. ThinkBlocks users post ideas, vote on them, and earn rewards on a new part of our website called IdeaWorks. We have already taken a few of their ideas and made them a reality. [Post a suggestion to IdeaWorks...] Virginia Teacher Wins ING Grant for 21st Century Thinking 
An Elementary Art Resource Teacher at a Fairfax County Public School was awarded a $2,000 grant to incorporate thinking skills into her school's curricula using ThinkBlocks. The grant will have an impact on the school's 460 students by bringing ThinkBlocks and training to the school's classroom teachers. [Read full story...] Virginia school district embraces thinking skills When students in one Virginia school district head back to school this fall, they will return to a revised Program of Study that includes thinking skills developed by ThinkWorks. Teachers, curriculum designers, and school administrators collaborated with ThinkWorks, infusing existing Standards of Learning with timeless thinking skills. "Our students will be able pass tests in school," said one staff member. "And they'll also be able to think." [Read full story...] ThinkWorks executives publish research 
Research conducted by Drs. Derek Cabrera and Laura Colosi was recently published in a variety of journals. As educators, evaluators, and policymakers recognize the importance of thinking skills in their respective fields, many are adopting the Patterns of Thinking as a framework. Articles in Evaluation and Program Planning describe how the Patterns of Thinking Method impacts evaluators. [Read full story...] In an article called "What's the Crisis?" Cornell faculty described the world's most pressing problems and feasible ways to address them. At the top of their list was improved interdisciplinary and scientific education. [Read full story...] The Santa Fe Institute showcased Dr. Cabrera's impact on scientific thinking and education in a recent article. [Read full story...] Leading educators call for thinking skills in schools 
After several leading educators identified thinking skills as the most critical need for today's students, Educational Leadership devoted two recent issues to the topic. Teachers and administrators suggest ways to increase thinking in schools. [Read full story...] Perspective-taking crucial in negotiations, researchers find 
In an article published in Psychological Science, researchers found that the ability to take perspective is critical in negotiations. Northerwestern University researcher Adam Galinsky summarized the findings: "Perspective-taking gives you insights into how to structure a deal that can benefit both parties." ThinkBlocks are a tactile way to teach perspective taking which research shows is essential for prosocial behavior such as empathy, compassion, and theory of mind. [Read full story...] |
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