Habits of Mind

(by Arthur L. Costa, Ed. D.)                    

“Habit is a cable. We weave a thread of it each day, and at last we cannot break it.” –Horace Mann

While intelligent human beings are capable of thinking skillfully, it is their habits of mind that provides the fuel to activate strategic thinking. In order to engage skillfully in problem solving, decision making, or knowledge generation, they must possess be disposed and inclined to manage their impulsivity, display empathy, be inquisitive and persistent. Habits of mind provide the dispositions necessary to do the skillful thinking.

Research in effective thinking and intelligent behavior by many authors  indicates that there are identifiable characteristics of effective thinkers. These are not necessarily scientists, artists, mathematicians or the wealthy that demonstrate these behaviors. These characteristics have been identified in successful mechanics, teachers, entrepreneurs, salespeople, and parents-people in all walks of life.

Habits of mind transcend all subject matter commonly taught in school. They are developmental qualities that are never completely mastered and therefore are applicable to adults as well as students. Thus they can become infused in the culture, values and norms of the entire community. While there is not a finite number, the following list provides sixteen examples to illustrate what is meant by habits of mind.

* Persisting

* Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision

* Managing impulsivity

* Gathering data through all senses

* Listening with understanding and empathy

* Creating, imagining, innovating

* Thinking flexibly

* Responding with wonderment and awe

* Thinking about thinking (metacognition)

* Taking responsible risks

* Striving for accuracy

* Finding humour

* Questioning and posing problems

* Thinking interdependently

* Applying past knowledge to new situations

* Remaining open to continuous learning

Towards A New Vision: Learning to Behave Intelligently

These habits of mind may serve as mental disciplines. When confronted with problematic situations, intelligent people habitually employ one or more of these habits of mind by asking themselves, “What is the most intelligent thing I can do right now?”

*”How can I learn from this, what are my resources, how can I draw on my past successes with problems like this, what do I already know about the problem, what resources do I have available or need to generate?”

*”How can I approach this problem flexibly? How might I look at the situation in another way, how can I draw upon my repertoire of problem solving strategies; how can I look at this problem from a fresh perspective?”

*”How can I illuminate this problem to make it clearer and more precise? Do I need to check out my data sources? How might I break this problem down into its component parts and develop a strategy for understanding and accomplishing each step?”

*”What do I know or not know; what questions do I need to ask, what strategies are in my mind now, what am I aware of in terms of my own beliefs, values and goals with this problem? What feelings or emotions am I aware of which might be blocking or enhancing my progress?”

*”How does this problem affect others? Who else might I turn to for assistance? How can we solve it together and what can I learn from others that would help me become a better problem solver?”

SUMMARY

The archaic concept of intelligence connotes a state of being. Either you have “it” or you don’t. It assumes that if you don’t have “it”, no amount of effort will ever help you acquire “it”. This article suggests that instead we examine those learnable, teachable patterns of behaviors that describe intelligent action which, when practiced over time, can become habituated.

Children develop cognitive strategies and effort-based beliefs about their intelligence when they are continually pressed to raise questions and to accept challenges, to find solutions that are not immediately apparent, to explain concepts, justify their reasoning, and seek information. The goal of education, therefore, should be to liberate and develop more fully these habits of mind and the skills associated with them. When we hold children accountable for this kind of intelligent behavior, they take it as a signal that we think they are smart, and they come to accept this judgment. The paradox is that children become smart by being treated as if they already are intelligent.

Drawn from research on human effectiveness, descriptions of remarkable performers, and analysis of the characteristics of efficacious people, twelve examples habits of mind were elaborated. They are characteristic of peak performers whether they be in homes, schools, athletic fields, the military, governments, churches or corporations. They are what make marriages successful, learning continual, workplaces productive and democracies enduring.

Some students identified as “gifted” are reluctant to take risks; they lack flexibility, are poor listeners, prefer to work in solitude and are quick to jump to conclusions. Some students deemed “slow” however, are often insightful, venturesome, humorous, wondrous and exploratory. Neither labels, genetics, test scores nor numbers of right answers can adequately define intelligence. Rather, it is being in the habit of applying skillful thinking to perplexing problem situations.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” –Aristotle

Admin’s Note: As Habits of Mind are becoming increasingly implemented into education we can expect in a decade or more new generation that will be more capable in dealing with their life challenges. However, it is something that every person can apply in creating better and more meaningful life.

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One Response to “Habits of Mind”

1. lilly says:

   September 30, 2009 at 8:33 pm

   I want to say – thank you for this!