Positive Education: Habits of the Mind

There are 16 Habits of the Mind, shown below, that allow you to develop the problem solving, life related skills necessary to effectively operate and serve to provide you with skills to work through real life situations that equip you to respond using awareness (cues), thought, and intentional strategy to gain a positive outcome.

1. Persisting - sticking to the task at hand and following through to completion
2. Managing impulsivity - take time to consider your options, think before speaking or acting and remaining calm when stressed or challenged
3. Listening with understanding and empathy - pay attention to and do not dismiss another person's thoughts, feeling and ideas. Seek to put myself in the other person's shoes
4. Thinking flexibly - able to change perspective and consider the input of others
5. Thinking about thinking - being aware of your own thoughts, feelings, intentions, and actions, knowing what I do and say affects others
6. Striving for accuracy - always doing your best, setting high standards and finding ways to constantly improve.
7. Questioning and posing problems - ask myself, “How do I know?”; develop a questioning attitude, consider what information is needed, choose strategies to get that information and consider the obstacles
8. Applying past knowledge to new situations - use what you have already learned
9. Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision - strive to be clear and accurate when speaking and writing
10. Gathering data through all senses - pay attention to the world around you, stop to observe what you see and listen to what you hear etc
11. Creating, imagining, innovating - think about how something might be done differently from the “norm”; propose new ideas and strive for originality
12. Responding with wonderment and awe - finding the world awesome, being intrigued by the world's beauty, nature's power and the vastness for the universe, have regard for what is awe-inspiring
13. Taking responsible risks - be adventurous, willing to try something new and different. Consider doing things that are safe and sane even though new, face the fear of making mistakes or of coming up short and don’t let this stop you.
14. Finding humour - be willing to laugh a little and laugh at yourself when you can
15. Thinking interdependently - willing to work with others and welcome their input and perspective. Working as part of a team even if you disagree somewhat
16. Remaining open to continuous learning - be open to new experiences you could learn from, proud and humble enough to admit when you don't know and welcome new information on all subjects.