Teaching Habits of Mind: Part 2
written by Matt Armstrong
As teachers, we want our
students to be able to exhibit all of the habits of mind. We strive to instill
them in their minds. But ask yourself this question: do you always want your
students to use every habit? The obvious answer to this question is: YES! Of course
we want our students to use every habit. But the question was about “always”
using every habit. In reality, there are times when it is appropriate to use
one habit but not others. Take for instance if you are having a brainstorming
session with your students. Do you really want them to strive to be accurate
and precise? Probably not. In brainstorming, you would want your students to be
adventurous and open-minded or wonder, explore and ask questions. Certain situations
call for different approaches and using different habits. It is important for
us to recognize which habits fit the situation.
As adults, we often use the habits of mind without being conscious
of which habit we’re using. So when we see a student struggling with a
particular situation, we may not initially consider which habit they should be
using because we naturally use the habit. If a student is struggling, as
teachers we should step back and consider which habit WE used (or would have
used) in that situation and then point the student in the right direction. When
planning lessons, we can take a moment before teaching to consider which habits
we want our students to engage in during that lesson. Telling them which habit
we should be looking for will help them focus on building skills with that
habit.
Which Habit is Most Important?
Credit: Habits of Mind teaching tips
