What is the Cultures of Thinking and Creativity in Utah Schools Initiative?
Cultures of Thinking and Creativity (CTC) in Utah Schools is a statewide initiative in Utah developed by Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, and Utah Tech University. This initiative supports K-12 teachers and administrators to include thinking routines in arts and arts-integrated instruction. Thinking routines are practical tools to increase student learning by engaging them in inquiry, problem solving, and wonder. Over time, teachers have seen their students empowered to be curious, critical thinkers.
Our Goals
To inspire leaders in the BTS Arts Learning Program and other arts initiatives in Utah, to include thinking routines in existing professional development programs, and align instructional practices for deep thinking across the curriculum. Over time we hope to strengthen conversations between arts educators and educational leaders at various levels (from classroom teachers to policy makers) to improve student learning through the arts.
What are Thinking Routines?
Thinking routines are practiced steps or routine questions to engage students' thinking. They are easily adaptable to all classrooms, ages, backgrounds, and content areas. Although we support schools of thought and research on thinking strategies, we are currently focused on the research from Harvard Project Zero which includes the Thinking Routines Toolbox. Recommended reading includes: Making Thinking Visible, Creating Cultures of Thinking, and Cultures of Thinking in Action by Ron Ritchhart.
Case studies demonstrate that thinking routines "build a culture of thinking" in the classroom and improve growth trajectory (Ritchhart, Church, Morrison, 2011, p. 249). Thinking routines surface students' internal patterns of knowing and make these thought patterns transferable to other contexts. Specific thinking strategies can be used to introduce new ideas, explore works of visual and performing art, develop global thinking, generate analogies, examine different perspectives, synthesize ideas, dig deeper into concepts, and consider problems in new ways.
Subscribe to the Cultures of Thinking and Creativity Newsletter!
Sign up to receive an email twice a month. Charlotte Hawkins, a Beverley Taylor Sorensen visual arts educator, has been using thinking routines in her classroom for years. In each newsletter, you'll learn her tips and tricks to implement thinking strategies in your classroom. Here's an excerpt:
"The routine called 'The 3 Why's' saved my lesson by allowing my students to think about how the greater world affects them. You might use this at the introduction of a lesson to promote further investigation, or 'expand on a given issue in order to help students become aware of that issue's far-ranging impact. 'Why' questions can create a personal connection to a topic that might seem remote.'"
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