Creating a Learning Culture features insightful essays from industry observers and revealing case studies of prominent corporations. Each chapter revolves around creating an environment where learning takes place each day, all day - fundamentally changing the way we think about how, what, and when we learn, and how we can apply learning to practice. For the first time contemporary work on this subject appears in one volume. Three sections address key aspects of learning culture: the modern business context and the importance of learning at every juncture; the organic and adaptive approaches organizational leaders can take to design enduring success; and the expanding role of individuals within organizations and the implications for business leaders, educators, technologists, and learners. Identifying the steps companies must take to remain competitive for years to come, this book explains how learning strategies applied to all aspects of every job can provide swift returns and lasting results.
Creating a Culture for Learning is based on the belief that all schools must create cultures that promote professional growth in order to succeed in their commitment to the achievement of high standards by all students. It includes self-assessments, reviews of the literature, numerous practitioner examples, and tools and templates to answer these questions: • What are the characteristics of cultures for learning? • What structures promote and support cultures for learning? • What knowledge, skills, and attitudes are needed to create, implement, and maintain cultures for learning? • How can schools best use data to inform practice? • What is best practice in teaching, learning, and leading in such a school?
Discover why and how schools must become places where thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted As educators, parents, and citizens, we must settle for nothing less than environments that bring out the best in people, take learning to the next level, allow for great discoveries, and propel both the individual and the group forward into a lifetime of learning. This is something all teachers want and all students deserve. In Creating Cultures of Thinking: The 8 Forces We Must Master to Truly Transform Our Schools, Ron Ritchhart, author of Making Thinking Visible, explains how creating a culture of thinking is more important to learning than any particular curriculum and he outlines how any school or teacher can accomplish this by leveraging 8 cultural forces: expectations, language, time, modeling, opportunities, routines, interactions, and environment. With the techniques and rich classroom vignettes throughout this book, Ritchhart shows that creating a culture of thinking is not about just adhering to a particular set of practices or a general expectation that people should be involved in thinking. A culture of thinking produces the feelings, energy, and even joy that can propel learning forward and motivate us to do what at times can be hard and challenging mental work.
The twenty-first century is a world in constant change. In A New Culture of Learning, Doug Thomas and John Seely Brown pursue an understanding of how the forces of change, and emerging waves of interest associated with these forces, inspire and invite us to imagine a future of learning that is as powerful as it is optimistic. Typically, when we think of culture, we think of an existing, stable entity that changes and evolves over long periods of time. In A New Culture, Thomas and Brown explore a second sense of culture, one that responds to its surroundings organically. It not only adapts, it integrates change into its process as one of its environmental variables. By exploring play, innovation, and the cultivation of the imagination as cornerstones of learning, the authors create a vision of learning for the future that is achievable, scalable and one that grows along with the technology that fosters it and the people who engage with it. The result is a new form of culture in which knowledge is seen as fluid and evolving, the personal is both enhanced and refined in relation to the collective, and the ability to manage, negotiate and participate in the world is governed by the play of the imagination. Replete with stories, this is a book that looks at the challenges that our education and learning environments face in a fresh way. PRAISE FOR A NEW CULTURE OF LEARNING "A provocative and extremely important new paradigm of a 'culture of learning', appropriate for a world characterized by continual change. This is a must read for anyone interested in the future of education." James J. Duderstadt, President Emeritus, University of Michigan "Thomas and Brown are the John Dewey of the digital age." Cathy Davidson, Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Duke University "A New Culture of Learning may provide for the digital media and learning movement what Thomas Paine's Common Sense did for the colonists during the American Revolution- a straightforward, direct explanation of what we are fighting for and what we are fighting against." Henry Jenkins, Provost's Professor, USC "A New Culture of Learning is at once persuasive and optimistic - a combination that is all too rare, but that flows directly from its authors' insights about learning in the digital age. Pearls of wisdom leap from almost every page." Paul Courant, Dean of Libraries, University of Michigan "Brilliant. Insightful. Revolutionary." Marcia Conner, author of The New Social Learning "Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown portray the new world of learning gracefully, vividly, and convincingly." Howard Gardner, Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education "Thomas and Brown make it clear that education is too often a mechanistic, solo activity delivered to the young. It doesn't have to be that way-learning can be a messy, social, playful, embedded, constant activity. We would do well to listen to their message." Clay Shirky, author of Cognitive Surplus "Anyone who fears, as I do, that today's public schools are dangerously close to being irrelevant must read this book. The authors provide a road map-and a lifeline-showing how schools can prosper under the most difficult conditions. It is a welcome departure from all the school bashing." John Merrow, Education Correspondent, PBS NewsHour "American education is at a crossroads. By illuminating how play helps to transform both information networks and experimentation, and how collective inquiry unleashes the power of imagination, A New Culture of Learning provides an irresistible path to the future." Joel Myerson, Director, Forum for the Future of Higher Education.
For a company to compete effectively in today's business environment, its employees need to be adaptive and agile so they can develop the required skills and knowledge. To achieve this, L&D professionals must create a culture of workplace learning that encourages employees to constantly develop. This means moving away from the traditional approach of simply offering a catalogue of courses to embedding learning in every part of the company. Workplace Learning is a practical guide to all aspects of developing a culture of continuous workplace learning, from how to introduce and implement this culture to how to develop it. Showing that learning is not finite and is instead something that all employees should be doing continuously throughout their careers, Workplace Learning covers how to identify key areas to focus the most effort on, measure success and determine next steps. It also outlines how to use technology to support workplace learning from MOOCs through to apps such as Knewton and Degreed. Packed with case studies from organizations who have effectively established outstanding workplace learning including Microsoft, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), HT2 and The Happy Company, this is essential reading for L&D professionals looking to make a real difference to the development of their staff and the future success of their organizations.
Creating a Culture of Feedback emphasizes the need for a healthy balance between grading to report individual progress and using feedback to motivate students to move forward. Authors William M. Ferriter and Paul J. Cancellieri stress that classrooms must shift their focus to prioritize effective feedback over grades. Using this concise guide, grades 3-12 teachers can help students visualize their own learning progress and take the route to success using three important questions: (1) Where am I going?, (2) How am I doing?, and (3) What are my next steps?
No school improvement effort can be effective without addressing school culture, and in this book you'll learn how to put in place the five pillars essential to building a culture of achievement.
A bold, brain-based teaching approach to culturally responsive instruction To close the achievement gap, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement. Culturally responsive instruction has shown promise, but many teachers have struggled with its implementation—until now. In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain-compatible culturally responsive instruction. The book includes: Information on how one’s culture programs the brain to process data and affects learning relationships Ten “key moves” to build students’ learner operating systems and prepare them to become independent learners Prompts for action and valuable self-reflection
This practical book is designed to help school leaders develop a sustainable culture of learning across the curriculum. It offers a personal insight into how one school embraced a range of dialogic and analytical tools to create an environment in which all stakeholders were inspired to evaluate and innovate. Each chapter tackles one piece of the ‘jigsaw’ that makes up a successful school environment, considering topics such as Attitudes for Learning, Coaching for Learning and Love of Learning. Utilising theory, case studies and activities, it illustrates how the reader can realistically and practically increase student attainment in their own school setting. This book will help leaders: Develop a supportive and encouraging leadership style that will create a cycle of self-improvement and self-efficacy for all Adapt the curriculum to focus on progress and engagement Use the Philosophy 4 Children strategies to promote deeper thinking and enquiry, increasing the rate of school improvement through a system of enquiry based staff professional development Using an inner-city primary school as a working example, this book will be a source of inspiration and encouragement for school leaders, teachers and school advisors looking to cultivate and embed a love of learning into their school.
Nonprofit organizations are under increasing pressure to demonstrate impact and that the funds raised to operate their organizations are maximized and used effectively. This book demonstrates how to create a culture of learning (intentional learning from reflection and feedback focused on successes and failures) that will lead to ongoing performance measurement and improvement. Because nonprofit organizations rely heavily on volunteers and are focused on mission, not money, it is critical for them to create a culture in which learning is a motivator for change. The book breaks down learning into four levels: individual, team, whole organization and community. Learning at each of these levels is described and then specific tools are presented. The tools are hands-on and practical, which facilitate reflection and feedback.
