Classroom Interaction
School leaders stay in touch with instruction in the classroom. Know-
ing that the teachers have been learning about teaching the Habits of
Mind, they observe and they facilitate peers’ observations of each other
with these indicators in mind:
- Is there evidence that the nature of the work is sufficiently genera-
tive so that the Habits of Mind are required?
•Are the students clear about which Habit of Mind they are engaged
with?
•Are opportunities provided for students to reflect on their use of the
Habits of Mind?
•Is there evidence in the classroom environment that suggests that
the Habits of Mind are valued?
Observers might want to check with students to see how they perceive
the habits. Based on those observations, a leadership group might organ-
ize faculty meetings and dialogue groups to share their observations about
practice and to encourage questions, concerns, learnings, modifications,
and next steps.
Group Norms Through Dialogue
David Perkins (2003) suggests that an organization functions and
grows through conversations and the quality of the conversations deter-
mines how smart the organization is. Leaders ensure that the Habits of
Mind become group norms. At the beginning of a staff or department
meeting, for example, they might provide a moment for centering—chang-
ing the tone of the group by using techniques such as silent meditation,
breathing exercises, or brain-compatible music. Many authors believe that
music helps to synthesize brain activity as auditory input is directly associ-
ated with memory, feelings, and mood. Music carries meaning and the
brain’s response is shown in right hemisphere activity. Such responses to
music include imagination, creativity, and personality development. For
more information on how music supports learning, see Jensen, 1996;
Sousa, 2001; and Wolfe, 2001. School leaders may then invite the group
to focus on one or several of the habits; for example, “As we examine our
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