Can’t make it to Cambridge? There are many ways to connect with HGSE, including online programs. Dinçer Demir, a senior trainer at the non-governmental organization (NGO) Öğretmen Akademisi Vakfı (Teachers Academy Foundation) in İstanbul, Turkey, shares why “Visible Thinking” was a great experience for his team.
If you are working in the field of education and training, “learning never ends,” as Raymond Carver says. At our NGO, we always design new programs and update our existing programs for teacher training. We focus on new improvements, especially technological developments, the latest information about education, and skills necessary for the future. We need to be ready with basic skills to handle challenges coming with these changes. This is where we connected with the online program, Visible Thinking, through Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Critical thinking, which is defined as one of the fundamental skills of 21st century, has become our main concern and goal since it is a lifelong skill that allows people to form a judgment with the analysis of facts. At the core of Visible Thinking are practices that help make thinking visible, so we applied for this program as a team. When my colleagues and I were informed that our application was accepted, we started our learning journey full of excitement.
Thanks to its flexible and systematic research-based approach, the phrase “thinking routines” entered our glossary of learning and teaching. Since the process allows teacher study groups from different countries to share their experiences, it enriched our “tool pool” in many ways. Another powerful aspect of the course was the immediate and effective feedback provided by our mentor. The program includes various thinking routines which are easy-to-use and practical to stay on the track. Additionally, logical framework and research-based explanations encouraged the effectiveness of the thinking routines.
Our journey was absolutely exciting and full of discoveries. I would like to finish with a memory about one of our first tasks. It was about implementing a thinking routine on Van Gogh’s “Shoes” painting. It was like opening one more eye while looking at something. Thanks to the course, we saw various thinking routines, we thought about thinking a lot and we know this experience and inspiration will illuminate our learning journey.
More about Dinçer:
I graduated from English Language Department and worked as a teacher for 12 years. Then, I have started my current position as a senior trainer / teacher trainer. I have also a master’s degree on Educational Technology. I am also an alumni of The Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) for Secondary Educators Program, 2019.
My NGO is the first and only NGO in Turkey focusing on the personal and professional development of teachers. Since its establishment, the foundation has reached almost 180,000 teachers and principals across Turkey in eleven years. The foundation continuously adds new training programs to its training pool. Attendance to the training programs is free of charge.
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