White male and Black female elementary students look through a magnifying glass to examine an object not shown in the image.

Critical Thinking Skill Development: Embed THINK Skills into Lesson Plans

Inflexion January 16, 2021

0 Comments

Education is not the learning of facts. It’s rather the training of the mind to think.

– Albert Einstein

INTRO

THINK skills and behaviors are often grounded in critical thinking and inquiry. Examples include: ideation, creativity, innovation, and design thinking. Ultimately, THINK is about approaching situations and ideas with versatile and intentional thinking patterns.

OBJECTIVES

Embed THINK skills or behaviors in lesson planning

Observe and evaluate student outcomes and changes within the community

RESOURCE LINKS

PDF: THINK

ACTIVITY

Teachers in a specific grade, subject area, or PLC focus on embedding THINK skills or behaviors in their lesson planning for the next 6 months to a year.
- Review the provided PDF resource for ideas to choose from/get you started
- Focus on consistently embedding 2-3 of the ideas at a time across the group for more effective monitoring and outcome evaluation

Share what changed with the community

Add, adjust, etc. plans as needed moving forward

TIPS

Key Moves are efforts that require a bit of planning, but can be implemented within the next 3-6 months.
- Remember, this is not a quick fix: You’re establishing schoolwide changes that should better serve all students for years to come

Categories: Toolkit

Tags: 21st Century Readiness, Inclusive Practices, Student Empowerment, Student Outcomes

Build Unity Through Change: Engage Staff in Continuous Improvement Processes

Continuous improvement should be embedded in day-to-day work, in a systemized, organic way. You can think of the cyclical process as a formative assessment of the ideas being tested.

Inflexion June 7, 2023

0 Comments

Case Study: Merced Union High School District

Through its work with Inflexion, MUHSD is seeing strong results in student outcomes and in closing the opportunity gap for underserved students. California School Dashboard data show College/Career Indicator scores for African American, Hispanic, English Learners, students with disabilities, students who are homeless, and students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged are 16 to 29 points higher than the state average.

Inflexion June 9, 2020

0 Comments

Passion. Pride. Promise. Two Leaders Help Pave the Way for Their Students & Communities

Tucked away in the hills of rural western Oregon, the Vernonia and Gaston school districts defy many of the stereotypes most of us hold when we think of rural schools. Their communities face both common and unique challenges. Vernonia Elementary Principal, Michelle Eagleson, and Gaston Superintendent, Summer Catino, share how their small schools and communities achieve greatness.

Vanessa Brazil October 25, 2022

0 Comments

Snapshot of What’s Working: Multi-Tiered System of Support

Few large-scale policy initiatives speak to the potential of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) more so than the California Scale-Up Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Statewide Initiative—simply referred to as California MTSS.

Inflexion February 15, 2019

0 Comments

Family And Community Engagement (FACE): How To Get Started with Community School Development

So you’re familiar with community schools. You’re interested. But getting started can feel like the hardest part. While your own school/district’s path may ultimately differ from Anaheim Union School District’s, their example can help you begin mapping out where to start.

Inflexion April 19, 2023

0 Comments

Implementing PBIS: 6 Challenges and 7 Supports to Consider for Your Schoolwide Program

Effectively implementing a schoolwide PBIS system that is equitable and meets the needs of all students may feel like a fairy tale. But by understanding the barriers to successful implementation and the supports needed to overcome them, school leaders can better prepare for and modify PBIS at their sites.

Inflexion May 17, 2023

0 Comments

Elementary teacher and students sit in a circle smiling and laughing.

Incorporate SEL in the Classroom: Engaging Strategies for Brain Breaks and Transitions

Educators and OST providers understand and believe in the power of SEL, but often seek clarity about how to demonstrate and observe SEL in action.
The Engaging Strategies and Brain Breaks are practical ways to introduce and broaden the use of SEL practices in classrooms, schools, and even workplaces.

Inflexion March 3, 2021

0 Comments

Your School’s Identity is More Important Than You Think

Like it or not, the cultural identity of your school drives everything else you do. Who you truly are and what you believe about yourself at the core is defined by what you do. In an increasingly competitive climate, it’s more important than ever to clarify who you are and what you value.

Rachel Phillips March 16, 2018

0 Comments

A Source of Strength and Community: How Identity Keeps Santiam Canyon United Even When Everything Else is Falling Apart

Santiam Canyon Superintendent, Todd Miller, shares how their school district’s identity and maxims are a source of community and strength, especially when faced with unimaginable disaster.

Vanessa Brazil October 4, 2022

0 Comments

Diverse group of community members sit at a meeting together.

Foster Community Engagement: 9 Steps to Establishing a District Family Engagement Team

There is growing recognition, grounded in research, that effective family engagement can contribute to improved student outcomes and to closing persistent achievement gaps among students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds and family income levels.

Experts advocate for family engagement as an essential strategy for building the pathway to college and career readiness for all students, as well as an essential component of a systems approach to school turnaround.

Inflexion March 15, 2023

0 Comments

Responses

You must be logged in to post a comment.

INTRO

OBJECTIVES

RESOURCE LINKS

ACTIVITY

TIPS

Related Articles

Responses