Modeling the Habits of Mind
Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it
is the only means.
—Albert Einstein
Children learn best through imitation. Because most dispositional
learnings are “caught, not taught,” teachers must “walk the talk.” The
Habits of Mind are not just “kid stuff.” Teachers and students together
can get better at their Habits of Mind.
Purpose. The purpose of this lesson design is to provide consistent
instruction in which the Habits of Mind are modeled by the teacher and
integrated into the norms of the classroom and into the instructional
strategies. This category is teaching withthe Habits of Mind.
Strategies. In this category, the strategies are simply the various behav-
iors the teacher demonstrates in day-to-day instruction. Here are some
examples:
•Teachers design and pose powerful questions so that students
experience, analyze, and compose powerful questions themselves (see
Chapter 8).
•Teachers listen to students with understanding and empathy so that
students will experience the feelings and benefits of being listened to with
understanding and empathy.
•Teachers share their thinking and planning so that students will
gain insight into the power of metacognition.
•Teachers manage their impulsivity so that students will develop a
vision of what it is like for a mindful adult to feel frustration, to control
anger, and to resist temptation.
•Teachers design activities that cause students to work in groups to
promote interdependent thinking.
•Teachers laugh at themselves and guarantee that no lesson is suc-
cessful without finding humor.
•Teachers monitor their own questions, directions, and communica-
tions to ensure clarity and precision.
Is Your Instruction Habit Forming? 93