what was in my head for the afternoon, and listened at that time
for their read of the group and its needs.
Thinking flexibly.I always pride myself on the degree to
which I am willing to shift plans and respond to the group’s
immediate needs. That strength, however, can also become a
weakness—and I think that happened yesterday. When Dan sug-
gested that we move to developing outcomes that would work
across the disciplines, I immediately went there without checking
with the group. Maybe that happened because the question is of
intellectual interest to me right now and I also wanted to work on
it. I have been struggling with how to develop a rubric that would
be sufficiently rigorous and, at the same time, descriptive enough
to provide a set of criteria for students that would show them what
was expected regardless of subject. Clear criteria would address
a question such as “Why do we need to write properly if I am in
a science class?” To me, these criteria are a significant part of
building a learning culture. I was exploring using the criteria in
relation to the Habits of Mind—I will develop this thought more
fully in a moment.
Managing impulsivity.We l l , t h i s i s w h e r e t h e h a b i t s i n t e r -
sect and sometimes feel contradictory. I moved very quickly with
Dan’s suggestion. I would say that I did not manage my impulsiv-
ity. Can you be both flexible and manage your impulsivity at the
same time? I think the way to do that is to check your moves. I
should have done so with the group instead of assuming I knew
where to go. Had I managed my impulsive act through a quick
check on the afternoon agenda, we might have gone down the
same path, or a different one, and at least made the decision
together.
Remaining open to continuous learning.I started thinking
about Evonne Goolagong. (She’s a really great tennis player.
What I always admired about her was her grace, agility, and enor-
mous flexibility. She had all the strokes, and often what got in
her way of winning was that she did not make the right choice of
stroke for the occasion.) I think I am at a point in my career
Learning Through Reflection 227