Intellectual Character : What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Get It

by Ritchhart, Ron

• ISBN13: 9780787972783
• ISBN10: 0787972789
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-08-25
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

What does it really mean to be intelligent? Ron Ritchhart presents a new and powerful view of intelligence that moves beyond ability to focus on cognitive dispositions such as curiosity, skepticism, and open mindedness. Arguing persuasively for this new conception of intelligence, the author uses vivid classroom vignettes to explore the foundations of intellectual character and describe how teachers can enculturate productive patterns of thinking in their students. Intellectual Character presents illustrative, inspiring stories of exemplary teachers to help show how intellectual traits and thinking dispositions can be developed and cultivated in students to promote successful learning. This vital book provides a model of authentic and powerful teaching and offers practical strategies for creating classroom environments that support thinking.

Author Biography

Ron Ritchhart is research associate at Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he has worked on a number of projects focusing on the development of thinking, understanding, and creativity in schools. He is a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics and of the 1999-2000 Spencer Dissertation Fellowship. Ritchhart is author of several books, including Making Numbers Make Sense, Through Mathematical Eyes, and Pythagora’s Bow Tie. He is coauthor and coproducer of the Creative Classroom Series.

Table of Contents

List of Tables, Figures, and Exhibits	xiii
Foreword: Six Intellectual Characters in Search of an Author	xv
David Perkins
Preface	xxi
Acknowledgments	xxvii
The Author	xxix
Part One: The Case for Intellectual Character
1 Failing at Smart: Or What's an Education For?	3	(9)
Where Are We? A Look at the Current State of Teaching
What Are We Teaching For?
What Should We Be Teaching For?
Moving Forward
2 Rethinking Smart: The Idea of Intellectual Character	12	(21)
Missing the Mark with IQ
Beyond Ability: The Idea of Intellectual Character
Which Dispositions?
3 Acting Smart: How Thinking Dispositions Close the Ability-Action Gap	33	(22)
A Disposition in Action
Some Additional Perspectives on Dispositions
A New Model of Dispositions Emerges
Creating Environments that Support the Development of Intellectual Character
From Models to Practice
Part Two: Fostering Intellectual Character in Our Schools
4 First Days, First Steps: Initiating a Culture of Thinking	55	(30)
Conveying a Sense of the History of Thought and the Power of Ideas
Jumping into a Big Subject-Matter Issue
Laying a Foundation for Ongoing Dialogue
Setting an Agenda of Understanding
The Importance of the First Days of School
5 Thinking Routines: Creating the Spaces and Structures for Thinking	85	(30)
The Form and Function of Routines
Thinking Routines: A Special Type of Routine
Thinking Routines in Action
The Importance of Thinking Routines
6 Language and Thinking: Prompting, Priming, and Patterning	115	(30)
Learning to Think by Talking
Ways of Talking, Ways of Thinking
The Language of Thinking
The Language of Mindfulness
The Power of Language
7 Thought-Full Environments: Sustaining a Culture of Thinking	145	(34)
Opportunities for Thinking
The Teacher as a Model of Thinking
Classroom Attitudes and Interactions
Making Thinking Visible in the Environment
Identifying the Thought-Full Classroom
Part Three: Moving Toward the Ideal of Intellectual Character
8 Beyond Technique: Where Teaching for Intellectual Character Begins	179	(30)
Exploring Foundations
Sketches of the Teachers
Where It Begins
9 Three Lessons: What to Keep in Mind About Teaching for Intellectual Character	209	(20)
Lesson One: The Importance of Teachers' Dispositions
Lesson Two: Breaking the Rules of So-Called Effective Teaching
Lesson Three: Thinking and Understanding Are a Powerful Mix
In Closing
10 Some Practical Advice: How to Get Started Teaching for Intellectual Character	229	(20)
Start with Yourself
Enlist Others in the Process
Look at Your Teaching Practice
Take It to the Classroom
Give It Time
In Closing
Appendix	249	(18)
Methodological Notes
Teacher Selection
Classroom Observations
Teacher Interviews
The Repertory Grid Methodology
Reflections and Critique
Notes	267	(16)
References	283	(10)
Index	293