Culture Of Thinking Ritchhart

1. Cultures of Thinking is a places where a group’s collective as well as individual thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted as part of the regular, day-to-day experience of all group members. “It’s not something that is mysterious of foreign. But, rather is something that represents some of the best and most productive experiences as learners” (intro). Culture is a hidden tool because it can be used to transform our schools and offer our students the best learning possible (p.6). Ritchhart also believes that teachers focus on eight cultural forces that can be seen in the learning situations of individual groups, which can be interpreted.

2. What Ritchhart means when he says, “Dispositions must be enculturated- that is learned through immersion in a culture.” Those dispositions have to be developed over time and only emerge in a situation that calls for them. So, when Ritchhart expresses how “we must surround our students with an intellectual life into which they might grow.” In my opinion, he means to look not only at what one can do but also what one does in their own experiences of everyday life, because it is in those experiences that the students will grow and develop.

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The hidden power of language is the ability to subtly convey messages that shape our thinking, sense of self, and group affinity. What Ritchhart means is that because language is such an immense part of every culture there are specific things that can be said in a tone of voice that push us into deeper thinking, for example something that we did not think of on our own. For example in Lisa Verkerks class, she asked the question “What do you think might be going on with those children? (p.64)” Which is her choice of words that are considered the “Hidden Power of Language” because she used the words might be instead of is. The word might be provide alternative possibilities, and options. Rather than trying to definitely, name the