1. Creating a Culture of Thinking:
A New Kind of Docent Education Program
Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums Annual Meeting
October 25, 2010

2. National Gallery of Art
Teacher, School, and Family Programs
Heidi Hinish, Head of Department
h-hinish@nga.gov
Elizabeth Diament, Museum Educator
e-diament@nga.gov
Christine Stinson, School Docent Candidate
christine.stinson@gmail.com

3. The Big Question
• How can we create a
docent education
program that models the
same kinds of teaching
and learning that should
happen on school tours?

4. In Our Session
In Our Session …In
• An overview of Cultures of Thinking and the eight
cultural forces that define and shape a group’s
experience, as defined by Ron Ritchhart (researcher at
Harvard Project Zero).
• A case study of how Ritchhart’s framework informed
the National Gallery’s new approach to docent
education.
• Using a Project Zero thinking routine, discuss how
these ideas could be applied to your learning setting .

5. Cultures of Thinking Project
• Ritchhart’s research focuses on understanding how
to develop, nurture, and sustain thoughtful learning
environments.
• Part of a larger initiative called Visible Thinking led
by researchers at Harvard University’s Project Zero.
• Culture of Thinking projects are taking place in
schools in Australia and the U.S. These projects look
at the process of creating a school-wide culture of
thinking that supports the development of students'
thinking dispositions.

6. “Cultures of Thinking are places where a
group’s collective, as well as individual
thinking, is valued, visible, and actively
promoted, as part of the ongoing
experience of all group members.”
(Ron Ritchhart)

7. The 8 Cultural Forces
• The modeling of the
group leader.
• The way time is
allocated.
• The way language and
conversation are used.
• The interactions and
relationships that
unfold.
• The expectations that
are communicated.
• The opportunities that
are created.
• The routines and
structures that are put
into place.
• The way the
environment is set-up
and utilized.

8. Modeling
• “It is who we are as thinkers and learners, and
what we do, that helps create a culture of
thinking?” (Ritchhart)
• As a learner, how can I understand a work of
art? As a teacher, how can I help students
understand a work of art? (school docent
candidate education throughline)

9. Time
• “..thinking requires time.” (Ritchhart)
• “Without the time to engage properly with
an object or idea, an opportunity for
thinking can feel hollow.” (Ritchhart)

10. Time
Time for:
o Prolonged looking
o Building descriptions
o Wondering and puzzling
o Developing
interpretations
o Creating conversations

11. Time
• “..thinking requires time.”(Ritchhart)
• “Without the time to engage properly with an
object or idea, an opportunity for thinking can
feel hollow.” (Ritchhart)
• Less really is more: by slowing down and looking
carefully at a few works of art, students have the
opportunity to think creatively and critically.
(www.nga.gov/education/school/)

12. Language
• Inclusive language
• Language of thinking
• Language of personal
agency
• Non-judgmental
feedback
• Language of art

13. Relationships and Interactions
• “In museums, collaborative learning has been
shown to enhance the meaning students make
of objects.” (John Falk)
• Now I realize the group can be more
enlightening and enlightened than the
individual, and we all bring our life experience
to the seeing and understanding of a work of
art. (school docent candidate)

14. Docent Perspective:
Was the tour observation form helpful?
• Framework or lens
through which to
examine the tour
• Helpful by having
specific criteria to look
for
• Cognizant of time

15. Docent Perspective:
Did we learn anything from the exercise?
• Observed great variety
in tours
• Thinking must be
flexible and nimble
• Thoughts of lecturing
dissipated

16. Docent Perspective:
Did the form help generate discussion about tours
and teaching?
• Excited discussion of
what worked
• Shared activities,
what had meaning to
children
• Making Thinking
Visible

17. Docent Perspective:
Did a culture of thinking about art and teaching
develop? What did that look like?
• Informal coffee before class, wide-ranging discussions
• Group hungers to hear from each other
• Candidate are starting a web site to share ideas
• Ask questions, culture of trust
• Thinking in the wild

18. Connect│Extend│Challenge
• How do the ideas presented today, including
the 8 cultural forces, connect to the work that
I am already doing?
• What new ideas have surfaced that extend or
push my thinking in new directions, as a result
of today’s session?
• What are some challenges involved in taking
these ideas back to my museum? What
questions or puzzles do I have now?

19. "For classrooms to be cultures of
thinking for students, schools
must be cultures of thinking for
teachers.”
(www.ronritchhart.com)

20. For school tours to be cultures of
thinking for students, museums must
be cultures of thinking for docents.

21. Thank you for coming!
Heidi Hinish, h-hinish@nga.gov
Elizabeth Diament, e-diament@nga.gov
Christine Stinson, christine.stinson@gmail.com