Habits of Mind can help us answer a range of powerful and essential questions: Just what do human beings do when they behave intelligently? What behaviors do efficient, effective problem solvers and decision makers demonstrate? How can we help students become lifelong learners who are increasingly proficient at using intelligent intellectual dispositions to explore their world? Research in effective thinking and intelligent behavior indicates that there are some identifiable characteristics of effective thinkers—characteristics that have been identified in successful people in all walks of life.

The critical attribute of intelligent human beings is not only having information but also knowing how to act on it. Employing Habits of Mind means having a disposition toward behaving intelligently when confronted with problems that have no immediately known answers. It means using a composite of many skills, attitudes, cues, past experiences, and proclivities. It means that for different problems, decisions, or situations, we need to determine the value of one pattern of thinking over another, making choices about which is most appropriate for a specific context. Over time, we learn to reflect on, evaluate, and modify our use of Habits of Mind, and we carry their impact forward to future applications.

Universal Characteristics of Productive Habits of Mind

This ASCD Action Tool will help you to explore 16 significant Habits of Mind. As you explore and apply each, consider how they share the following characteristics:

Focusing on 16 Important Habits of Mind

This ASCD Action Tool looks at 16 significant Habits of Mind. The habits reflect what intelligent people tend to do when they are confronted with problems or decisions about which there may not be a clear answer or preferred pathway for resolution. The habits are not meant to be seen as discrete or mutually exclusive; instead, they should be viewed as "permeable membranes," interacting with one another and mutually supporting the capacity for intelligent behavior as expressed through critical, creative, and self-regulated thinking. The 16 Habits of Mind we investigate are the following:

1. Persisting. Intelligent people stick to a task until it is completed. They don't give up easily. They take a systematic approach to solving problems—knowing how to begin, what steps must be performed, and what data need to be generated or collected. Because they are able to sustain a problem-solving process over time, persistent people are also comfortable with ambiguous or open-ended situations and tasks.
2. Managing Impulsivity. Intelligent, reflective individuals self-regulate and self- monitor, considering alternatives and consequences related to several possible directions prior to taking action. They decrease their need for trial and error by gathering information, taking time to reflect on an answer before giving it, making sure they understand directions, and listening to alternative points of view.
3. Listening to Others with Understanding and Empathy. The ability to listen to another person—to understand and empathize with another point of view or perspective—is one of the highest forms of intelligent behavior. Being able to paraphrase others' ideas, detecting indicators (cues) of their feelings or emotional states in their oral and body language (empathy), and accurately expressing their concepts, emotions, and problems are indicators of active listening and open and accurate communication.
4. Thinking Flexibly. People who think flexibly have the ability to change their mind as they receive additional data or expand their experience base. They can hypothesize multiple and simultaneous outcomes and activities related to a situation, drawing upon a repertoire of problem-solving strategies and practicing style flexibility—for example, knowing when it is appropriate to be broad and global in their thinking and when a situation requires detailed precision. They seek novel approaches and usually have a well-developed sense of humor.
5. Thinking About Thinking (Metacognition). Metacognition is the ability to perceive and analyze both what we know and what we don't know. It is our capacity for planning a strategy to produce the information needed to solve a problem, to be conscious of our own steps and strategies, and to reflect on and evaluate the productiveness of our thinking. The major components of metacognition involve developing a plan of action, keeping that plan in mind over a period of time, and reflecting on and evaluating the plan upon its completion.
6. Striving for Accuracy and Precision. People who value accuracy, precision, and craftsmanship take time to check over their products or performances. They review the rules by which they are to operate, the models and visions they are to follow, and the criteria they are to address. They also confirm that their finished product or performance matches the criteria exactly. Accurate and precise learners take pride in their work. They strive to attain the highest possible standards and pursue ongoing learning to focus their energies to accomplish tasks.
7. Questioning and Posing Problems. Effective problem solvers know how to ask questions to fill in the gaps between what they know and what they don't know. Effective questioners are inclined to ask a range of questions. They also recognize discrepancies and challenging phenomena in their environment, probing into causes and meanings. Successful questioners request data to support the conclusions and assumptions of others, pose questions about alternative points of view, pose questions to establish and confirm causal connections and relationships, and generate hypothetical problems and approaches to investigate them.
8. Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations. Intelligent human beings learn from experience. When confronted with a new and perplexing problem, they draw upon their store of knowledge and experience as sources of data to support ideas, theories to explain, analogies to compare, or processes to solve each new challenge. They are able to abstract meaning from one experience and carry it forth to another. Ultimately, they confirm their understanding of knowledge and skills by being able to apply them creatively and independently to novel, new, and unanticipated tasks, situations, and settings.
9. Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision. Language and thinking are closely entwined. Intelligent people strive to communicate accurately in both written and oral forms. They take care to use precise language, define terms, and use correct names as well as universal labels and analogies. They strive to avoid overgeneralizations, deletions, and distortions. Instead, they support their statements with explanations, comparisons, quantification, and evidence. Clear and precise language plays a critical role in enhancing our cognitive maps and our ability to think critically. Enriching the complexity and specificity of language and how we use it produces more effective thinking.
10. Gathering Data Through All Senses. Intelligent people know that all information gets into the brain through the sensory pathways: gustatory, olfactory, tactile, kinesthetic, auditory, and visual. We derive most of our linguistic, cultural, and physical learning from the environment as we take it in through our senses and subsequently observe and analyze its patterns and processes. Those whose sensory pathways are open, alert, and acute absorb more information from the environment than those whose pathways are withered, immune, and oblivious to sensory stimuli.
11. Creating, Imagining, and Innovating. Creative human beings try to conceive solutions to problems differently from the norm, examining alternative possibilities from many angles. They tend to project themselves into different roles using analogies and visioning strategies. Creative people take risks, pushing the boundaries of perceived limits. They are intrinsically motivated, working on a task because of the aesthetic challenge rather than material rewards. Creative people are also positively responsive to criticism. They hold up their products for others to judge and seek feedback in an ongoing effort to refine their techniques and approaches.
12. Responding with Wonderment and Awe. We want our students to be curious, to commune with the world around them, to reflect on the changing formations of nature, and to experience awe in the face of creative expression. Ideally, they should feel engaged and passionate about learning. Students who respond with wonderment and awe can find beauty in a sunset, intrigue in the geometry of a spider web, and exhilaration at the iridescence of a hummingbird's wings. They continually think outside the boxes of tradition and norm-based perspectives, striving to see the unseen. They approach lifelong learning as a powerful and positive process that sustains and enriches them.
13. Taking Responsible Risks. Intelligent and creative people often seem to have a powerful urge to go beyond established limits, feeling compelled to place themselves in situations where they do not know what the outcome will be. They accept confusion, uncertainty, and higher risks of failure as part of the normal process of learning—and they tend to view setbacks as interesting, challenging, and growth producing. At the same time, they do not behave impulsively or recklessly. They take "educated" risks, drawing on their past knowledge about consequences with a well-trained sense of what is appropriate and inappropriate.
14. Finding Humor. People who engage in the mystery of humor have the ability to perceive situations from an original and often interesting vantage point. They tend to initiate humor more often, place greater value on having a sense of humor, and appreciate and understand others' humor, and they are often verbally playful when interacting with others. Those who have this Habit of Mind can distinguish between situations of human frailty and fallibility that are in need of compassion and those that are truly funny.
15. Thinking Interdependently. Working interdependently requires the ability to justify ideas and to test the feasibility of solution strategies on others. It also requires the development of a willingness and openness to accept feedback from a critical friend. Human beings who think interdependently typically express a range of observable and productive behaviors, including listening, consensus seeking, giving up an idea to work with someone else's, empathy, compassion, group leadership, knowing how to support group efforts, and altruism.
16. Learning Continuously. Intelligent people are in a continuous learning mode—striving for improvement, always growing, always learning, always modifying and improving themselves. They perceive and approach problems, situations, tensions, conflicts, and circumstances as valuable opportunities to learn. Our wish for our students should be that they become creative human beings who are eager to learn. That process includes the humility of knowing what we don't know, which—according to Kallick and Costa—is the highest form of thinking we will ever learn.

Organization of This Action Tool

This ASCD Action Tool is arranged to follow five dimensions of growth that move from an initial exploration of each Habit of Mind through a comprehensive internalization of the habits in students and teachers. Designed to scaffold learning, each dimension represents a step students commonly take as they embrace intelligent behaviors during core learning experiences. This action tool guides students through the dimensions and helps both students and teachers create a deep understanding of each Habit of Mind. Students learn to recognize Habits of Mind and appreciate their usefulness in learning and in life. Each dimension is the focus of one section as follows:

• Exploring Meanings. This section contains a series of resources designed to help students understand the terminology, concepts, and definitions associated with the 16 Habits of Mind. The tools in this section can reinforce students' understanding of operational language. This language can serve as a cognitive anchor or trigger, allowing students to monitor and describe their own thinking as they acquire and apply each of the Habits of Mind. By using the resources included in this section, educators can help learners build a scaffold or platform from which they can extend and refine their use of the Habits of Mind that follow.
• Expanding Capacities. This section builds upon the foundations established in the Exploring Meanings section. As teachers and students become familiar with the 16 Habits of Mind, they can use them to become increasingly fluent in self-assessment and self-regulation. The tools and resources in this section will help educators extend and refine students' understanding and application of the Habits of Mind in their academic lives as well as beyond the classroom.
• Increasing Alertness. This section takes the previous two a step further by extending students' work with the habits to see their innate potential and applicability to academic and daily life. Thus, this section marks a shift from teacher-led growth toward student-led growth. It serves as a bridge between external understanding of the habits and true internal and personal understanding. The tools in this section lead educators and students to investigate people that matter to them—for example, famous people, world leaders, and local people they respect—and significant global and local issues. As they identify applications of the habits to the world around them via case studies, interviews, and research projects, they grow in their understanding of how the habits can be extremely beneficial in learning and in life.
• Extending Values. This section explores strategies that will help educators and students create a "school as a home for the mind," a theme that is central to Costa and Kallick's belief that the full potential of the 16 Habits of Mind cannot be realized unless this framework is applied schoolwide to all aspects of school culture. The activation model presented in this section is designed to integrate the Habits of Mind into all facets of school improvement planning and organization development. The tools and resources focus on leaders, teachers, students, parents, and the wider learning community.
• Building Commitment. The tools and materials presented in this final section are designed to take learners from thinking consciously about using the habits to internalizing them so that they become a regular part of how the learners think, behave, and live. In effect, the habits then become so much a part of the individual's mind, emotions, and consciousness that they unconsciously and automatically guide and inform the person's decision-making and problem-solving processes.

The Resources and References section contains two appendices:

• Appendix A. Appendix A offers greater depth and detail on each of the 16 Habits of Mind. It contains useful quotes, explanations, and icons to help broaden teachers' and students' understanding and application. An interesting activity to do with teachers and students is ask them to design an equivalent document with original icons, personal quotes, and new definitions.
• Appendix B. The planning, teaching, and assessing tools referred to throughout the action tool can be found in Appendix B. They are provided as black-line masters for easy use in classrooms, but their use is not limited to the form in which they appear. As you become more familiar with the Habits of Mind, you may want to adapt, combine, re-create, or improve these resources to meet your needs and the needs of your students.

Structure and Planning

The first page of each section includes a summary and a list of contents. The individual tools (which can also be considered lessons) include step-by-step instructions, as well as worksheets, sample completed worksheets, and resource pages as appropriate. Teachers can pick and choose from the available tools. They may use each tool as a lesson plan as given; teachers who prefer to create their own lesson plan may want to use the lesson plan template available in Appendix B.

Teachers may adapt the tools and activities to meet specific age and curriculum goals. The idea is to set a solid foundation by first introducing the Habits of Mind to students and then developing students' understanding, appreciation, and commitment to the habits as they progress through the elementary and secondary grades. Thus, all of the worksheets and related resources in this action tool are intended to be starting points from which teachers can customize to suit the ability level and age range within different classroom environments.

Electronic Tools and Resources

The tools are available for download. To access these documents, visit www.ascd.org/downloads and enter the key code found on page viii. All files are saved in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). The PDF is compatible with both personal computers (PCs) and Macintosh computers. Note: You must have the Adobe Acrobat Professional software on your machine to save your work. The main menu will let you navigate through the various sections, and you can print individual tools or sections in their entirety. If you are having difficulties downloading or viewing the files, contact webhelp@ascd.org for assistance, or call 1-800-933-ASCD.

Minimum System Requirements

Program: The most current version of the Adobe Reader software is available for free download at www.adobe.com.

PC: Intel Pentium Processor; Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Home Edition (Service Pack 1 or 2), Windows 2000 (Service Pack 2), Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, Windows Server 2003, or Windows NT (Service Pack 6 or 6a); 128 MB of RAM (256 MB recommended); up to 90 MB of available hard-disk space; Internet Explorer 5.5 (or higher), Netscape 7.1 (or higher), Firefox 1.0, or Mozilla 1.7.

Macintosh: PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor, Mac OS X v.10.2.8–10.3; 128 MB of RAM (256 MB recommended); up to 110 MB of available hard-disk space; Safari 1.2.2 browser supported for MAC OS X 10.3 or higher.

Getting Started

Select "Download files." Designate a location on your computer to save the zip file. Choose to open the PDF file with your existing version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, or install the newest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from www.adobe.com. From the main menu, select a section by clicking on its title. To view a specific tool, open the Bookmarks tab in the left navigation pane and then click on the title of the tool.

Printing Tools

To print a single tool, select the tool by clicking on its title via the Bookmarks section and the printer icon, or select File then Print. In the Print Range section, select Current Page to print the page on the screen. To print several tools, enter the page range in the "Pages from" field. If you wish to print all of the tools in the section, select All in the Printer Range section and then click OK.

Tools for Teacher Training

Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.

—John Cotton Dana
Librarian and museum director

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.

—Henry Brooks Adams
Novelist, journalist, historian, and professor

Exposing the Habits of Mind to teachers can greatly enhance students' capacity to learn and apply the habits in multiple ways and can help to build a school culture infused with Habits of Mind. The following pages present lesson plans for two training sessions for colleagues, administrators, and other interested school staff. The materials put the bulk of learning and exploring onto the shoulders of the teachers, so it is not necessary to be an expert to facilitate these training sessions.

The first tool provides an introduction and launching pad for teachers to familiarize themselves with the habits and begin applying them. The second tool allows teachers to work together more extensively to share ideas and expand their capacity to teach these valuable lifelong skills. These tools, or lessons, may be presented at a staff meeting, in an after-school training session, or through work teams. Teachers generally respond well to the model as a viable way to develop intelligent behaviors within their students.

Action Tool 1: Exploring the Meaning of Habits of Mind with Teachers

PURPOSE OF THIS TOOL

A good starting point when introducing Habits of Mind into a school is to first introduce the habits to teachers and staff. The experience will be more powerful for students if teachers develop a deep understanding and appreciation of the habits themselves before they present them to students. They may have numerous initial questions: What do these habits mean? How will they work with my age group or in my subject? How can I put the model into practice? Rather than answering the questions, begin with the Y-Chart activity in this tool.

The resources in this action tool will enable participants to

• Identify the 16 Habits of Mind.
• Explore several Habits of Mind for personal meaning.
• Define each Habit of Mind and identify appropriate uses.
• Prepare to model the 16 Habits of Mind to students.
• Prepare to recognize the habits in students.

HOW TO USE THIS TOOL

This tool presents a series of resources that can be used to introduce and reinforce for teachers the meaning of the 16 Habits of Mind. The following is the suggested sequence for exploring these habits, as well as a list of resources included to support this process:

• Summary of 16 Habits of Mind handout (Introductory Activity)
• Y-Chart worksheet (Introductory Activity)
• Defining Habits of Mind worksheet (Core Activity)
• Discussion (Reflection Activity)
• Describing 16 Habits of Mind (Extension Activity)

The activities and tasks included in this tool should take about 60 minutes to complete. You will need the following materials:

• Summary of 16 Habits of Mind (Appendix B)
• Describing 16 Habits of Mind (Appendix A)

TIPS AND VARIATIONS

1. Introductory Activity
   • Distribute the list of the 16 Habits of Mind. Read the names of the habits but do not discuss them yet.
   • Have teachers form small groups. Assign the Habits of Mind to each group such that every group has at least one habit to consider, and all of the habits are covered. For instance, if you have four groups, each group will have four habits to consider.
   • Give each group one copy of the Y-Chart worksheet (page XX) for each Habit of Mind they are considering; for example, if each group has four habits, they will need four copies of the worksheet. (Alternatively, teachers could write information for each of their Habits of Mind on one sheet.)
   • Ask the groups to use the chart to unpack the meaning of their assigned Habits of Mind. For example, for the first habit, Persistence, they might ask themselves questions such as

     What does it look like when someone in class persists? What facial expressions might I see? What body language? What does persistence look like outside the classroom? On the baseball field? In a chess tournament? At the airport? At the beach?

     What does it feel like when I persist? Is there just one feeling or emotion, or several? Do my feelings change as I apply persistence? Does everyone experience the same feelings when they persist?

     What does it sound like when someone persists? What words might I hear? Other noises? How might I talk to myself? What advice might I offer a friend who needs to persist? How might the sounds change from the classroom to the football field?

   • When teachers have finished, have each team discuss their Y-charts with the whole group. It can be very interesting to see the breadth of ideas teachers will produce.
2. Core Activity
   • Give teachers a copy of the Defining Habits of Mind worksheet.
   • Ask them to work individually to complete it, defining each habit in their own words (column 1) and listing two or three ideal times to use each (column 2) as well as two or three occasions when the habit would not be useful (column 3).
3. Reflection Activity
   • Lead a group discussion about the value of Habits of Mind.
   • Explain that teachers will really begin to see the benefits as they watch students apply the habits in learning situations.
4. Extension Activity
   • Distribute the article "Describing 16 Habits of Mind," found in Appendix A.
   • Encourage teachers to take the materials they have received with them to study as they prepare to introduce the Habits of Mind to their students.
   • Suggest that teachers review Costa and Kallick's Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind (2008, ASCD), if they have not already done so.

Exploring the Meaning of Habits of Mind with Teachers Tool

Action Tool 2: Expanding Capacities with Teachers

PURPOSE OF THIS TOOL

This tool builds on the concepts developed in the previous tool. Teachers should now be familiar with all 16 Habits of Mind and have a working understanding of what they mean. This tool helps teachers gain more in-depth knowledge and understanding of the habits so that they will be better prepared to foster them among their students. The resources in this action tool will enable participants to

• Discuss with colleagues their experiences in applying the Habits of Mind so far.
• Define each Habit of Mind in as many ways as possible.
• Use analogies to gain perspective on each Habit of Mind.
• Describe how they can integrate each Habit of Mind into the classroom.
• Contribute to and build on the ideas of colleagues.

HOW TO USE THIS TOOL

This tool presents a series of resources that can be used to extend and refine teachers' understanding of the 16 Habits of Mind. The following is the suggested sequence for exploring these habits:

• How's It Going? (Introductory Discussion)
• Word Splash, Y-Chart, and Classroom Integration group activity (Core Activity)
• Final Review group activity and discussion (Synthesizing Activity)
• Results folders (Follow-Up)

The activities and tasks included in this tool should take two hours, best divided into two close-proximity days to complete. Note that you will need to complete some advance preparation as well as some follow-up action. You will need the following materials:

• Large roll of butcher paper or a couple of self-stick wall charts
• Package of markers
• A bell, whistle, or other noisemaker (optional)
• Folders (one per teacher)
• Clock or watch

TIPS AND VARIATIONS

1. Advance Preparation
   • Set up stations around the room, one for each Habit of Mind. At each station, hang three poster-size pieces of butcher paper specific to one habit. (See the following pages as examples for the habit Persisting.) Have extra butcher paper on hand in case additional space is needed for recording ideas. Place a number of markers at each station.
   • On the board, write three sample charts such as those shown on the following pages for the habit Persisting. These samples will serve as guides for the teachers.
2. Introductory Discussion
   • Stimulate discussion about experiences teachers have had with the Habits of Mind so far by asking questions such as the following:
     • How have you used the Habits of Mind in the classroom?
     • What have you learned?
     • What problems have you encountered?
     • What questions do you have?
   • Spend some time sharing your ideas and having other teachers do so as well.
3. Core Activity
   • Tell teachers that to further help them think about and share ideas related to the Habits of Mind, you have created stations around the room, each with three charts: a Word Splash, a Y-Chart, and a chart titled Classroom Integration. Direct the teachers' attention to the examples on the board as you explain each type of chart.
   • Explain that word splashes are brainstorming activities. Teachers should think of as many ways as they can to rephrase the name of the Habit of Mind. Tell them that by the time all ideas are recorded, everyone should have a thorough definition of the habit.
   • Remind teachers of their previous experience with Y-charts. Say that this chart will allow them to draw analogies to express what they think, feel, and hear regarding each habit.
   • Explain that the Classroom Integration chart serves as a tool for teachers to share their ideas about how they use or could use the Habits of Mind in the classroom, as well as times to avoid using the habits.
   • Instruct teachers to get up and go to any station. Allow five minutes for teachers to add their ideas to each chart at that station, and then blow a whistle, ring a bell, or call "time" and instruct teachers to move to the next station.
   • At about halfway through this activity, allow teachers to take a break. Ideally, they would return to the activity fresh the next day.
4. Synthesizing Activity
   • When everyone has been through the 16 stations, allow them time to mingle around the room and look at everyone's comments.
   • Lead a group discussion about the experience.
5. Follow-Up
   • Tell teachers you will type up their collection of ideas. At a later time, give each teacher a folder with all the group's ideas and encourage them to apply the ideas in the days, weeks, and years to come.
   • Have teachers add the handouts and materials they received in Action Tool 1 to the folders, so they will have a Habits of Mind resource available at all times.

Expanding Capacities with Teachers Tool