answer is a “good” thing to strive for, it’s really the process one
goes through to get the right answer that interests me.
In my own teaching, I’ve tried to get away from saying, “Good
answer” or “Right.” Instead, I try to note when a child is using an
intelligent behavior. It’s like saying, “Nice job!” to a child who is
painting, instead of being specific and saying, “I like the choice of
color here; it gives me a warm feeling.” My comments are much
more meaningful, but better than that is seeing kids recognize
their peers. I have often found that the child that might be slower
in completing work or has a difficult time grasping new concepts
is thought to be not as smart by his or her peers. Now students
hear me say, “[Kenny], you are a persistent problem solver.”
[Kenny] is being rewarded for his persistence, not just his answer.Key Conditions and Behaviors
As we consider building a thought-full environment, it is important to
recognize some key conditions and behaviors that signal to students that
there is trust for critical and creative thinking. We describe these in the
sections that follow.
A Deeply Held Belief
In classrooms where the Habits of Mind succeed, we find a deeply
held belief that all students can continue to learn and improve. For many
years, educators and parents alike believed that thinking skills programs
were intended to challenge the intellectually gifted. Indeed, some thought
that any child whose IQ fell below a certain score was doomed to reme-
dial work or compensatory drill and practice. Much research, however,
with hydrocephalic, Down syndrome, senile, and brain-damaged persons
demonstrates that almost anyone can achieve amazing growth in intelli-
gent behavior with proper intervention (see Chapter 1 and Feuerstein,
Feuerstein, & Schur, 1997).
In classrooms that embrace the Habits of Mind, we also find a belief
that the habits aren’t just “kid stuff.” Teachers, parents, and administrators
can also monitor and modify their own Habits of Mind, such as manag-
ing impulsivity, thinking about thinking (metacognition), listening with
100 Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind