These lessons should provide new, novel, or more complex opportu-
nities in which students may apply the Habits of Mind. The degree of
guidance from the teacher will typically decrease over time as students
improve in their ability to recognize situations, choose strategies, and self-
assess. Teachers’ strategies will shift from telling students when and how
to apply the habit, to prompting students to be alert for upcoming oppor-
tunities to engage in the habit, and finally to asking students to reflect on
when they applied the habit and if they were able to do so successfully.
Lessons in this category will often have a strong focus on self-
assessment and building commitment to using the habits. Students will,
initially with assistance, develop skills in recognizing and evaluating their
application of the habits. This evaluation will be based on the dimensions
described in Chapter 4; that is, are students becoming more skillful, bet-
ter able to recognize and apply the habits in new situations? Are they
building greater appreciation of the value of the habits and improving
their ability to self-assess? In these lessons students will develop criteria to
evaluate their performance. Over time they will be expected to set learn-
ing goals and to reflect critically on their application of the habits.
The content of these lessons is firmly embedded in the subject area
being taught. To the students’ eye, the new learning that takes place in
these lessons will be overtly from the subject area. The process of guiding
the application of the habits will strengthen the habits while enhancing
acquisition of content knowledge.
Strategies.In this instructional design, students identify which Habits
of Mind will be essential to completing the task. Teachers ask students
what those habits might look like and sound like as they work on the task.
Students are alerted to be aware of their use of the particular habits and
to monitor and record their observations of themselves and others. Upon
completion of the lesson, students are invited to reflect on what they were
aware of, which other Habits of Mind they used, what effects the use of
the Habits of Mind had on their work, which habits they need to improve
upon, and where else in school, life, and work those particular Habits of
Mind might be useful. Students are encouraged to keep a journal of their
thoughts, to create and use such self-assessment tools as portfolios, rubrics,
checklists, anecdotal records, and inventories.
Is Your Instruction Habit Forming? 87