Edited by Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick
After successfully using the Habits of Mind in my 7th grade mathematics classroom for the first time in 2006–2007, I decided to use them again the following school year. A new, additional 20-minute mentoring period with my students allowed me to plan for more expansive use of the habits.
I find that the habits are useful in furthering my objectives of promoting students' development of higher-order thinking skills, their development as self-directed, autonomous learners, and their mastery of academic content. The Habits of Mind provide a framework that helps my students understand these learning objectives and guides them in their development, and a common classroom vernacular that facilitates communication with my students on academic and management issues.