Elevating Thinking as a Core Education Priority
When I started thinkLaw 8 years ago, I used to lament that critical thinking was nowhere close to being a kitchen table issue in education. In conference after conference and article after article, topics like the school-to-prison pipeline, the achievement/opportunity gap, disengaged students, and chronic absenteeism dominated the conversation.
But I remained fixated on the mission. Because I knew that if we could focus on creating a world where critical thinking was no longer a luxury good, we would no longer leave brilliance on the table. We could stop talking about closing achievement gaps and start talking about shattering achievement ceilings. We could stop lowering the bar for students by meeting them where they are, and change the way they see school by meeting them who they are and how they are instead.
After doing all I could to elevate critical thinking as a core education issue through writing hundreds of blog posts and articles, appearing on dozens of podcasts, selling over 25,000 copies of my first two books, Thinking Like a Lawyer and Tangible Equity, it felt so amazing to have ASCD’s Educational Leadership Magazine reach out to me to share that its April 2023 issue was about Centering Thinking & Discussion. Even more affirming, EL Magazine profiled our work in this issue’s featured interview, ensuring that our message will be in front of tens of thousands of committed education leaders!
For those of you who have been part of our mission since the beginning to those of you who just joined recently, thank you for helping us create a world where critical thinking is no longer a luxury good.
Colin Seale
New Podcast Alert!
New podcast! In this powerful conversation, Colin Seale talks with Bobby Morgan, Founder of Liberation Lab, about the magic it so often takes for the brilliance of Black and Brown students to translate to exceptional academic outcomes. But what if magic wasn’t necessary? What if students didn’t have to be the exception to the rule? Don’t miss this deep dive where Colin and Bobby obsess with the excellence we’re leaving on the table, and talk about the critical thinking strategies that allow us to unlock the brilliance of EACH student.
Summer is closer than you think!
thinkLaw’s highly engaging and easy-to-implement critical thinking program has helped school systems nationwide create powerful, but practical learning experiences that provide enrichment, develop social-emotional learning skills of our students, and bring joy to the Summer School experience through fun discussions of real-life legal cases in upper grades & fairy tales and nursery rhymes in lower grades – because there are A LOT OF shady characters in children’s stories! Ready to learn more? Check out our on-demand webinar or request a quote.
Right-now strategy for your classroom!
How can we ensure that pie-in-the-sky or feel-good-now-but-can’t-do-anything-with-it-tomorrow PD strategies are no longer the default experience for teachers? thinkLaw’s partnership with Central High School in the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District has been a shining exemplar for what’s possible when we get this right, and where questions like “what would it look like if every state had its own currency?” regularly lead to wild discussions and joyful laughter, transforming teachers’ EXISTING content. Now, teachers are practicing our WICK critical thinking strategy, giving students a powerful way to engage with the (sometimes boring!) meat and potatoes of direct instruction. Join us, because while critical thinking revolution will not be televised, we can definitely make it practical.
Gifted in Color, sponsored by thinkLaw
We are less than a month away from the inaugural Gifted in Color Conference!
While we plan to unpack how power and privilege have impacted who gets to be brilliant in this country, we also aim to be a safe space for educators of color. Our schedule, jam packed with brilliant lectures, thought provoking panels and plenaries, is balanced with a balm of affinity groups, grounding sessions and resources specifically for educators of color. If you know an educator of color in need of community support, please send them our way.
We are eager to greet those who have registered and still have space for a few more. If you are interested in participating in the Gifted in Color conference, please visit giftedincolor.com to register.
A partnership between the Brilliance, Excellence and Equity Project and Huston-Tillotson University, powered by thinkLaw.
New thinkLaw team member
Sarah Eck spent seven years teaching grades 2-9 in Denver and Aurora Public Schools. She started her teaching career in rural China. Most recently in education, Sarah’s work centered around executive functioning, decolonizing education, and indigenizing special education. Sarah has worked in remote operations for EdTech. She is also experienced in providing engaging professional development to teachers. Sarah is now the Sales Operations Administrator at thinkLaw and gets to continue her work indigenizing spaces. She has a Masters in Teaching from Relay Graduate School.
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