week, the students engage in a fast-paced paraphrasing activity called
Relay Raps to practice the skills of active listeners. The students next
explore the concept of empathy by reflecting on the character who leaves
her home in the book Goodbye, 382 Shin Dang Dong. They display their
understanding of empathy in a concept-definition map. Finally, they
apply and practice the Habit of Mind by role-playing scenarios that
require listening with understanding and empathy.
Students are encouraged to consider what the Habit of Mind looks
like and sounds like when demonstrated. They think about the impor-
tance of the habit in relation to our district outcomes and indicators, and
they personalize the habit as it reinforces interactions in their own lives.
As students move into the junior and senior high schools, they have a
common foundation for each of the 16 habits and are encouraged to apply
them in their social interactions and academic work.
For example, teachers in our high school integrated programs iden-
tify specific Habits of Mind for emphasis in the curriculum. They link
the habits to the district outcomes and indicators, and the students are
very articulate regarding the value of the Habits of Mind as they think
about their importance in their lives. When interviewed by visitors from
Singapore regarding the Habits of Mind, one student summarized how
the approach to learning is different in the Tahoma School District:
I have been a student in the Tahoma School District my whole
life, and recently I have been getting to know students who have
transferred from other school districts. I realize that when we
started to use the Habits of Mind, the teachers were showing that
they really care about us and how we think and not just the cur-
riculum. In other districts, the teachers just want to go over the
basics about the topics. Here, the teachers help us to develop a
bigger perspective and encourage independent thinking. They
show us that they value our ideas.Another student added, “I can see how I will use the Habits of Mind, not
just in school but in life.”
We b e l i e v e t h a t t e a c h i n g t h e h a b i t s di r e c t l y t h r o u g h l e s s o n s a n d t h e n
reinforcing them in our curriculum provides quality opportunities to learn
370 Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind