A ‘Habit of Mind’ refers to the behaviors we employ almost automatically when faced with problems or difficult situations.
Understanding what Habits of Mind are, and what each of them encompasses, is something that develops and deepens as we work with them.
Art Costa and Bena Kallick spent time researching the characteristics of highly successful people.
They found commonalities in their immediate dispositions and internalization which they described as ‘Habits of the Mind’.
The table below gives a brief description of each Habit of Mind.
*Note that all the Habits are verbs.
Persistence
Stick to it! Persevering in task through to completion; remaining focused. Looking for ways to reach your goal when stuck. Not giving up.
Managing Impulsivity
Take your Time! Thinking before acting; remaining calm, thoughtful and deliberative.
Listening with Empathy and Understanding
Understand Others! Devoting mental energy to another person’s thoughts and ideas; Make an effort to perceive another point of view and emotions.
Thinking Flexibly
Look at it Another Way! Being able to change perspectives, generate alternatives, consider options.
Thinking about your Thinking : Metacognition
Know your knowing! Being aware of your own thoughts, strategies, feelings and actions and their effects on others.
Striving for Accuracy
Check it again! Always doing your best. Setting high standards. Checking and finding ways to improve constantly.
Applying Past Knowledge
Use what you Learn! Accessing prior knowledge; transferring knowledge beyond the situation in which it was learned.
Questioning and Posing Problems
How do you know? Having a questioning attitude; knowing what data are needed and developing questioning strategies to produce those data. Finding problems to solve.
Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision
Be clear! Striving for accurate communication in both written and oral form; avoiding over generalizations, distortions, deletions and exaggerations.
Gathering Data Through All Senses
Use your natural pathways! Pay attention to the world around you Gather data through all the senses. taste, touch, smell, hearing and sight.
Creating, Imagining & Innovating
Try a different way! Generating new and novel ideas, fluency, originality.
Responding With Wonderment and Awe
Have fun figuring it out! Finding the world awesome, mysterious and being intrigued with phenomena and beauty. Being passionate.
Taking Responsible Risks
Venture out! Being adventuresome; living on the edge of one’s competence. Try new things constantly.
Finding Humor
Laugh a little! Finding the whimsical, incongruous and unexpected.
Being able to laugh at oneself.
Thinking Interdependently
Work together! Being able to work in and learn from others in reciprocal situations. Team work.
Remaining Open to Continuous Learning
Learn from experiences! Having humility and pride when admitting we don’t know; resisting complacency.
Describing the Habits of the Mind
‘When we no longer know what to do we have come to our real work and when we no longer know which way to go we have begun our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings.’
- Wendell Berry #Quote
‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.’
- Aristotle #Quote
Hope this helps in some way.
