Reading List: Creating Cultures of Thinking

I need a good reason to read a book about educational theory. This one was mentioned to me by a colleague,  with the suggestion that we might collaboratively work on implementing some of its ideas. It is entitled Creating Cultures of Thinking: The 8 Forces We Must Master to Truly Transform Our Schools, by Ron Ritchhart.  Here are some ideas from chapter 2:
Focusing Students on the Learning vs. The Work
Teaching for Understanding vs. Knowledge
Encouraging Deep vs. Surface Learning Strategies
Encouraging Independence vs. Dependence
Developing a Growth vs. A Fixed Mindset
 The author outlined several strategies where we can effectively model these expectations for our students. I was encouraged to find that much of the modelling techniques are currently used in Science when we use the Scientific method.

We ask questions to find out.
We look for possible answers.
We question our claims.
We test our claims.
We look for other possible solutions.
We analyze our answers.
We make conclusions.
We test our conclusions in other ways.
We rate our accuracy.
We compare and rate usefulness of our results.
We listen to others' results.
We don't accept others' results without trying them ourselves.
We don't give up until we have found a satisfactory solution.

One of the biggest road blocks that I have found in students is the early development of the Fixed Mindset. My reading has brought new light on to how we, as educators, cause this, especially with the use of formal assessment and traditional testing. Students are told that they either know it or they don't know it. Both of these self assessments need to be broken.  We love to give problems like this:

By the way, what is the point of this type of problem? Who cares? It is just work.


Furthermore, this doesn't really test a persons deeper understanding of area and perimeter, only that they can use a formula, and use the four operations.

All the perimeters are easily divided by 4, causing us to believe that a square must have a perimeter that is a multiple of 4.

A better problem would be:
Can you make a square enclosure with a string measuring 18 feet long? How long is each side? 
Students with a fixed mindset will say it is impossible, where as those with a growth mindset will try their hardest to make a square with perimeter 18 ft. If they are successful, they will have no difficulty going on to generalize a formula that works for all perimeters of a square.