DM15 -- "Habits of Mind". pp80-86

DM Ch 15 -- "Habits of Mind"
by Arthur L. Costa

Habits of mind -- disposition toward behaving intelligently when confronted with problems
Five key characteristics:

• Inclination -- feel a tendency to employ patterns of intellectual behaviors
• Value -- choose to value and employ the most effective patterns of intellectual behaviors
• Sensitivity -- perceive opportunities for employing a particular pattern
• Capability -- have the basic skills to carry out intellectual behaviors
• Commitment -- strive to reflect on and improve performance of the behaviors

Sixteen Habits of Mind -- ways humans respond intelligently to problems -- behaviors of the effective problem solver

• Persisting -- don't give up easily
• Managing Impulsivity -- think before acting, form a vision of a product/goal/destination first
• Listen to Others with Understanding and Empathy -- spend the time and energy to be able to take on the diverse perspectives of others. Demonstrate understanding and empathy by recapping, building on, clarifying, giving examples. Listening is not often taught in schools -- we rehearse what we're going to say.
• Thinking Flexibly -- the brain is plastic and can rewire itself. Draw from a range of problem-solving strategies, tailor the style to the situation. Approach a problem from a new angle using a novel approach.
• Thinking about our thinking (Metacognition) -- neocortex, knowing what we know/don't know. Major components:
  • form a plan of action
  • keep the plan in mind over a period of time
  • evaluate the plan upon completion
  This is valuable because: can consciously track the steps, make temporal/comparative judgments, assess readiness for activities, monitor interpretations, perceptions, decisions, behaviors.
  Superior teachers practice metacognition daily by:
  • developing a teaching strategy
  • keeping the strategy in mind throughout the lesson
  • reflecting on effectiveness later
• Striving for accuracy and precision -- the desire for craftsmanship, mastery, flawlessness, efficiency. Pride in work.
• Questioning and Posing Problems -- why? what if...? how are these items related? what's the evidence? how reliable is that?
• Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations -- learning from experience
• 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 Humor
• Thinking Interdependently
• Learning Continuously