Habits of Mind

"Habits of Mind are the characteristics of what intelligent people do when they are confronted with problems, the resolutions of which are not immediately apparent." (Costa)

Understanding what Habits of Mind are, and what each of them encompasses, is something that develops and deepens as we work with them. The table below gives a brief description of each Habit of Mind. Note that all the Habits are verbs.

Professor Costa describes the idea of Habits of Mind as well of each of them in more detail in this article. (pdf format) 

 

	Persistence  Stick to it!  Persevering in task through to completion; remaining focused. Looking for ways to reach your goal when stuck. Not giving up.
	Managing Impulsivity Take your Time! Thinking before acting; remaining calm, thoughtful and deliberative.
	Listening with Empathy and Understanding Understand Others! Devoting mental energy to another person's thoughts and ideas; Make an effort to perceive another's point of view and emotions
	Thinking Flexibly Look at it Another Way! Being able to change perspectives, generate alternatives, consider options
	Thinking about your Thinking : Metacognition Know your knowing!  Being aware of your own thoughts, strategies, feelings and actions and their effects on others.
	Striving for Accuracy Check it again! Always doing your best. Setting high standards. Checking and finding ways to improve constantly.
	Applying Past Knowledge Use what you Learn! Accessing prior knowledge; transferring knowledge beyond the situation in which it was learned.
	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
	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.
	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
	Creating, Imagining & Innovating Try a different way! Generating new and novel ideas, fluency, originality
	Responding With Wonderment and Awe Have fun figuring it out! Finding the world awesome, mysterious and being intrigued with phenomena and beauty. Being passionate.
	Taking Responsible Risks Venture out!  Being adventuresome; living on the edge of one's competence. Try new things constantly.
	Finding Humor Laugh a little! Finding the whimsical, incongruous and unexpected.  Being able to laugh at oneself.
	Thinking Interdependently Work together! Being able to work in and learn from others in reciprocal situations. Team work.
	Remaining Open to Continuous Learning Learn from experiences! Having humility and pride when admitting we don't know; resisting complacency.

Congratulations!

It is with great pride that I share with you the statistical analysis of our data for the Class of 2008 Cohort. Our Regents results were nothing short of spectacular, achieving a 90% passing percentage of students scoring with a 55% or higher and an 83% passing percentage with a 65% or higher. Additionally, 97% of the Sophomore Honors students passed with a 65% or higher!

Due to your herculean efforts, Ralph R. McKee High School has not only made Adequate Yearly Progress in English Language Arts for the third consecutive year and removed ourselves from the SINI list, but we have also moved more students into the circle of success than ever before. Congratulations!

William A. Foster once wrote, "Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives." I don't believe that there is a quote that better epitomizes the imagination, drive and bare-knuckled talent present in all of you; the McKee High School Englsh department. Well done.

Although this year's success is wonderful, there is always more left to do. As we look at our classes this term, let us instill in our students the skills that they need to improve so that we may continue this success in the years to come.