Explore Habits of Mind

Integrating the 16 Habits of Mind attributes into my teaching can significantly enhance my students' 21st Century Skills. HOM #1 Persisting connects to Problem-Solving. It encourages students to stay focused on tasks and overcome obstacles, fostering resilience and determination. HOM #2 Managing Impulsivity connects to Critical Thinking. It teaches students to think before acting, promoting thoughtful decision-making and reducing impulsive reactions. HOM #3 Listening with Understanding and Empathy connects to Collaboration. It develops students' ability to listen actively and understand others' perspectives, enhancing teamwork and communication. HOM #4 Thinking Flexibly connects to Adaptability. It encourages students to consider alternative solutions and adapt to new situations, fostering creative problem-solving. HOM #5 Thinking About Thinking (Metacognition) connects to Self-Directed Learning. It helps students reflect on their thought processes and learning strategies, promoting self-awareness and continuous improvement. HOM #6 Striving for Accuracy connects to Digital Literacy. It teaches students to seek precision and accuracy in their work, especially when using digital tools and evaluating online information. HOM #7 Questioning and Posing Problems connects to Critical Thinking. It encourages curiosity and inquiry, helping students to ask meaningful questions and identify problems to solve. HOM #8 Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations connects to Innovation. It guides students to draw on previous experiences and knowledge to tackle new challenges creatively. HOM #9 Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision connects to Effective Communication. It develops students' ability to express ideas clearly and accurately, both verbally and in writing. HOM #10 Gathering Data Through All Senses connects to Information Literacy. It encourages students to use all their senses to gather information, enhancing their ability to analyze and interpret data. HOM #11 Creating, Imagining, Innovating connects to Innovation. It fosters creativity and imagination, encouraging students to generate new ideas and solutions. HOM #12 Responding with Wonderment and Awe connects to Lifelong Learning. It cultivates a sense of curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, motivating students to explore and discover. HOM #13 Taking Responsible Risks connects to Adaptability. It encourages students to take calculated risks, promoting growth and learning from experiences. HOM #14 Finding Humor connects to Social and Emotional Skills. It teaches students to appreciate humor, helping them to build positive relationships and manage stress. HOM #15. Thinking Interdependently connects to Collaboration. It promotes teamwork and cooperation, encouraging students to work effectively with others. HOM #16 Remaining Open to Continuous Learning connects to Lifelong Learning. It instills a mindset of continuous improvement and adaptability, preparing students for ongoing personal and professional growth. By infusing these Habits of Mind into the curriculum, I can help my students develop essential 21st Century Skills, preparing them for success in a complex and dynamic world. 

When looking at the 16 Habits of Mind it is easy to see how important a role they will and do play in enhancing 21st Century Skills.  Not only do these habits (practices) help in the academic realm, they would help any and all of us be the best versions of ourselves as people.  As a teacher, I would think about my classroom community, who they are as learners and individuals, and then choose the habits I felt were most beneficial for them to focus on.  I also like that some of these habits - stiving for excellence, for example - are already a part of our school's initiatives (we use the acronym GO BLUE with "excellence" being the E).  This is an excellent reminder for us as teachers that we are already doing a lot to help students grow to their fullest potential.  It also gives me the opportunity to hone in on other HoM that are not regularly focused on here at school.  Giving the students an overview of a particular HoM and helping them determine a way they could focus on/work to improve in that area is something I plan on doing in the near future.  

The 16 habits of Mind are very helpful in benefitting the students as they move on into the workforce and their adult lives.  They will help in the future with maintaining a job or relationship.  These habits of Mind help to overcome fear and thinking they can't do something. Being persistent can help when faced with a challenge in the workforce.  As adults we have to think before we do something or act on it. Students need to put yourself in someone else's shoes. There are more than one way to think and different perspectives and ways to solve problems.  As adults we always need to strive to improve, ask questions, and try new things often.  We need to be able to push through when life gets tough.  I feel the 16 habits of Mind and the 4 C's are critical to adapting and changing as learners in the 21st century.

Teaching students 21st Century Skills are important to help them become all-around better people who are citizens that contribute to the world. But teaching them the habits of mind skills are also important for people because having these skills will allow for further development of critical thinking skills, having flexible thinking, learning to work through problems and challenges without giving up, as well as collaborating with others. As I have seen in the workplace and on the sports fields, collaboration is key to success in working with others. Also, I have seen when people cannot use flexible thinking to help them when they approach problems, and this inflexible thinking can lead to more difficulties. Being able to persevere through difficulties can help students become better at coping with life’s problems as well and can help build resilience. 

In order for students to be successful global citizens, they need to have these 16 habits of mind. Students need to learn how to persist and keep pushing on when things get tough, this is something they must learn before they go out into the real world. Students also need to know how to listen to understand other people's points of view, to have the skill to be a successful communicator. Students need to understand that communication is a two way street, and that they must be a good listener in order to be a good communicator. They also need to be able to think flexibly in order to be a successful person in the real world. Students need to understand that there is more than one way to look at things in life, and that the way they see something may not be the same as someone else and that is okay. All of the habits of mind that are discussed in the video I feel are skills that need to be learned first in order for students to build their 21st century skills and the 4 Cs. 

The HOM and 21st Century Skills really go hand-in-hand. I think the days of "teacher-talk, student-listen" are (hopefully) gone. I think both of these skills/mindsets could be enhanced through collaborative groupwork, and also student choice. 
1) Collaborative Groupwork- having to work together towards a common goal would have to involve communication, collaboration  and creative thinking (the 4 C's). When I assigned a short story project last year with my ninth graders, they were in groups or 2 or 3 and they had to either write a short story or create a graphic novel together. They had to find ways to equitably divide up the work after deciding as a group what they wanted their story to be about and the direction it would take. I also see many of the HOM in this project as well, since they needed to listen to each other, find ways to be flexible when they had different ideas, remain open when hearing other thoughts and ideas, and being creative with their stories. I had each group member complete an evaluation form for the other members which rated their contributions, how they communicated with each other, etc. It really seemed to work well when each member felt that they had an equal contribution to the final product. 
2) Student Choice- I think students can show their learning in a variety of ways, and allowing them some choice could create opportunities for 21st Century Skills and HOM. Exposing students to new technology and ways of getting information across, like infographics for example, or using programs like Canva instead of just Google Slides, allows students to dabble in newer technologies and ways of communicating. They might also feel more motivated for a project they had some say in, so some HOM would come to the surface like persisting, creating-imagining-innovating, and taking responsible risks. 

I think no matter what, teachers need to demonstrate 21st Century Skills and HOM so that students can see these things in action. We should model the kinds of skills and behaviors we'd like to see our students using and developing. 

Using Habits of Mind to enhances 21st Century Skills by encouraging students to work together, understanding others, showing empathy, thinking critically, problem solving skills, being flexible with ideas and planning, accuracy and precision, gathering data, asking questions, and being imaginative. Students can take risks by trying something new with their learning. The students hypothesize and predict what the outcome would be. If it did work in their favor, then they did something correctly and accurate. If it did not work, then they go back to the drawing board and attempt again. Being persistent with the task will help the students become successful in their learning.