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Successful and experienced learners possess certain characteristics in their thinking, including being aware of their own thinking at any time, seeking clarity and accuracy in what they do; operating at the edge rather than at the centre of their ability and searching for new ways of viewing situations.
 

What's it all about?

The Habits of the Mind were drawn from research on human effectiveness and focus on how to think as opposed to what to think. Research in effective thinking and intelligent behaviour indicates that there are some identifiable characteristics of effective thinkers. These are not necessarily scientists, artists, mathematicians or the wealthy who demonstrate these behaviours. These characteristics have been identified in successful mechanics, teachers, entrepreneurs, salespeople, and parents - people in all walks of life.

Increasingly it has become important to convey to students that the goal of their education is intelligent behavior - that the responsibility for thinking is theirs, that it is desirable to have more than one solution, that it is commendable when they take time to plan and reflect on an answer rather than respond impulsively, that it is desirable to change an answer with additional information and even that it is okay not to have an answer.

What are the Habits of the Mind?

16 Habits of the Mind have been identified. Of these 16 we have chosen to focus on intentionally teaching the following:

• Listening with Understanding and Empathy
  Highly effective people have the ability to listen to another person, empathize with and understand that person's point of view

• Striving for accuracy
  People who value accuracy, precision and flawlessness take time to check over their work.

• Persisting
  Successful people stick at a task until completed

• Managing Impulsivity
  Effective problem solvers think before they act. They make a plan, set a goal, and strive to understand directions before beginning approaching a problem.

• Thinking Flexibility
  Flexible people have the ability to consider alternative points of view, approach a problem from a new angle and keep their minds open to change.

• Risk taking
  Flexible people are able to put themselves in situations where they do not know what the outcome will be. They accept confusion, uncertainty and the risk of failure as part of the process of taking responsible risks.

• Questioning and Problem Solving
  Effective problem solvers know how to ask questions to fill in the gaps between what they know and what they don't know/

• Thinking Interdependently
  Effective problem solvers realise that problem solving is so complex that often no one person can go it alone. No one has access to all the data needed to make critical decisions; no one person can consider as many alternatives as several people can.