Introduction
Demystifying Group and Organizational Culture

When and where have you been a part of a culture of thinking? That is, when have you been in a place where the group's collective thinking as well as each individual's thinking was valued, visible, and actively promoted as part of the regular day-to-day experience of all group members? It might have been any type of learning group-a book study, committee, graduate course, online community, museum tour, or hobby group-or it might have been a school or classroom. Take a moment to identify a single instance from your life as a learner in which you were a part of such a group. A time when you felt that everyone's thinking in the group was valued, that thinking was expressed in a way that made the thinking itself visible, and you felt pushed to think and to advance your thinking.

Now, with that particular experience in mind, what were some of the practices or ingredients that helped shape, promote, advance, and sustain that group? Try to think beyond general features or qualities to identify specific actions. For instance, you might well identify "leadership" as a key ingredient in such a group. However, most groups have leaders, yet not all would be considered cultures of thinking. Even "having an effective leader" doesn't really help us understand the types of practices we might want to employ in our own quest to create cultures of thinking, considering that one might say that virtually all leaders set out to be effective. In contrast, "The leader kept the group focused on our goal" offers a glimpse of an action that helped promote and sustain a culture of thinking. Try for that level of practical specificity if you can. After you have made your list, you might want to pick a second example from your experience that represents a different type of learning group and see what new action items you can identify.

This set of memories and actions you have just identified is a good place to start our exploration of what it means to be a part of and to create a culture of thinking. A culture of thinking isn't something mysterious or foreign to us, but rather represents some of our best and most productive experiences as learners. Drawing from this experience has been the basis of my research over the past decade and a half.

Over the years, I've asked thousands of people-teachers, administrators, parents, businesspeople, academics, museum educators, doctors, and so on-to reflect on the cultures of thinking they have experienced. The qualities that each of these constituencies identify as being effective "shapers" of cultures of thinking are surprisingly similar. Here is a short list of the most common responses:

• Everyone in the group had a high interest in the topic and brought a sense of passion.
• There was a shared vision and common goal that was both challenging and attainable so that everyone had buy-in.
• Everyone's input was valued, creating a sense of respect.
• We developed a shared language and vocabulary for talking about ideas.
• There was constant questioning and probing of ideas by everyone in the group, not just the leader.
• The chairperson/leader monitored participation and shared the floor so that no one dominated.
• The leader was engaged, interested, and passionate. She was a learner with us.
• There was open communication and active listening going on. You felt heard.
• We had time to think, respond, and develop ideas.
• We felt safe to take risks and make mistakes. It was even expected as part of the process.
• There were stimulating group interactions. We liked each other. We pushed and supported one another.
• Our learning was connected to our lives. It had value and meaning.

How does that list fit with your own reflections? Does your experience of being in a culture of thinking echo the sentiment of these statements if not their exact language and framing?

Looking through this list of practices, it is clear that people's experience in cultures of thinking and their responses to this exercise tend to be clustered around a few important themes. One of the most common responses from groups is that in a culture of thinking, there is a sense of purpose to the learning. This not only provides a sense of direction and a goal to pursue but also imbues the group's efforts with personal and collective meaning. Having a well-articulated purpose lays the foundation for the development of commitment, both to the task at hand and to the learning of the group as a whole. People often mention that in a culture of thinking, they feel committed to the learning of others and not just to their own. It is this commitment and the recognition of the symbiotic relationship between one's individual learning and that of other group members that help create a sense of community. That feeling of community is further enhanced through a dedication to promoting equity within the group. People often mention shared leadership, valuing everyone's contribution, a nonhierarchical structure, and the leader's being a learner as important actions or characteristics that support the development of equity.

It might go without saying that once you have a sense of purpose and a commitment to both the task and the group, you will also have engagement. Indeed, the idea of engagement is one that is often mentioned as people talk about the very active nature of cultures of thinking. There is a sense that one can't sit back and that everyone must take part. That might be because of another quality: challenge. People often mention that in cultures of thinking, they feel propelled by the leader and the group as a whole to do their best. In addition, they feel that their thinking is constantly being pushed. They aren't sitting back. They are learning.

Together these qualities, and the practices that breathe life into them, create a dynamic group of people who feel that they are learning together and creating something greater than that which any individual might produce. This is not to say that people aren't aware of their own individual growth and development, only that they are uniquely aware of how much their learning is tied to that of the group. In short, we might say that the leitmotif running through cultures of thinking is that of connection: connection to the task at hand, to the topic, to the leader, to each other, and to the learning.

When you thought of a group you had been a part of that was a culture of thinking, how did it make you feel? Uplifted? Energized? Eager to step back into that space? In collecting these ideas from groups, I am always struck by the sense of enthusiasm and excitement on people's faces as they recount their involvement in such groups. They become animated as they recount their experiences. It feels good to be a member of a culture of thinking. It produces energy. It builds community. It allows us to reach our potential. This is something we as educators need to remember. A culture of thinking is not about a particular set of practices or a general expectation that people should be involved in thinking. A culture of thinking produces the feelings, energy, and even joy that can propel learning forward and motivate us to do what at times can be hard and challenging mental work.

A New Standard for Education

This book is about transforming our schools and classrooms into the kinds of learning communities we have just brought to mind. As educators, parents, and citizens, we must settle for nothing less than environments that bring out the best in people, take learning to the next level, allow for great discoveries, and propel both the individual and the group forward into a lifetime of learning. This is something all teachers want and all students deserve.

Admittedly, there are amazing schools all around the world, and many remarkable teachers, too, who regularly accomplish this goal. You'll be inspired by just such teachers in the chapters to come. Nonetheless, such environments aren't the norm for many students. Low-performing schools often lack the energy for learning; high-performing schools may narrow learning to simply preparing for tests. In both cases, and those in between, we as a society should want more for children. Indeed, the twenty-first century will demand that we provide more and that we rethink the purpose and promise of schools, a topic I take up in chapter 1.

I believe that culture is the hidden tool for transforming our schools and offering our students the best learning possible. Traditionally, policymakers have focused on curriculum as the tool for transformation, naively assuming that teachers merely deliver curriculum to their students. Change the deliverable-Common Core, National Curriculum, International Baccalaureate Diploma-and you will have transformed education they assume. In reality, curriculum is something that is enacted with students. It plays out within the dynamics of the school and classroom culture. Thus culture is foundational. It will determine how any curriculum comes to life.

The Forces That Shape Culture

If culture is the key to transformation, then we must understand how group culture is created, sustained, and enhanced. We must have a framework for understanding and assessing it. Some people look on culture as a mysterious, nebulous ethos that somehow grows up amorphously around a group. Others view...