Hi All
I'm an Innovation & Excellence Educator for the Sunraysia Mallee Schools Network and I have started working with some schools in using the HoM. Some teachers have asked if they should make their students aware of all habits ( definition and what it involves) before focusing on the habit/s they feel are needed most for their class or KLA. I'm seeking some feedback on what people have done in regards to this issue or their opinion.
Thanks
Rob
Responses
Dear Rob,
While I think students need to become aware of all of them, they should be
introduced a few at a time initially. Then, based upon teacher's
assessment of students needs and the content that is taught, they should focus
on several at a time. There might be two places in a lesson where teachers
would find opportunities: 1) the teacher's intent--which Habits of Mind
should be stressed in this lesson? And 2) Inviting students to reflect on
which of the HOM they employed.
For example, let us say that the staff wants to focus on managing impulsivity
and striving for accuracy because in their observation of students, these are
the two highest priority. So, after students have become acquainted with
all 16 over time, the teacher might choose content, read stories, and have
students plan for and assess their own use of these habits. Then, upon
completion of a (maths) lesson (for example), the teacher might ask "Which
of the HOM did the students find they were using. Students might identify
those of high priority but would not be limited by them--they might also mention
thinking flexibly, thinking interdependently and thinking about their own
thinking.
After these two high priority habits have been introduced and students are
familiar with them--can recognize them, label them, describe them, etc., the
teacher might go on to the next highest priority needs.
I hope this is helpful and that you get lots of suggestions from other users.
It really doesn't matter where you begin--just begin!
Thanks
Art Costa
Hi Rob,
When I have worked with HOM there are a couple of things that I have found that relate to your question. I agree with Art that teachers/schools should focus on the HOM most relevant to their students, but I have also found that students relate well to what the Habits are as a collection i.e. that collectively they describe what successful and intelligent people do. I have a wonderful quote from one of my students who says "When you introduced HOM to me, you told me that they were what successful people did, so straight away I think, this stuff is made from successful people and if I do this I can be successful in the future as well." By showing them the 'package' it helps to put why you start on a few into a context
The other thing I have found is that different students naturally focus on different habits because they see the relevance to them own lives. There is something about just telling them, and giving them the language that helps them. I have spent a lot of time in class focusing on Managing Impulsivity, Striving for Accuracy and Persisting, only to have one student tell me that the one they used the most, that had made the most difference was Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations - something I had only mentioned in the initial introduction and then left as a poster on the wall. He had read the poster on the wall, and taken the rest of it from there.
I have on occasions asked students to list the four Habits that they think are most important to them. I almost always get Persisting, Managing Impulsivity and Persistence in every students list. the forth is highly variable. So while we may be able to make some generalizations about a group, we have to note that their individual needs will vary a lot
In my very first attempt at teaching the HOM I tried to teach 6 habits to my class at one time. This was far to many. As it taught them to more classes, and other teachers at The Grange started to work with them, a general intro to the habits, followed by two or perhaps three seemed to work well. we never ended up spending a lot of time on every one. We tended to spend a lot of time on say 4 of them (that the teacher chose or negotiated with the class) and after that developing that first level of understanding was easier and quicker with the rest with out having to spend as long
From a practical point of view I think you have to focus on just two or three at a time, that are most relevant to the group and content you are working with, but my advice would be to expose the students to all or them, and the idea that they are habits first. This way you leave the door open for some students to take the journey on their own, and the teachers are free to mention them and use the language in their classes as appropriate - which helps to build their understanding within the context of each class.
Hope that helps
James
Dear James, Art and Rob
May I have your permission to use some of your comments you have made in the last few postings about how to introduce HOM to schools and students in a presentation workshop I am developing for one of my schools in our Innovation and Excellence network. During the session I am going to have them visit the Habits of Mind website to gain an overview of the Habits, then work together in small groups to consider some key questions about both the value and introduction of HOM in their school. I think there would be real power in having them read about how James in particular has worked with HOM in his former school, but also how Art continues to ponder on these challenges and on the journey Rob is undertaking with his schools. (not unlike my own)
As I am also trying to model effective use of ICT I want to use excerpts from the mailing list (your comments and suggestions) as well as put together an online survey, response form and discussion forum for them to use in the session. In this way I hope to have some interesting responses posted on our own website that we can return to over time. (I hope it would also have an added bonus in that some might be interested in joining your HOM mailing list-a fabulous way to keep the discussion and commitment to the fore)
I will obviously ensure that your names are indicated and credited.
In anticipation and thanks
Anne.
Dear Anne,
I would be delighted for you to use my comments and appreciate that you find
them useful.
Keep me posted.
Sincerely,
Art Costa
Hi All,
I would agree with James. In my experience I have found it important to introduce the students to the (currently) full set of HoM as it allows them to see the big picture, as James said... the whole package.
An added advantage to introducing them all together initially and then focussing in on a few is that it allows the teacher to begin to use the language, model thinking and the habits and encourage the recognition stage in their students. For example once the students have the basic idea and list in their head I might wait a week and then introduce the first habit to focus on - say thinking interdependently. During the week's wait I make sure I recognise and model the habits with the students, pointing out when I see the behaviours in class and explaining why I am doing certain things and how it fits as a certain habit. Then when we begin to discuss thinking interdependently the students have already identified a few examples (or I have identified some for them) and it makes it easier for them to delve into what the habit is ... filling out a Y chart etc... Through out this process I continue to model and identify the habits, the students begin to verbally identify the habits and by the time each habit is visited explicitly the students already have a base knowledge what it is and isn't based on the transparent approach in every class
I also am aware that in a crowded curriculum it is difficult to set aside long periods of time to discuss the habits (I truly believe that it is a worthy investment in time- to step back and look at how and why we are learning, however it is not an ideal world) and as such it can be difficult to focus on individual habits. I have found that small packets of information on an as needs basis (when we observe a habit, or see a time when a habit could have been employed) have also helped my students to see the relevance of habits of mind to their lives both inside and outside the classroom. And over an extended period of time these students have quite a good understanding of many of the habits, and they are very context based (context as in to what type of situations it is relevant as opposed to which areas of content it relates to
KEEP LEARNING
Daniel Gooding
Just a few thoughts from the West, all I can really spare at the moment J
The idea of opening up the entire package is I think the idea way to explore the Habits. As has been stated this offers many advantages for the classroom teacher to utilise the Habits in an incidental manner as well as the formal times that they are addressed.
At Grovelands we have found that by introducing the entire package at a whole school level the children are able to use the language and be exposed to the various habits as the situation arises. The individual teachers in the various phases of schooling have identified specific habits that they will focus on during certain teaching and learning times and this gives them the chance to have some personal exploration and say in what is a whole school initiative. This seems to work well for us at this stage and also enables us to plan whole school teacher PD will some certainty that it will be appropriate to everyone no matter how they are using the Habits.
By the way we are having great success with Tribes and Habits combined, is anyone else finding positive links and messages with what these two offer?
Geoff Hood