going to be done, no matter how much I wanted to throw the Makita
because it wasn’t working, no matter how much responsibility I was forced
to take on, I stuck with it until the end, always knowing (hoping) it would
turn out great.”
- Listening with understanding and empathy.“Listening before pre-
judging someone’s contribution makes sense. Being patient helps. I was
surprised at the great ideas and how much everyone added.” - Finding humor.“Getting to know these people can really impact
your life and your work very positively, so you always have to keep a light
and open heart, and humor can aid in this.” Also, “Humor keeps people
relaxed and much more comfortable even while working on serious sub-
ject matter.” - Thinking about thinking (metacognition).“I sometimes have to talk
to myself and tell myself to work harder, or to stop slacking.” Also, “They
give us time to think about everything—all of our actions and work and
that is something that really helps. Not many kids get that; it’s so neat.” - Thinking interdependently.“It’s not about what you want or some-
body else does. It’s about working as a team to get the job done.” Also, “At
first, I was not a good group worker because I felt controlling and perfec-
tionist. I had to step back and examine my thinking and adjust to be coop-
erative and open. I changed the way I thought about my role in the group
process.” - Questioning and posing problems.“Asking the right questions is
very helpful in order to learn how to use the equipment effectively.” - Applying past knowledge to new situations.“Every time I finished a
project, I was able to enter the next one with more knowledge of the group
process. Also, with each project I became more technologically advanced,
which helped me add value to the group.” - Striving for accuracy.“Our venue was four minutes long. After every
four minutes, I had to move everything back to the original spot in one
minute. Every single little thing had to be perfect.”
Interviews
Oprah Winfrey, Mike Wallace, and Barbara Walters are all master inter-
viewers. They have the capacity to place the most timid person at ease by
Assessing Habits of Mind 215