I am not interested in how children behave when they know the answer to something. I am interested in how they behave when they don’t know the answer. —Art Costa
Art Costa has been a mentor, colleague, and friend to both of us for over 35 years. Bill thanks Art for reigniting his passion for education when he was ready to give up. When the student is ready, a teacher appears—Art showed up in his life at the right time, and he is eternally grateful. Diane is also forever grateful for the way he encouraged her at every step of the way to create knowledge legacies.
Sometimes those who challenge you teach you best. —Unknown
Bob Garmston joined Art Costa in the development of Cognitive Coaching. Diane and Bob, in particular, have enjoyed a lifelong, intellectual friendship. They continuously challenge each other’s thinking and look for knowledge gaps that need filling. Bill honors Bob as one of the great storytellers of all time. His use of stories as a teaching strategy is unsurpassed.
All learning begins when our comfortable ideas turn out to be inadequate. —John Dewey
The Learning Omnivores are a small but dedicated group of voracious learners that have come together to learn from each other. Some of the experts who have worked with our group include: Peter Block, David Berliner, Gene Glass, Andy Hargreaves, David Hyerle, George Lakoff, Linda Lambert, Barbara McAfee, David Perkins, Stevie Ray, Jon Saphier, Edgar Schein, Richard Sheridan, Stan Slap, Tony Wagner, David Whyte, Pat Wolfe, and Yong Zhao.
Knowledge is like a garden. . . . If it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested. —African proverb
Mary Oberg was dedicated to excellence and brought Bill and Diane back again and again to make sure every teacher got a chance to participate in Cognitive Coaching training. She pursued excellence and communicated that vision to others. Her dedication to inner-city youth was never ending. Sadly, as this book went to print she passed away, and we lost one of our greatest fans. We will miss her inquiring mind and dedication to excellence for all kids and colleagues.
And . . .
Ellie Drago-Severson receives as special acknowledgment for her seminal work in adult development in schools. She is a person of integrity, and her honest feedback on this book was extremely helpful.
Arnis Burvikovs and Dan Alpert of Corwin encouraged us to write this book and guided us along the way with their keen insight.
Colton Fitzgerald, from Urban Luck Design, developed our graphic, adjusting to our constant iterations and thought development. Youth like him are our future.
Marney Wamsley was my third principal. My first two, a Marine Corp colonel and a college wrestler, both taught me power, courage, and political savvy. Marney modeled and taught me humanity, thoughtfulness, and the power of community. I am forever grateful.
If your walking isn’t your preaching, there is no point walking anywhere to preach. —St. Francis of Assisi
Diane Zimmerman taught me, coached me, and, when necessary, confronted me. Thank you for making me a better teacher, student, leader, and person. Our learning conversations over the years continue to provide new perspectives. We always create new ways of teaching and learning while we merge theory and practice.
The things that matter most should never be at the mercy of the things that matter least. —Goethe
I got to learn from Jane Stevenson in three schools. In addition to being a caring, committed teacher and principal, her reflective thought process always produces better decisions for students. I believe we are the best administrative team in the country. I am grateful for her honest feedback over the years.
You don’t learn from the event. You learn from reflecting on the event. —Judy Arin-Krupp
As a business agent for the union, Skip Olsen became a learning colleague I could have never imagined. We taught school leadership together, worked for ten years on a state professional development project, and continue to collaborate on books, websites, and our “learning omnivore” seminars. He is my bricoleur buddy.
Put yourself in the place of most potential. —DeWitt Jones
There are so many others who have contributed to my learning. Although not an exhaustive list, they include (but are not limited to) Don Anderson, Angeles Arrien, Michael Ayers, Suzanne Bailey, Betty Burks, Shirley Hord, Yvette Jackson, Barbara Lawson, Jim Lewis, Keith Olsen, Dennis Peterson, Ron Petrich, Stevie Ray, Frank Wagner, Pat Wolfe, and Jennifer York-Barr. Thank you for your gifts that helped me become better.
I wish to acknowledge my husband, Rich Zimmerman, who puts up with my long hours dedicated to writing.
I’d also like to thank the following intellectual friends by their communities—without you, I would not be the person I am today. Your dedication to educational excellence continues to inspire and renew my hope. In this book, you will find your stories interwoven with mine.
Coauthors—Bob Garmston, Art Costa, Linda Lambert, Mary Gardner, Bill Sommers, and Jim Roussin.
Cognitive Coaching—Laura Lipton, Bruce Wellman, Peg Leidens, Bill Baker, Barb Lawson, Kay Coleman, Judy Gottschalk, Marlene Honerman, Mary Oberg, and Lynn Sawyer.
Fairfield-Suisun Unified—Agnes Johnson, Kathy Deignan, Ursula Kudszus, and Rosa Washington.
Davis Joint Unified School District—Everyone! For helping me “come of age” as a leader and especially those who mentored me from the top down as administrators (Floyd Fenocchio, Darrel Taylor, and Leo Masson), from the bottom up as teachers (Ellie Bonner, Mark Cary, Terry Clark, and Elinor Olsen), and from the side (Norm Enfield, Judy Davis, Bev Maul, Barbara Wells, and Connie Coughran).
Old Adobe Union School District—Once again, everyone! But in particular Patsy Knight, Carol Henderson, Tracy McClure, Kim Harper, Adrienne Lofton, Mary Lavezzoli, and Saundra Parret.
Visual Thinking Strategies—Philip Yenawine and Oren Slozberg.
Children’s Museum of Sonoma County—Collette Michaud.
Corwin gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the following reviewers: