We are learning about Habits of Mind .....success for life long learners
Habits of Mind
These Habits of Mind are also our goals of the week.
MANAGING IMPULSIVITY : Effective Problem Solvers have a sense of deliberativeness. They think before they act. The deliberately form a plan of action or destination before they begin. They consider alternatives and consequences of directions before they begin. Room 18 students and teachers THINK BEFORE THEY ACT!
LISTENING TO OTHERS WITH UNDERSTANDING AND EMPATHY: Listening is the beginning of understanding. Wisdom is the reward for a lifetime of listening. Let the wise listen and add to their learning and let the discerning get guidance. Room 18 School students and teachers work hard at listening to others and considering their perspective.
THINK FLEXIBLY: If you never change your mind, why have one? Edward deBono. Room 18 School students and teachers work hard to keep an open mind. They can change their mind as they receive additional information. They think through the various consequences of their decisions.
THINKING ABOUT THINKING: When the mind is thinking, it is talking to itself. Plato Developmentally students are not ready for this often until around the age of 10 years. With this strategy, teachers and students develop a plan of action, maintain that plan in mind for a period of time, then reflect back on and evaluate the plan upon its completion.
THINKING INTERDEPENDENTLY: Take care of each other. Share your energies with the group. No one must feel alone, cut off, for that is when you do not make it. Willie Unsoeld, Renowned Mountain Climber DO YOU Like to - Have lots of friends. Talk to people. Join groups. Are good at - Understanding people. Leading others. Organizing. Communicating. Learn best by - Sharing. Comparing. Relating. Co-operating. If this is you then we might say you have strength as an Intrapersonal Learner. Cooperative humans realize that all of us together are more powerful, intellectually and/or physically, than any one individual. Many problems are so complex that no one person can go it alone. No one person can consider as many alternatives as several people can. Working in groups is an important life skill. Listening, consensus seeking, giving up an idea to work with someone else’s, empathy, compassion, group leadership, knowing how to support group efforts, altruism – are all behaviours of cooperative human beings.
STRIVING FOR ACCURACY AND PRECISION: A man who has committed a mistake and does not correct it is committing another mistake. Confucius. Room 18 School students and teachers value accuracy, precision and craftsmanship. We work hard to achieve the highest result and we are continually learning. Students don’t turn in sloppy, incorrect and incomplete work.
GATHERING DATA THROUGH ALL SENSES: To know a taste it must be tasted, to know a dance it must be moved, to know a game it must be played, to know a role it must be acted, to know a goal it must be envisioned. We are learning more about the impact of the arts and music on improved mental functioning. Forming mental images is important in mathematics and engineering; listening to classical music seems to improve spatial reasoning. Buzan's Mind Maps help with memory
LEARNING CONTINUOUSLY: "Insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over and expecting different results". Albert Einstein Our wish is to have students that are eager to learn. We want our students to not be afraid to challenge themselves to learn more and confront new activities with enthusiasm and interest.
TAKING RESPONSIBLE RISKS: “Those who try to do something and fail are infinitely better off then those who try to do nothing and succeed”. Lloyd James When someone holds back from taking safe risks, they are confronted constantly with missed opportunities. Students are often reluctant to take learning risks. They are reinforced by the mental voice that says “if you don’t try it, you won’t be wrong” or “if you try it and you are wrong, you will look stupid”. The other voice that says ‘if you don’t try it, you will never know” is trapped in fear and mistrust. We want our students to be comfortable and supported to take responsible risks. FINDING HUMOUR Where do Bees wait? At the buzz stop. Another unique attribute to humans is our sense of humour. It has positive effects on us. These include a drop in our pulse rate, the secretion of endorphins and increased oxygen in the blood. We want our students to acquire the characteristics of creative problem solvers, so they can distinguish between situations of human frailty and fallibility which are in need of compassion and those situations which are truly funny. Dyer 1997 CREATING, IMAGINING AND INNOVATING The future is not some place we are going to but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them changes both the maker and the decision. John Schaar Kapanui School Teachers create opportunities for students to create, imagine and innovate.
RESPONDING WITH WONDERMENT AND AWE: “The most beautiful experience of all is the experience of the mysterious” Albert Einstein We want our students to feel compelled, enthusiastic and passionate about learning, inquiring and mastering.
QUESTIONING AND POSING PROBLEMS: The formulation of a problem is often more important than the solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill. Albert Einstein Room 18i School students and teachers ask questions like: What evidence do we have? How do we know it is true? How reliable is this data source?
PERSISTING: Persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time. Kapanui School students and teachers stick to a task until it is completed. They don’t give up easily!
APPLYING PAST KNOWEDGE TO NEW SITUATIONS I've never made a mistake. I've only learned from experience. Thomas A Edison For this habit we explore the concept that we can learn from our previous experiences. As teachers this is a primary aim. We hope that the learning undertaken in the classroom can be transferred to other situations and times. Too often students begin each task as if they are approaching it for the very first time. Through this habit we endeavour to develop in our students the ability to look for similarities and learn from experience. If we are successful we will hear statements such as 'this reminds me of ..." or "this is just like the time when I ..." Learners will explain what they are doing now in terms of analogies with or references to previous experiences. Room 18 teacher and students learn from experiences. They can often be heard saying "This reminds me of ………." or "This is just like the time when I…."
