Habits of Mind
With a focus on student wellbeing, we intend to give the children of Wantirna Primary a solid framework for behaving and dealing with others. As a staff, we too are life-long learners, and as such are looking at continuous improvement. For this reason we are currently trialling the Habits of Mind, which compliments our current wellbeing initiatives and thinking curriculum.
Professor Arthur Costa, defines sixteen types of intelligent behaviour called ‘Habits of Mind'. These habits will aid students to perform well in school and everyday life as they encounter life's challenges. Habits of mind encourage thinking skills essential to all school activities and lifelong self-directed learning.
Professor Arthur Costa maintains that a critical attribute of intelligence is not only having information but also knowing how to act on it.
The Sixteen Habits
1. Perseverence: Stick To It! Persevering in a task through to completion; remaining focused. Looking for ways to reach your goal when stuck. Not giving up.
2. Managing Impulsivity: Take Your Time! Thinking before acting; remaining calm, thoughtful and deliberative
3. Listening With Understanding And Empathy: Understand Others! Devoting mental energy to another person's thoughts and ideas; Make an effort to perceive another's point of view and emotions
4. Thinking Flexibly: Look at it Another Way! Being able to change perspectives, generate alternatives, consider options.
5. Thinking About Thinking: (Metacognition) Know Your Knowing! Being aware of your own thoughts, strategies, feelings and actions and their effects on others.
6. Striving For Accuracy And Precision: Check it again! Always doing your best. Setting high standards. Checking and finding ways to improve constantly.
7. 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
8. Applying Past Knowledge To New Situations: Use what you learn! Accessing prior knowledge; transferring knowledge beyond the situation in which it was learned.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. Creating, Imagining And Innovating: Try a different way! Generating new and novel ideas, fluency, originality
12. Responding With Wonderment And Awe: Have fun figuring it out! Finding the world awesome, mysterious and being intrigued with phenomena and beauty. Being passionate.
13. Taking Responsible Risks: Venture out! Being adventuresome; living on the edge of one's competence. Try new things constantly.
14. Finding Humour: Laugh a little! Finding the whimsical, incongruous and unexpected. Being able to laugh at oneself.
15. Thinking Interdependently: Work together! Being able to work in and learn from others in reciprocal situations. Team work.
16. Remaining Open To Continuous Learning: I have so much more to learn! Having humility and pride when admitting we don't know; resisting complacency.
