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Thinking about Equity

Many of us believe in the research by Dr. Carol Dweck on “changing mindsets”, but what does this really mean?

For me it means that EVERY student has been directly supported in the continuous development of their thinking—cognitive, creative, and critical thinking related to content learning.  It is not only about creating a positive environment for learning or simply stimulating students' thinking with great questions.    Here is a quote from research conducted by Cynthia Manning at the special needs school, Learning Prep, outside Boston, MA USA:  

"Thinking Maps give me a chance to learn. I couldn’t get it when one of my old teachers talked to me all day and then wanted me to write a lot of words. At this new school, I can understand the teachers when they use the maps. And I can finally do the work because I get it!"

This is also from a chapter by Cynthia in:“Visual Tools for Transforming Information into Knowledge” published by Corwin Press: 


Thinking Maps is one of the most powerful tools that Learning Prep School uses to facilitate learning for students who have been unable to succeed in other educational environments. Four years ago, we felt we served our students well, but they were not where we knew they could be in their daily performance and their abilities to perform on the Massachusetts exam, the MCAS. We now see the significant results of our students’ performance through the use of these visual tools integrated into our overall program, and students can see themselves differently, as independent learners capable of “getting it,”

So check out Cynthia’s research and the documents we offer in a section of the research called “diverse learners” for a  kaleidoscope view showing how learning styles, language differences, multiple intelligences and the interactions of gender, race, class and culture are influenced by focusing on developing ALL students’ abilities to think in a variety of ways. 

 
 
 

29 Comments


lodemypo
Feb 10

This explanation of thinking maps was thoughtful and educational you made the connection to social-emotional learning really clear. It reminded me of other insightful education posts I’ve read on a http://solenviacaregivers.com/ blog.

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lodemypo
Feb 10

This was a thoughtful exploration of learning and emotional development. I liked how clearly you connected academic achievement with real classroom tools. I recently read an education-focused article on a https://solenviafranchise.com/ and it complemented this well.

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cizyg
Jan 18

This was a great https://alphadentalexcellence.com/ read, especially how it connected learning strategies with emotional development. I came across a similar education-focused discussion on an alphadentalexcellence review blog, and it offered an interesting complement to this post.

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firahyt
Dec 29, 2025

Insightful and well-researched. The https://forevervent.com/ connection between academic success and emotional learning was clearly explained. I recently read a forevervent education-focused article, and this post added great depth to that topic.

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firahyt
Dec 27, 2025

A thoughtful and https://www.pantherplumbing.com/ well-structured discussion that encourages reflection rather than quick answers. The examples made the ideas easier to grasp. I recently saw equity-focused education content shared on a pantherplumbing community blog, and this aligned well.

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