WonderGroveLearn.com. Home | Habits of Mind. Habits for success in school and life SmartBlogs. Take a moment to join us in a snapshot of a classroom we recently observed: Students are hard at work designing a travel brochure as a part of their study of Ireland. They need to think about how much it will cost by air or by sea and develop a good rationale for why one way is preferable to another.
They will also be including a recommended sightseeing schedule, determining why one schedule would be preferable to another. These students have to analyze, evaluate, make decisions and communicate to an audience. We like to call these mental qualities “Habits of Mind” — attitudes or dispositions that are necessary for thoughtful work. Habits of Mind Managing your impulsivity is a habit of mind that can take years to develop.
The 16 Habits of Mind are drawn from a modern view of intelligence that casts off traditional abilities-centered theories and replaces them with a growth mindset for remaining open to continuous learning, another important habit. Build awareness. Dimensions of Growth - an overview | Habits of Mind. Are your students using their Habits of Mind well? This is a profound question, because if they are not using their Habits of Mind well it becomes the teachers responsibility to help them develop more mature, more effective Habits of Mind. This means teachers need to have a clear picture of what development looks like so they can set clear learning goals, create assessment and design learning experiences to ensure students are in fact developing, improving, extending and maturing their Habits of Mind.
Understanding what growth looks like for a Habit of Mind is the first step to truly infusing and sustaining your work with Habits of Mind. Although we might recognise more mature Habits of Mind, it is often difficult to describe that development in a way that can guide curriculum design. The Five Dimensions of Growth, described here, represent the ways in which you can get better at a Habit of Mind. Meaning: This is the WHAT of the Habit of Mind. Capacity. Alertness. Value. Commitment. Habits of Mind. Persistence does not equal failure. Sometimes students think that if they need to persist at a task in class then they must not be smart enough. They learn not to value persistence because they see it as a sign that they are not smart enough to "get it" the first time. Of course that's a generalization, but there's more than a little truth to it as well.
This series of blog entries is about the Teachers Handbook that we all carry in our head. Those unspoken and unquestioned default ways of working that we call on every day, that might actually be robbing kids of the opportunity to develop their Habits of Mind. Consider this scenario. The message is that getting finished is what's important. Consider this strategy as an alternative to asking who's finished their work. Some of the students who got to the last question may not have needed to persist - that would be a sign that the work was too easy for them. Although we might encourage students to "be persistent" our actions often speak louder than words. Teaching Persistence: How to Build Student Stamina. January 14, 2014 by Norene Wiesen Teaching persistence in the classroom is an important part of setting up learners to succeed.
Students who have mastered persistence are able to work through challenges, deal constructively with failures and adversity, and achieve the goals they have set for themselves. It’s a lot like running a marathon. The runners who make it to the finish line are the ones who persist in showing up for practices and trainings, learn to anticipate slumps and pace themselves, engage in positive self-talk during tough times, take steps to effectively prevent and treat injuries, and adjust expectations to fit reality – even if “finishing” means having to crawl the last mile. Like a runner who has not trained to run longer distances, learners can’t persist in their learning if they haven’t developed the stamina they need to keep going when things get tough.
To help learners build stamina and persistence, it’s important to create the right learning environment: Expect More. Integrating the 16 Habits of Mind. In outcomes-based learning environments, we generally see three elements in play: 1) learning objectives or targets are created from given standards; 2) instruction of some kind is given; and then 3) learning results are assessed.
These assessments offer data to inform the revision of further planned instruction. Rinse and repeat. But lost in this clinical sequence are the Habits of Mind that (often predictably) lead to success or failure in the mastery of given standards. In fact, it is not in the standards or assessments, but rather these personal habits where success or failure -- in academic terms -- actually begin. Below are all 16 Habits of Mind, each with a tip, strategy or resource to understand and begin implementation in your classroom. The habits themselves aren't new at all, and significant work has already been done in the areas of these "thinking habits. " And a renewed urgency for their integration. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Ask students to map out their own thinking process. 6. 7. 8. Habits of mind à la Twitter. « A Fine Balance. I could go on about how Twitter has expanded my practice, my point of view, and my edu-buzzword vocabulary. Alternatively, I could debate whether or not educators should get connected via Twitter. Instead…I have been considering my Twitter-use-fallout “habits of mind” that until recently I was not clearly aware of. My top three habits provided à la Twitter training are: 1. The Habit of Backchanneling I vividly remember 3 years ago, talking with a student as he received a text from a student across the room. Now looking back I understand what students were doing; they were participating in a form of backchanneling. Using back channels at conferences, meetings and in class has caused me to think and communicate with clarity and precision, making my contributive puzzle piece clean edged and meaningful. 2. When I started teaching, I perceived information as an immobile mass sitting rigid and captive in a textbook.
David Gelernter, a computer scientist at Yale, writes: 3. Spectrum Education : effective learning specialists - Online Habits of Mind Course. With Art Costa & Bena Kallick This is an online Introduction to Habits of Mind with Art Costa and Bena Kallick. Over 8 weeks join a group of other like minded educators while Art Costa and Bena Kallick share their experiences and insights about the Habits of Mind. Your learning journey is supported and guided by both Graham Watts and Karen Boyes with many years of school based experience working with the Habits of Mind to ensure you get the most out of the course.
What does this online course cover: Introduction to Habits of Mind Get to know the 16 Habits Why the Habits of Mind are Important Interview with the Experts Creating a shared Vision Plus lots more... download the full course syllabus here. Starting dates: 24th February 2014May 12th 2014 - New assessment course will be offered hereOctober 21st 2014 Investment: Introductory price for this 8 week course is just $150 This online course is endorsed by NEW NEW NEW – Assessing the Habits of Mind Online Course. What are the Habits of Mind? | Institute For Habits of Mind. Www.instituteforhabitsofmind.com/resources/pdf/16HOM.pdf.