Beginning in 2016, Prouille embarked on a professional learning agenda known as ‘Cultures of Thinking’. Prouille was one of twelve schools within the Broken Bay Diocese, who came to understand the philosophy and purpose of ‘Cultures of Thinking’ under the guidance and expertise of Ron Ritchhart. Ron comes out of ‘Project Zero’ at Harvard University.
This ‘Cultures of Thinking’ process challenges teachers to create a learning environment where:
- thinking is made visible
- time is given for thinking to take place
- the physical environment reflects the thinking process not just the end product
- there is a language of thinking that is valued
This approach creates a pedagogical framework which focusses on thinking, learning and understanding. It is more collaborative in nature and has a more genuine acknowledgement of student-centred learning. It also creates opportunities for students to grow as learners and be more engaged as learners.
Often students feel limited by what they are expected to know and show through their work (ie product), rather than understand and reflect through their learning (ie process).