Karen Sullivan October 26, 2011

Habits of the Mind Reflection Essay Is it half off if I did not have a negative sign? What if I forgot the decimal?I worked it a different way, and found the same answer. I worked the problem another way and found a different answer. What if I left off the label? What if? What if? These are just some of the questions and statements made by students as we grade homework papers in class. Its discouraging to hear that students dont recognize the effects of negative signs or decimal placement. Its encouraging to hear a students thought process in solving problems using different strategies, whether accurate or not. As a math teacher it is challenging to gain the attention and interest of students. It is exciting to see a student discover they can actually understand and do well in math. I am thrilled when a student finds something about math that he/she might actually enjoy. In reading this book Habits of Mind by Arthur L. Costa and Bena Kallick, I discovered that we never fully master the habits of mind, but continue to develop and improve them throughout our lives.(Page 2) In my class, I try to teach the skills and concepts of mathematics, but now also realize that I should also be teaching the habits of mind to not only enhance and deepen their knowledge of school subjects, but also to help them take responsibility for their thinking. As noted on page 16, success in school and daily life depends upon the autonomous application of the habits of mind during problem solving, innovating, and decision making. From my reading and experience as a classroom teacher, I realize that students must be taught and encouraged to master a skill consistently over a period of time. Teaching the habits of mind would need to be taught throughout a school and over many years to be effective and to be owned by the student for their lifelong learning. Some students might own those habits in a shorter period, but the majority would need the time and consistent instruction. Thinking of my students and subject area, I had difficulty choosing just one habit of the mind and how it connects to effective instruction. My first consideration was the habit of mind for applying past knowledge to new situations. In math, students must build on what they have

learned in the past as they learn new concepts and skills. Any teacher knows that they must help students scaffold previous information, bridge to new skills, and apply that knowledge to current situations. Educators become skilled at questioning students to recall past knowledge and then connect it to the new information. Next, I focused on the habit of mind of striving for accuracy. Math requires accuracy and therefore I thought this must be the most important habit of mind. As stated on page 145, students who take the time to check for accuracy are less likely to act impulsively. Then on page 146, checking for accuracy also provides students necessary think time. I often notice that most students do not take time or effort to check for reasonableness or to think about why or how they found their answer. They just want to know, what is the answer? Students often blurt out answers without thinking about what they are saying. In my experience, I have found that I must not allow students to blurt out answers without some wait time. When students are given the opportunity to think, they eventually discover the correct answers. Finally, I considered that the habit of mind of persisting as the most important. Teaching persistence is a matter of teaching strategy. Persistence does not mean working to get it right. Persistence means knowing that getting stuck is a cue to try something else. (Page 74) In my experience, so many students give up solving problems when it does not come easily. I have struggled with convincing students to keep trying when a solution does not work or does not seem reasonable. They often give up too quickly. Even though we spend time practicing and learning a variety of problem solving strategies, my students do not always try another strategy when their first choice does not work. I encourage them to carefully read, then, reread the problem to find those key words or clues that will help them to solve it. Teaching seventh graders is challenging in that students come out of a more structured elementary school into a middle school that allows more freedoms, but expects students to accept more responsibility. We expect them to walk through the doors and be responsible to complete their homework, arrive at seven different classes on time, and follow all the rules and expectations of the school and of all those different teachers. It can be very overwhelming for many students who do not have the skills or tools to help them to adjust and cope. I agree that teaching the habits of mind would be beneficial to students learning and to their behavior. And as a result, their confidence and pride in themselves would increase. Therefore, I think the habit

of mind of persisting is the most important. As stated on page 145 students who are persistent do not give up easily. They stick to an activity until the end. Students exhibiting persistence are less likely to stray off task, and they are less likely to interrupt the learning environment for others. As students increase their persistence, they focus more on thinking, and they are less likely to cause classroom and school disruptions. This sounds like a miracle cure for all the classroom behavior and instructional problems. And like any other skill, students will learn and practice it at different rates and levels, but I think it would definitely be worth the effort to introduce and practice the habits of mind in my classroom. It will take patience and persistence on my part and on that of my students.