Learning & Leading With Habits of Mind

•Considers many alternatives when solving a problem.

•Continuously clarifies the task while monitoring performance.

We h a v e p r o v i d e d t h i s e x a m p l e — a n d o n e f o r t h e n e x t h a b i t , m a n a g i n g
impulsivity—to demonstrate how to turn these indicators into checklists.
You and other members of your st aff or team may want to continue to
develop such checklists for your assessment practices for the other Habits
of Mind. (For more on checklists, see also p. 199 in Chapter 11.)

Managing Impulsivity

It is easier to suppress the first desire than to satisfy all that

follow it.

—Benjamin Franklin

As students become less impulsive, we observe them clarifying goals, plan-
ning a strategy for solving a problem, exploring alternative problem-
solving strategies, and debating consequences of their actions before
they begin. They consider before erasing, and they pay attention to the
results of their trial-and-error efforts so they avoid making haphazard
responses.
When students have developed the habit of managing impulsivity,
they are engaged with problem solving, and they pay close attention to
what is occurring during a lesson or other classroom activity. They note
what works as they solve a problem, and they redirect their strategies by
developing a plan. They learn how to use wait time to their advantage.
They also develop strategies for participating in activities, such as jotting
down notes in a discussion so that they can remember the points they
want to make when it’s their turn to speak.
As a checklist, the indicators might appear like this:
•Uses wait time as an opportunity to think through a problem.
•Attends to results of trial-and-error efforts to determine a course of
action.
•Pays attention to what is working.
•Uses strategies for self-management such as note taking.

Defining Indicators of Achievement 179