HABITS OF MIND By Arthur L. Costa, Ed. D. and Bena Kallick, Ph. D. Presentation by Libby, Lloyd and Campbell

What are “habits of mind”? Habits of mind are the different patterns of intellectual behaviour we employ when faced with a problem. Costa and Kallick have identified 16 habits of mind that lead to effective problem solving. As teachers, we should be fostering these attributes in our students, and helping them to recognise and develop these habits.

The 16 habits of mind are: Persisting Managing impulsivity Listening to others, with understanding and empathy Thinking flexibly Thinking about our thinking (metacognition) Striving for accuracy and precision Questioning and posing problems Applying past knowledge to new situations

Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision Gathering data through all senses Creating, imagining and innovating Responding with wonderment and awe Taking responsible risks Finding humour Thinking interdependently Learning continuously As you can see, many of these reflect the values of the new curriculum.

How does this apply to the English classroom? Libby’s example: Habit of mind = Creating, imagining and innovating. Links to the value of “innovation, inquiry and curiosity” in the new curriculum. Used in the classroom in Year 10 “What if?” (speculative fiction) unit.

What does it look like? Imagining: reading and responding to science fiction short stories. Creating: write stories about superheroes or a futuristic world. Innovating: games/ group tasks related to unit. Develops reading skills. Links to close reading standards. Develops writing skills. Practice for common test. Develops listening, group work and presenting skills.

In summary… The ultimate aim of the unit is not just to develop reading and writing skills, but to encourage the students to think creatively and consider new ideas. In the words of Terry Pratchett, “Fantasy isn’t just about wizards and silly wands. It’s about seeing the world from new directions.”

Another classroom example … Campbell’s example: Habit of mind =Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision. Links to the key competencies of “using language symbols and text” and “thinking” and value of “excellence – aiming high and persevering in the face of difficulties” in the new curriculum. Used in the classroom in teaching structure / layout and tone for Year 9 formal writing.

What does it look like? Work done: cover appropriate structure and tone req. for formal writing. Thinking: Big Questions – What are we being asked to do when we write formally? Why must we be organized in how we approach it? – Class establishes in small groups then as a whole appropriate rules and regulations for good formal writing – Groups present thoughts, findings and reasoning – Develops listening, group work and presenting skills encourages meta-cognition (and better writing) when combined with actual writing tasks (dealing with the why?) Communicating: application of new found skill (writing type / style) to activities / assessment related to content currently being studied in class (poetry). Develops writing skills (vocabulary, tone, grammar, punctuation) and critical thinking (planning and strategising) – appreciation.

A few last bits … The ultimate aim of the unit is not just to develop reading and writing skills, but to encourage the students to think and communicate (reason) in a deliberate controlled and forceful manner. If all else fails just remember … “Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain.” – Lily Tomlin … or in the case of this task to argue.

Lloyd’s example: Habit of Mind= Persisting Links to the new curriculum = Managing Self and Thinking Used in Year 9 Fantasy Unit (Connections and Community). Response to Text Essay. Year 10 Camp preparation

Looks like: “Can do” ATTITUDE. NZ quality of ‘having a go’. Planning and writing response to text essays. Asking QUESTIONS when attempting to find information, clarify tasks or check responses. Listing reasons for success and the lack of it as a means of ANALYSING results. RESILIENCE demonstrated by deploying a range of strategies to assist progress.

In summary… Habits of mind is a series of intelligent behaviours to learning situations Persisting is connected to action. Mistakes imply a response. Looks like: Robert the Bruce! Success means developing a range of strategies. Habits of mind applies to everyone involved in a child’s learning.