Dispositions by Design

Today's students will graduate into a world characterized by unprecedented changes driven by a variety of interdependent trends, including accelerating technological advances, globalization, climate change, artificial intelligence, human migrations, and the increasing influence of mass and social media. In light of these changes, there is a growing recognition that mastering subject-area knowledge alone will not be sufficient to prepare students for their futures. Voices both within and outside of schools are calling for a more expansive and innovative brand of education that will prepare students with the capabilities to think critically, demonstrate creativity and imagination, communicate effectively using various media, work collaboratively with others, and self-direct their own lifelong learning.

Educators and other experts are also recognizing that enacting such skills optimally will require the use of thinking dispositions not generally fostered by rote instruction. Costa and Kallick (2008) have identified 16 such dispositions, known as Habits of Mind, that can build the capacity for efficacious thinking and self-directed learning. These dispositions range from managing impulsivity and striving for accuracy to taking responsible risks and thinking interdependently (full descriptions can be found at www.ascd.org/el0320costa). Taken together, the Habits of Mind present a transformational framework for schools—one that can help students respond more effectively to challenges, dilemmas, and new situations.