Increasing Alertness
- Establish the Habits of Mind as ground rules for discussions
about all practices in the school. - Include discussions of the school’s “ethos” in faculty meetings
and workshops. How might the Habits of Mind become more apparent in
the school’s culture? - Encourage students and staff to discuss how class rules, school
rules, and homework policies reflect and support the Habits of Mind. - When assessing staff development institutes, assess the degree to
which the Habits of Mind were required for the work that was accomplished. - Start a school scrapbook with photos, news stories, and memora-
bilia reflecting the school’s history and accomplishments with the Habits
of Mind. Involve as many school members as possible in contributing to
and maintaining the collection. Be sure to share the scrapbook with visi-
tors and new families. - Describe to students how you use the Habits of Mind in com-
munity service, hobbies, avocations, or sports. - Hold a ceremony at the beginning and end of the school year to
introduce, recognize, and emphasize the Habits of Mind. - Encourage students and staff to draw on the Habits of Mind to
resolve and learn from school or class conflicts. - Ask students to investigate the significance of the school’s tradi-
tions. Which traditions emphasize the Habits of Mind? - Build Habits of Mind related to empathy by inviting students
to put themselves in the shoes of the people they are reading about or
studying. - In classes, specifically address habits such as taking responsible
risks, persisting, and striving for accuracy. Why are these habits essential
to understanding? How are these habits applicable in class, in school, and
in life? - Invite students to “adopt an elder” from the community. Arrange
for students to visit, write letters to, read to, and explain the Habits of Mind
to their adoptee.
Appendix A: Bringing Habits of Mind to Life 383