Over the last nine years, educators in FCPS have engaged in deep and impactful professional learning through the DCPZ network of educators. I, along with many, have come to understand first-hand a core principle of the Cultures of Thinking Project: For classrooms to be cultures of thinking for students, schools must be cultures of thinking for teachers.

WISIT consultants have engaged and motivated faculty to examine their practices and engage in new ideas to deepen the learning of students. Before the events, consultants spent time learning about our needs and desired outcomes and then developed a day of learning that catered to our school's needs.

Through questions in his workshops, [Jim Reese] pushed teachers to reflect on creating a culture of thinking and understanding in the classroom and throughout the school, harnessing the eight cultural forces in the classroom to create powerful learning experiences, and then understanding what is meant by global competence and how we might foster it in ourselves and in our students.