Intellectual Character

Ron Ritchhart is research associate at Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he has worked on a number of projects focusing on the development of thinking, understanding, and creativity in schools. He is a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics and of the 1999-2000 Spencer Dissertation Fellowship. Ritchhart is author of several books, including Making Numbers Make Sense, Through Mathematical Eyes, and Pythagora’s Bow Tie. He is coauthor and coproducer of the Creative Classroom Series.

• List of Tables, Figures, and Exhibits xiiiForeword: Six Intellectual Characters in Search of an Author xvDavid PerkinsPreface xxiAcknowledgments xxviiThe Author xxixPart One: The Case for Intellectual Character1 Failing at Smart: Or What’s an Education For? 32 Rethinking Smart: The Idea of Intellectual Character 123 Acting Smart: How Thinking Dispositions Close the Ability-Action Gap 33Part Two: Fostering Intellectual Character in Our Schools4 First Days, First Steps: Initiating a Culture of Thinking 555 Thinking Routines: Creating the Spaces and Structures for Thinking 856 Language and Thinking: Prompting, Priming, and Patterning 1157 Thought-Full Environments: Sustaining a Culture of Thinking 145Part Three: Moving Toward the Ideal of Intellectual Character8 Beyond Technique: Where Teaching for Intellectual Character Begins 1799 Three Lessons: What to Keep in Mind about Teaching for Intellectual Character 20910 Some Practical Advice: How to Get Started Teaching for Intellectual Character 229Appendix 249Notes 267References 283Index 293