for future reference. As teachers, we must attend to all aspects of a student’s
development as we develop our curriculum, instruction, and assessments.
Keeping Track of Learning
In schools where the Habits of Mind are successfully in place, stu-
dents keep track of their learning. Children write about, illustrate, and
reflect on the use of the Habits of Mind in a personal log or diary. This
work allows them to synthesize their thoughts and actions and to translate
them into symbolic form. Reflection helps students truly make the Habits
of Mind their own.
A log or diary also provides students the opportunity to revisit their
initial perceptions about the Habits of Mind. Then they can compare any
changes in those perceptions. Students also can chart the processes of
strategic thinking and decision making, identifying “blind alleys” and
recalling successes and “tragedies” of experimentation. For a variation on
written journals, students can create electronic portfolios, Keynote or
PowerPoint present ations, or video or audio recordings of projects and
performances. (See Part III, Assessing and Reporting on Habits of Mind.)
Classroom Discussions
Guided discussions are always a useful way for teachers to offer insight
about the Habits of Mind. Discussions also provide an opportunity for stu-
dents to process their learning. Talking about situations in which Habits of
Mind were, are, or could be applied is enormously helpful as students learn
more and more about the habits. Teachers can guide specific discussions of
students’ problem-solving processes, inviting them to share their metacog-
nition, reveal their intentions, and examine plans for solving a problem.
Frequent Infusion of the Habits
Te a c h e r s w h o a r e s u c c e s s f u l w i t h t h e H a b i t s o f M i n d u s e e v e r y p o s -
sible opportunity to teach the habits. They are always on the lookout for
occasions when the Habits of Mind would be useful to solve a problem,
resolve a conflict, make a decision, or manage a polarity (Johnson, 1996).
Have students noticed the Habits of Mind (or lack thereof) in their favorite
television shows? Can they find them in the literature they’re reading for
Creating “Thought-Full” Environments 103